Adriana Hernandez ‘27

Summer 2026

Chatan Gusuku and the Power of Recognition

Over the summer of 2026, Adriana will travel to Okinawa, Japan to analyze how cultural heritage developments surrounding Chatan Gusuku, a medieval castle of the Gusuku Period of the Ryukyu Islands, illustrate intersections of national heritage politics, U.S. military presence, and local community building. 

Through interviews with Chatan’s residents and archival research, she will explore Chatan’s campaign for Japanese national heritage recognition of the gusuku, a designation attained in 2021 following the site’s return from American military administration. Adriana hopes to discover how Chatan is presently developing the site into a contemporary symbol of the village’s historical and cultural continuity. Moreover, investigating the political and economic consequences of Chatan’s appeal for national heritage elucidates how Okinawan communities utilize heritage designations as mechanisms of constructing place and historical memory in the 21st century.