State and Society in the Philippines

by Patricio N. Abinales, Donna J. Amoroso

Overview

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.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781538103937
Publisher:	Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, Inc.
Publication date:	07/06/2017
Series:	State & Society in East Asia
Edition description:	Second Edition
Pages:	464
Product dimensions:	6.33(w) x 9.39(h) x 1.25(d)
Age Range:	18 Years

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.

Table of Contents

List of Boxes
Foreword
Preface to the Second Edition
Preface to the First Edition
Philippine Timeline
Chapter 1: Introducing Philippine Politics
Chapter 2: The Philippines in Maritime Asia to the Fourteen Century
Chapter 3: New States and Reorientations, 1368–1764
Chapter 4: State and Societies, 1764–1898
Chapter 5: Nation and States, 1872–1913
Chapter 6: The Filipino Colonial State, 1902–1946
Chapter 7: All Politics Is Local, 1946–1964
Chapter 8: Marcos, 1965–1986
Chapter 9: Democratization, 1986–1998
Chapter 10: The Rise and Fall of "The Strong Republic"
Chapter 11: Cacique Democracy Personalized
Chapter 12: Neo-Authoritarianism?
Glossary
Bibliography
Index

Editorial Reviews

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

For the foreseeable future, State and Society in the Philippines will remain the definitive Philippine history textbook.

Lisandro Claudio

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

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

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

This book succeeds brilliantly in explaining the formation of the Philippine state, the first item in its title

This book is an excellent historical account of State Formation in the Philippines. A detailed timeline that starts with Philippine contacts with China during the Tang Dynasty and ends with the results of the 2004 presidential elections provides a useful guide to the reader.

Pacific Affairs - Aprodicio Laquian

A competent, clearly written book for both the undergraduate and non-specialist reader. . . . Abinales and Amoroso have admirably tracked the historical development of the Philippines.

Journal of Southeast Asian Studies

Scholarly and highly readable, this volume is an excellent introduction for those interested in the dynamics of Philippine society and the historical state that so far has failed to govern it well. Indispensable material for Philippine specialists and other social scientists, but equally valuable for college teachers and students understanding why a country—endowed with so much human and other resources—paradoxically falls back on massive foreign service for its economic and political survival.

Felipe B. Miranda

Outstanding scholarship and admirable depth and breadth of discussion and analyses about state formation and the dynamics of state-society relations in the Philippines.

Contemporary Southeast Asia

State and Society in the Philippines is a thought-provoking, incisive and timely re-examination of Philippine political history. Using a distinct analytical approach that travels across time, the book offers a fresh perspective on how and why politics in the Philippines have not led to the realization of political promises and developmental aspirations. In the process, it provides important missing pieces to the Philippine development puzzle. A must-read for all students of Philippine politics and history.

Eric C. Batalla

The most comprehensive political history of the Philippines to appear in print. It takes a global view of the process of state formation and covers nearly a millennium of historical change. . . . The overarching theme of the volume is the dynamic tension between a state too weak to deliver basic services (and collect taxes), and social forces often able to steer the state toward their interests. Highly recommended.

CHOICE

Abinales and Amoroso build their case with much care and nuance as they dispute conventional analyses of issues such as national events, social movements, and the entrenchment of the oligarchy, the centralizing and authoritarian tendency of the state, the plundering of the economy, relationships between leaders and their subjects, the shifting roles of women. For beginners on the Philippines, this book presents a succinct and intelligent introduction; for veterans, it invites reflection and indicates trajectories for further study; for Filipinos who care about their country, it paints a pictures which can provide impetus for more enduring reform.

Jose Magadia S.J.

[This] book tackles the gulf that exists between hopes and reality when it comes to the Philippines as a modern state: Why is it that Philippine governments are often weak, and marked by inefficiency, corruption, and an overall lack of modern characteristics? . . . [It] deserves to be read by anyone, Filipino or not, who wants to understand why the Philippines is the way it is—and where it might be headed.

Manuel L. Quezon III

The most comprehensive political history of the Philippines to appear in print. It takes a global view of the process of state formation and covers nearly a millennium of historical change. . . . The overarching theme of the volume is the dynamic tension between a state too weak to deliver basic services (and collect taxes), and social forces often able to steer the state toward their interests. Highly recommended.

Choice

A competent, clearly written book for both the undergraduate and non-specialist reader. . . . Abinales and Amoroso have admirably tracked the historical development of the Philippines.

Journal Of Southeast Asian Studies

This book succeeds brilliantly in explaining the formation of the Philippine state, the first item in its title

This book is an excellent historical account of State Formation in the Philippines. A detailed timeline that starts with Philippine contacts with China during the Tang Dynasty and ends with the results of the 2004 presidential elections provides a useful guide to the reader.
— Aprodicio Laquian

Pacific Affairs