This Twitter Thread Is Also Your New Course Outline in Philippine Studies 101
When you get past the sea of mind-numbing memes and distracting videos, the internet is also a well-equipped library of information. Sometimes it just needs to be sifted in the right places. Thanks to a twitter thread gone viral, we have all been assigned a list of recommended readings on Philippine culture, politics
Hellooooooooo.
— Ash Respeto (@athenaanona) July 5, 2018
THREAD OF GREAT READINGS ON PHILIPPINE SOCIETY, CULTURE, AND POLITICS (most of which are available for free online).
1. Prof. Renato Constantino's THE MISEDUCATION OF THE FILIPINO which talks about the problems and the necessary goals of the PH educational system.
— Ash Respeto (@athenaanona) July 5, 2018
Available at https://t.co/JRk8RbEdoC pic.twitter.com/TxCBg51ppp
4. Mulder's FILIPINO IMAGES OF THE NATION which underscores the role of the middle class in advancing nationalism (and the failure thereof) through cultivating collective imagination in the public sphere.
— Ash Respeto (@athenaanona) July 5, 2018
Available at https://t.co/O8IvnwsI9i pic.twitter.com/lLeEp3U7FK
7. Fallows' "A DAMAGED CULTURE: A NEW PHILIPPINES?" which cites phenomena and practices under the Filipino culture that are instrumental in the overall stagnation (and even backwardness) of the country.
— Ash Respeto (@athenaanona) July 6, 2018
Available at https://t.co/DOl37hZH9o pic.twitter.com/oqlaHnqgCZ
11. Mijares' THE CONJUGAL DICTATORSHIP OF FERDINAND AND IMELDA MARCOS. Exposé of the Marcoses' corruption written by the late dictator's media adviser and ONE OF THE MOST IMPORTANT BOOKS IN THIS THREAD.
— Ash Respeto (@athenaanona) July 6, 2018
Free and full access / download at https://t.co/3tjxvZRAwd pic.twitter.com/DXh5q2XSVb
The list features 12 great pieces from various journals and books, such as “The Miseducation of the Filipino” by Renato Constantino, “Philippine Society and Revolution” by Amado Guerrero, “The Conjugal Dictatorship of Ferdinand and Imelda Marcos” by Primitivo Mijares.
The best part is that these are all available to read online for free. (Click on the first tweet to show the whole thread.)
The generous educator behind the thread, Athena Presto, is a professor from UP Diliman who teaches a class called Sociology 10 (On Being a Filipino: A Sociological Exploration). The articles she’s provided to the Twitterverse also comes from the material she teaches.
It was another Twitter thread, in fact, that sparked her enthusiasm to share pieces about the Philippines. “I saw a thread entitled ‘Eye-opening documentaries in the Philippines’, and I've actually watched every single documentary included in the thread,” she tells Esquire. “I felt like I ghost-tweeted it since I always watch various documentaries and read different books about the Philippines. That's when I realized that I, too, can share something for people who want to know more about Philippine society, culture, and politics.”
Now Athena isn’t the only one doing the schooling on the thread—other people have started throwing their own favorite pieces in the mix.
Prof. Teodoro Agoncillo's HISTORY OF THE FILIPINO PEOPLE, a classic read on Philippine history.
— dos (@dos_deux) July 6, 2018
Constantino's "Veneration Without Understanding" is also a good read on assessing Rizal and the role of special individuals in history.
— calm like a bomb (@leroynavanred) July 6, 2018
Also, Freire's "Pedagogy of the Oppressed"
Alice Guillermo's 'Mao's Revolutionary Aesthetics" is a good essay on art and society
(2) The Aswang Complex (I forgot the author) which looks into gender politics in the Philippines through the Aswang folklore. The reading tackles the concept of aswang as female as other, and the dynamics of the Ph's heavily patriarchal society.
— Arianne (@dapitaraw) July 8, 2018
When we reached out to Athena, also told us that this is only the first dozen on her list and that she’s sitting on a few more pieces she can share in the future. Until then, make sure you’re caught up on your readings.
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