Dissertation Research: Exchange, Local Meanings of Exchange and Their Consequences among Youth in Chuuk State, Federated States of Micronesia

本项目涉及一名来自加州大学欧文分校的人类学学生的论文研究。该项目将在密克罗尼西亚楚克的青少年中进行人种学研究，主题是资源交换和青少年冲突。学生将测试几个假设，涉及青少年在其家庭和同龄人中的地位，以及他们在资源交换网络中的存在。该地区的青少年自杀率很高，该项目将测试有关青少年在不同情况下如何以及为什么感到被边缘化以及这与他们交换各种资源的能力有何关系的假设。方法将包括对三个村庄进行抽样调查，并对青年男子、青年妇女、母亲和父亲进行分抽样调查，对他们进行认知测试。此外，还将收集交流和支持的叙述以及事件历史。这项研究很重要，因为它将增加国家对世界上这一重要地区的专业知识，并将推进对青少年向成年过渡的跨文化理解。正如青少年自杀率所显示的那样，这种转变在许多社会是困难的，而像这样的案例研究揭示了个人在经历转变时的优势和压力，这对政策制定者来说是有价值的。

This project involves the dissertation research of an anthropology student from the University of Calivornia-Irvine. The project is to conduct ethnographic research among adolescents in Chuuk, Micronesia, on the topic of resource exchanges and teen-aged conflict. The student will test several hypotheses involving the status of adolescents within their households and among their peers and their presence in exchange networks for resources. This region has seen high rates of teen-aged suicides, and the project will test hypotheses relating to how and why adolescents feel marginalized in varying situations and how this relates to their ability to exchange various sorts of resources. Methods will include a sample of three villages to be censused and a sub-sample of young men, young women, mothers and fathers to whom cognitive tests will be administered. In addition narratives of exchange and support as well as event histories will be collected. This research is important because it will add to the nation's expertise about this important region of the world, and will advance out cross-cultural understanding of the teen-aged transition to adulthood. This transition is difficult in many societies, as shown by rates of teen suicide, and case studies such as this which shed light on the strengths as well as stresses involving individuals going through the transition will be valuable to policy makers.