Philippine Political Studies in the 21st Century: Institutions, Agencies, and Regions

Abstract

Philippine political studies have transformed after a heated debate on orientalism in its research tradition. In this evolving process, they have gradually abandoned the dominant frameworks such as weak states, patron-client relations, and/or rent seeking to characterize Philippine politics and economy in general. First, they have adapted various types of institutionalism to study them as only particular parts of Philippine politics and economy. Second, other scholars have expanded their eye sights to capture dynamic nature of Philippine politics shaped by the left movement or non-mobilized poor people whose agencies have been neglected. Third, there is a group of scholars who study the role of agency to shed new light on the Philippine state formation or state building. Fourth, those who have problematized nationalism in research methods advocate ethno-history or put the Philippines in broader regional contexts. The research community has also witnessed development of research environment where Filipino researchers and researchers from abroad cooperate with each other in particular research project, fellowship, and international workshops which often have multi-disciplinary nature. By mingling with scholars with different academic discipline and working environment, Philippine studies have evolved to appreciate wider audience both in the Philippines and abroad.