Enduring Ascriptions of Dependence: Cultural Autonomy and Relational Interdependence in the Marshall Islands

Abstract This article examines the tensions between external ascriptions of dependence and internal narratives of autonomy and interdependence in the Republic of the Marshall Islands (RMI). The RMI suffers from and endures the legacy of violent colonialism and ongoing reliance on foreign aid, structural factors that inform external ascriptions of dependence. Yet, Marshall Islanders assert their autonomy by engaging in culturally meaningful practices in their everyday life, while government officials frame their diplomatic and geopolitical relations through the prism of relational interdependence. Juxtaposing ethnographic material with historical analysis, the article adopts a relational rather than structural approach to the study of dependency, arguing that it is a claim open to political negotiation and not a label or a possessive quality. Focusing on the interplay between local practices and global political dynamics, this multiscalar analysis provides a nuanced perspective on contemporary geopolitical dynamics and the complexities of postcolonial statehood.