Books
Francis X. Hezel, SJ
This short booklet traces in simple language island links with the past. It tries to show the general route, geographical and cultural, from island Micronesia all the way back to Africa some 50,000 years earlier. The history is broken down into five segments, although the trail sometimes fades away for long periods.
Reduction of the Marianas: Resettlement into Villages under the Spanish
Francis X. Hezel, SJ
Once hostilities ended during the early mission period, the Spanish began resettling the population, greatly diminished by disease, into villages. The period of resettlement lasted half a century (1680-1730). This booklet explores the purpose and the process of resettlement. It also explores how the new village might be compared to the old in terms of layout and cultural practices.
Francis X. Hezel S.J.
Why are islanders so lavishly generous with food and material possessions but so guarded with information? Why do these people, unfailingly polite for the most part, laugh openly when others embarrass themselves? What does a smile mean to an islander? Making Sense of Micronesia is intended for westerners who find themselves in contact with Micronesians—as teachers, social workers, health-care providers, or simply as friends—and are puzzled by their island ways. It is for anyone struggling to make sense of cultural exchanges they don’t quite understand.
2013 CULTURAL SOCIAL ISSUES
Video Listings
Suicide in Micronesia: Finding a Better Way Out
Francis X. Hezel S.J.
2004 CULTURAL FAMILY CHANGE SUICIDE
For the Love of Chuuk: Working Towards the Common Good
Francis X. Hezel S.J.
2004 CULTURAL GOVERNMENT
talks
Human Dignity through the Eyes of a Catholic Missionary
Francis X. Hezel, SJ
Presentation at LDS conference on Human Dignity in Hawaii
Francis X. Hezel, SJ
Address at book launch at Historic Preservation Office, Pohnpei.
March 2015 CULTURAL
Francis X. Hezel, SJ
Presentation at University of the South Pacific, Fiji
September 1991 CULTURAL SOCIAL ISSUES
Francis X. Hezel, SJ
Talk at the Micronesian Cultural Exchange Festival, Honolulu
Early Spanish Period in the Marianas--Eight Theses
Francis X. Hezel, SJ
Presentation at Marianas History Conference on Saipan
Francis X. Hezel, SJ
Presentation given in Palau
Deepening a Sense of History in Micronesia
Francis X. Hezel, SJ
Presentation at the Historic Preservation Office conference on Pohnpei
Francis X. Hezel, SJ
Presentation at Yap Homecoming Day
Culture in Crisis--Trends in the Church and Society in the Pacific
Francis X. Hezel, SJ
Presentation to the CEPAC-CCJD Symposium, American Samoa
November 1991 CULTURAL ECONOMICS FAMILY CHANGE
Cultural Dilemmas in Development
Francis X. Hezel, SJ
Presentation at East-West Center, Hawaii
July 2013 CULTURAL JUSTICE & LAW SOCIAL ISSUES
Commerce, Christianity and Colonialism in Micronesia
Francis X. Hezel, SJ
Presentation given in Chicago
April 1990 CULTURAL GOVERNMENT HISTORY
A Close-up Look at What's Happening in Paradise
Francis X. Hezel, SJ
Presentation at University of Hawaii
2001 CULTURAL SOCIAL ISSUES
Micronesian Counselors
Effects of Modernization on Three Areas of Island Life
Francis X. Hezel, SJ
Modernization poses difficult choices for people, especially regarding gender equality, fairness to those outside the family, and balance of concern between the household and the extended family.
September 1991 CULTURAL SOCIAL ISSUES
Spirit Possession in Chuuk: Socio-Cultural Interpretation
Francis X. Hezel, SJ
Summary of research done on the ways in which spirit possession is used as a means of dealing with family problems.
July 1993 CULTURAL
Culture in Crisis: Trends in the Pacific Today
Francis X. Hezel, SJ
Review of problem areas in the Pacific resulting from social change.
May 1993 CULTURAL SOCIAL ISSUES
Social Isolation, Cultural Competence, and Disability in the Carolines
Mac Marshall
How physical disability is understood and dealt with in the islands.
January 1994 CULTURAL HEALTH SOCIAL ISSUES
Francis X. Hezel, SJ
Report from a two-day conference on land problems in Chuuk.
October 1994 CULTURAL LAND ISSUES
Changes in Family Structure Leading to Alcoholism, Suicide, and Child Abuse
Donald H. Rubinstein
Anthropological view of how culture change in the family brings about social problems.
June 1994 CULTURAL FAMILY CHANGE SUICIDE
Why Don't Our Government Offices Work?
Francis X. Hezel, SJ
Explanation of how cultural values and attitudes obstruct the creation of a government bureaucracy.
