State and Society in the Philippines (State & Society in East Asia) - Softcover

Abinales, Patricio N.; Amoroso, Donna J.

Softcover

ISBN 10: 153810394X ISBN 13: 9781538103944

Publisher: Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, 2017

Synopsis

This clear and nuanced introduction explores the Philippines’ ongoing and deeply charged dilemma of state-society relations through a historical treatment of state formation and the corresponding conflicts and collaboration between government leaders and social forces. Patricio N. Abinales and Donna J. Amoroso examine the long history of institutional weakness in the Philippines and the varied strategies the state has employed to overcome its structural fragility and strengthen its bond with society. The authors argue that this process reflects the country’s recurring dilemma: on the one hand is the state’s persistent inability to provide essential services, guarantee peace and order, and foster economic development; on the other is the Filipinos’ equally enduring suspicions of a strong state. To many citizens, this powerfully evokes the repression of the 1970s and the 1980s that polarized society and cost thousands of lives in repression and resistance and billions of dollars in corruption, setting the nation back years in economic development and profoundly undermining trust in government. The book’s historical sweep starts with the polities of the pre-colonial era and continues through the first year of Rodrigo Duterte’s controversial presidency.

About this title

About the Author:

Patricio N. Abinales is professor in the School of Pacific and Asian Studies, the University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa. Donna J. Amoroso (1960–2011) was associate professor at the National Graduate Institute for Policy Studies, Tokyo, and editor of the Kyoto Review of Southeast Asia at the Center for Southeast Asian Studies, Kyoto University.

Review:

In this magisterial sweep through five centuries of the country’s turbulent history, Abinales and Amoroso offer an incisive analysis of Philippine politics that deftly juxtaposes local social dynamics with well-chosen global comparisons. Each page offers new insights, each chapter rewards with provocative analysis of a major period, allowing readers—whether undergraduates, faculty, or informed citizens—to emerge with richly informed insights into the country’s elusive, ever-changing political process. (Alfred McCoy, University of Wisconsin–Madison)

In the eleven years since its publication, State and Society in the Philippines has become required reading for students and aspiring young scholars from across the Asia-Pacific region and beyond. This revised edition brings the discussion up to date with timely chapters on the Gloria Arroyo, Benigno Aquino III, and Rodrigo R. Duterte administrations, and on issues of democratic contestation, distribution of power, gender, ethnicity, mobility, and diaspora that are transforming state-society relations. The book’s appeal for young readers lies not only in its thoughtful, lucid overview of Filipino history, politics, and culture, but also—and just as important—in its reframing of the issues and debates that inform the understanding and study of our country and our people. State and Society does not lend itself to rote memorization of names, places, and events, nor does it lay down the rules for arriving at a definitive account. It is, rather, an invitation to learning, enabling students to question, test, and refine their ideas, experiences, and practices as a way of preparing themselves for engaging in the world outside their classrooms. (Caroline S. Hau, Center for Southeast Asian Studies, Kyoto University)

For the foreseeable future, State and Society in the Philippines will remain the definitive Philippine history textbook. (Lisandro Claudio, De La Salle University)

Abinales and Amoroso go far beyond what one would expect from a textbook, providing not only an overview of Philippine politics but also a creative new interpretation of state-society dynamics that is grounded in historical analysis stretching back to the pre-colonial era. Readily accessible to undergraduate audiences, the book concludes with a provisional examination of the early months of the presidency of Rodrigo Duterte. (Paul D. Hutchcroft, The Australian National University)

This book should be required reading for those who want to understand the layered complexity of a country whose history has often been reduced to clichés like 'three hundred years in the convent and fifty years in Hollywood.' Abinales and Amoroso have written a Philippine history for the twenty-first century—one that situates the country in Southeast Asia and the globe and provides a rich perspective that moves far beyond the one-dimensional views that have long been offered by nationalist historians and orientalist commentators. (Sheila S. Coronel, Columbia University)

About this edition

• Publisher: Rowman & Littlefield Publishers
• Publication date: 2017
• ISBN 10: 153810394X
• ISBN 13: 9781538103944
• Binding: Paperback
• Edition number: 2
• Number of pages: 464