Violence, the Indigenous and the Phillipine Extractive State on Mindanao: The 'Human Rights' Theory of Filipino Activist Intellectuals (original) (raw)
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Philippine Studies: Historical and Ethnographic Viewpoints, 2014
Reynaldo Ileto’s “Orientalism in the Study of Philippine Politics” (1999) highlighted the problematical relationship between colonialism and knowledge production in American scholarship on the Philippines. In recent decades the target of the critique has shifted to Filipino-American and overseas Filipino intellectuals. This article examines the changing intellectual and material contexts in which Philippine-based, often middle- class, intellectuals claim epistemic privilege in representing the Philippines by virtue of “authentic” experience and knowledge. These claims involve a contest over the power and authority to speak (on behalf) of the Philippines and the role and subject positions of intellectuals in relation to a “Filipino nation” that is in the throes of transformation.
Asian Perspectives in the Arts and the Humanities , 2013
Working within the framework of Reynaldo Ileto's postcolonial discourse, this paper re-explores the Filipino philosophy question and its contemporary relevance. Re-exploration in this context means re-reading and arguing for sustained discussions on Filipino philosophy. Divided into three parts, the paper presents the history and development of the Filipino philosophy debate and proceeds to an analysis and reflection on Ileto's writing from Pasyon and Revolution to his more recent work. The third and final part proposes a rethinking of what has been identified as Filipino philosophy in the light of Ileto's ideas. At the core of this endeavor is the contention that a culture-grounded philosophy is indispensable in nationhood and state-formation. Thus, whether it shall be called "philosophies in the Philippines" or "Filipino philosophy," or whatever possible nomenclature for such an endeavor, the most essential thing is that Filipinos consciously identify and shape their own discourse as a people. Finally, this paper argues for the relevance of continually discussing the question concerning Filipino philosophy.
This analysis traces the roots of antagonism in Philippine society to the post-colonial struggle of the Filipino that persists to this day. Conflict and division characterize the essence of this struggle. The ordinary Filipino finds himself voiceless in the affairs of the state. This colonial legacy, in the mind of Rodrigo Duterte, gives legitimacy to his radical leadership. With the demise of elite democracy in the country, the task at hand, given the decades of domination in Philippine society, is to implement real reforms. But while Duterte's radical approach to state-building is tempting due to his ambition to reshape the hegemonic nature of national politics, public morals and decency, rather than the kind of rhetoric that is dismissive of human rights, should be the fundamental principle that the Filipino nation must be built upon.
Identitary Politics and Violence. Narratives from Cultural Societies in the Philippines
Concordia Reihe Monographien - Band 73, 2019
The paper argues that identitary politics by indigenous minorities is a locus of identity creation and injustice mitigation. Identity construction is linked to identitary politics, that is, in the confrontation between one's interests and rival claims. However, as a political activity , identitary politics could probably offer more or less refined ways to dealing with totalizing rival claims through the recognition of the right to self-determination/governmental autonomy. Arguments from respect for cultural difference, linguistic justice and legal pluralism defend this right. Hence, indigenous minorities as political agents should enjoy the right to shape their own socio-political, economic and cultural destiny.
The Struggle of Philippine Indigenous Peoples
International Journal of Advanced Research, 2020
Indigenous people across the globe have engaged in a constant struggle to take control of natural resources and land against intrusion by external developers, state interest and commercial pressures brought up by practices such as mining and agribusiness (Meilasari-Sugiana, 2018). The main purpose of this research paper is to discuss how Thomas Pogge's argument on the Global Justice applies to the case of indigenous people from the Philippines and their struggle to protect their natural resources. The paper will use a designed case study to demonstrate the enactment gap between the indigenous peoples’ rights in practice and law and the role of stakeholders in safeguarding the land belonging to the indigenous group. A case study of Higaonon indigenous tribe was selected for the study due to various mining and palm oil agribusiness activities in the region and the struggle to retain the land. The research methodology involved gathering information from tribal leaders' representatives and members of the focus groups and researching previous informant interviews with governmental bodies and non-governmental organizations on the matter in question. The study results show conflicting interests among different government bodies; laws and mandate of various government bodies are contradicting resulting in poor coordination between them. It is also noted that there is a lack of political will and resources to implement the provisions in the Indigenous Peoples Rights Act. The indigenous peoples’ land tenure insecurity is also found to be a disunity factor.
Children of the Postcolony: Filipino Intellectuals and Decolonization, 1946-1972
An excerpt from Charlie Samuya Veric’s forthcoming book titled, Children of the Postcolony, the sampler provides a glimpse of the main arguments concerning the need to reconstruct the intellectual origins of Philippine Studies as a discipline. In particular, the sampler describes the historical forgetting that defines the study of the Filipino nation following its independence from the US in 1946, a phenomenon that Veric calls the "Ileto effect."
PHAVISMINDA Journal , 2018
Working within the framework of post-colonial critique, this paper engages scholars who have written about Filipino philosophy. Without siding with either those who believe that there is an essential Filipino philosophy or those who say otherwise, the article argues that the Filipino philosophy question is an issue that is as unsettled as (the) Filipino identity. The problem however is such only insofar as Filipinos refuse to settle the fact that their colonial experience frustrates any attempt or endeavor to find the essential Filipino. This point of view should not be used as an argument against Filipino philosophy because, precisely, Filipino philosophy is the progressive attempt to understand the Filipino and his world, his lifeworld and systems, by interrogating the colonial experience and its constructs about the colonized, i.e., the Filipinos. Thus, Filipino philosophy is a resistance to the pervading notion that philosophy is exclusively Western such that those who live outside or if not unconnected to the privileged geography are nothing but mere subscribers to the privileged knowledge.
Filipino intellectuals and postcolonial theory: The Case of E. San Juan, Jr.
This essay discusses the distinctive features of the writings of Epifanio San Juan, Jr. with special reference to his interpretation of postcolonial theory. After demonstrating the significance of postcolonial theories from a Japanese perspective, San Juan's approach toward postcolonial theory is critically examined. By doing so, positive linkage between postcolonial studies and the new directions in Philippine studies is sought.