This essay argues that the “archipelagic” turn in American studies is a productive way to more fully engage Guam and the emergent field of Guam studies. It embodies an archipelagic structure by viewing Guam as a complex space contested by various populations and interests vying for representational, historiographical, ideological, and political power—revealing Guam to be more than just a footnote to US-American empire and an intellectual footnote to the field of American studies. Guam is instead seen as an important source of indigenous culture, history, literature, and scholarship, as well as a central node through which to analyze, understand, and...