Creating options: Forming a Marshallese community in Orange County, California

Founded by individuals pursuing higher education in the United States, the Marshallese community in Orange County today also represents family and nat ional interests in access to business opportunities, employment, education, medical services, and other goals. This community has become an "official" Marshallese overseas community, site of the first Marshallese consulate in the mainland United States, and a link between overseas Marshallese and th e home islands. Individuals and family units traverse networks of inter-lin ked households, highlighting processes of Islanders' investments, including at least a short-term reversal of theoretically expected remittance flows. We explore the process of community formation, and compare rural and urban sites in the Marshall Islands to call attention to the community's place i n a system of geographically dispersed locations within the global politica l economy.