May 1998 CULTURAL GOVERNMENT
A Hibiscus In the Wind: The Micronesian Chief and His People
Francis X. Hezel, SJ
Chiefs had obligations toward their people as well as the other way around.
December 1997 CULTURAL
Becoming a Professional Victim
Francis X. Hezel, SJ
Argues that the Marshall Islands’ lawsuit against Big Tobacco could be more damaging than the cigarettes they smoked.
July 2000 CULTURAL GOVERNMENT
Francis X. Hezel, SJ
Over-reliance on the courts to settle disputes, even though traditional means are available.
January 2002 CULTURAL GOVERNMENT
The Chuuk Problem: At the Foot of the Political Pyramid
Francis X. Hezel, SJ
Argument that Chuuk’s political impasse stems from its fragmented traditional authority system.
April 2004 CULTURAL GOVERNMENT
Francis X. Hezel, S.J.
Politics in the islands has been elevated to a new art form, while drifting from the ideal of public service.
May 2007 CULTURAL GOVERNMENT
Neil Poulin, SJ
Humorous account of a priest’s adventures on a trip through the Yap outer islands.
September 2005 CULTURAL
Cultural Loss: How Real is the Threat?
Francis X. Hezel, SJ
If culture is more than material items and outward behavior, perhaps the threat of cultural loss is exaggerated.
July 2005 CULTURAL
Francis X. Hezel, SJ
An expatriate teacher explains the cultural lessons learned during his long stay in the islands.
September 2009 CULTURAL
The Role of Culture in Economic Development
Francis X. Hezel, S.J.
The playing field is not level when it comes to economic development, for cultural values and attitudes give some societies a head start.
Cultural Revolution Of The 60's
Francis X. Hezel, S.J.
The rapid increase of dollars and jobs in the 1960s led to structural changes whose impacts are still being felt.
September 2008 CULTURAL FAMILY CHANGE
Micsem Discussion
Faith, Culture and Democracy in Truk
Francis X. Hezel S.J.
Discussion of the fit between democracy and traditional authority in Chuuk, and how the church can help mediate.
1988-04-30 CULTURAL GOVERNMENT RELIGION
Francis X. Hezel S.J.
Changes in many of the most important Palauan customs demand a response today by Palauans.
1986-11-22 CULTURAL
Freedom of Information: Who Has a Right to What?
Francis X. Hezel S.J.
Freedom of press can provide important information to the public, but it can also do social damage in a Pacific society.
1995-05-17 CULTURAL JUSTICE & LAW SOCIAL ISSUES
Domestic Violence in Micronesia
Francis X. Hezel S.J.
With the breakdown of social mechanisms that once protected women, new means of protecting them from harm will have to be found.
1994-11-30 CULTURAL GOVERNMENT SOCIAL ISSUES
Where Do Traditional Leaders Fit in Today's Society?
Francis X. Hezel S.J.
Traditional leaders have a distinct function, but can not easily be absorbed into the modern authority system.
1994-05-12 CULTURAL GOVERNMENT
Women's Role in Micronesia: Then and Now
Francis X. Hezel S.J.
Many of the traditional roles of women have eroded with modernization, raising the question of how adjustments can be made.
1994-03-08 CULTURAL GOVERNMENT SOCIAL ISSUES
articles
Francis X. Hezel, SJ
Human dignity as understood from a Micronesian perspective,
Joseph A. Flear
Observations on the sociocultural aspects of Health Care Delivery in Micronesia
Mission in the Marianas, In I Estoria-ta: Guam, the Marianas and Chamorro Culture
Francis X. Hezel, SJ
Brief review of the first missionaries in the Marianas and their impact on society.
Museo Nacional de Antroplogia, Madrid (2021), 65-74. CULTURAL HISTORY
The Chamorro Village After Resettlement: The New and the Old
Francis X. Hezel, SJ
Spanish resettlement of the Marianas population into villages.
With David Atienza, in Espana y las Islas Marianas (2022), 85-113. CULTURAL HISTORY
Christianity in Micronesia: The Interplay between Church and Culture
Francis X. Hezel
An overview of what Christianity has brought to the islands
In Charles E. Farhadian, Introducing World Christianity. London, Blackwell Press, 2012. 230-243. CULTURAL RELIGION
The Cultural Revolution of the 1960s in Micronesia
Francis X. Hezel, S.J.
The impact of the cash economy on the family and other social institutions in the islands.
Ankulegi: Gizarte Antropologia Aldizkaria-- Revista de Antroplogia, Issue 12, 51-64. CULTURAL