The Indigenous Filipino
Frames that were tackled include: Sikolohiyang Pilipino, Pilipinolohiya, and Pantayong Pananaw that
are all focus on the Filipino as being the subject of the study, and not as being
the other. One of the main goals of the Indigenous Filipino Frames is to regain
the lost culture replaced by the western ideologies that dominates in the
Filipino culture and society. Basically, it aims to develop a nation that is
united through interconnecting the diversities and differences present in every
part of a nation. In line with this issue, it is questionable if this kind of
objective is attainable, and even possible.
Attaining a one
true united nation is hard to obtain. It is unimaginable considering that the
country is really divided in three parts, and that will never change. People
from Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao have their own cultural identities that are
preserved since the beginning of time. And not only that, the social classes
between the rich and the poor will not be easily resolved or even find a
solution to it. No group of people or social class will agree to have a one
common way of life. The issue of hybridity will always rise due to the dynamic
interplay between the insider construct with outsider constructs.
Another issue
that may be a problem is the use of a one common language. Since, the country
has a rich multi-cultural system, as well as multi-dialect, it will be hard to
establish a one common language that could be use by everyone. Though Tagalog
is the first language of the country, it actually does not apply to all. People
from the Visayas and Mindanao are are not comfortable in speaking the Tagalog
language. The Tagalog language used in the Luzon area is somehow biased or
one-sided; this may have the tendency to marginalize and even oppress someone
who is not used in speaking the language. Using the Indigenous Filipino Frames,
one can assessed that not all Filipinos do fully understand the discussion of
the Sikolohiyang Pilipino using the Tagalog language.
The second issue
is the issue of language. Sikolohiyang Pilipino uses different terms to
identify the Filipino value system, but the majority of these terms are in the
language of Tagalog. By only using the language spoken in one area of the
country, this can marginalize those who cannot understand Filipino, and build
more disparity between the capital and the provinces. I suggest that the terms
of sikolohiyang Pilipino be translated in every dialect so as to achieve total
understanding.
The third issue
is the issue of origin. According to Mendoza, all of frames originated from the
University of the Philippines, the number one university in the Philippine. UP,
being the pioneers of this study has already set the standard, such as the
methods, the language, and other aspects of research. This is problematic,
because other academics are required to follow to their rules. Other schools
that are found with in the indigenous society are still marginalized, but now
not by westerners, but by their own countrymen. Schools like University of San
Carlos in Cebu or University of Mindanao should be given the chance to create their
own Sikolohiyang Pilipino in honor of their own culture and language.
Critical
Commentary on Critical Western Culture
There are five schools
under the critical western theories: Birmingham School of Cultural Studies,
Frankfurt School of Thought, Post-modernism, French Cultural Studies, and the Feminism-Queer
Theory.
In
postmodernism, believes that reality is not simply mirrored in human
understanding of it, but rather, is constructed as the mind tries to understand
its own particular and personal reality. I think postmodernism is a lot more
concerned about each person's perception about things rather than what the
general people perceives.
On the other hand, Birmingham’s main idea
is based on everyday politics. It basically emphasizes on the
reciprocity in how cultural texts, and even mass-produced products are used,
inquiring the valorized division between "producers" and
"consumers" that was clear in cultural theory like Adorno’s and the
Frankfurt school.
On the opposite side, the Frankfurt
School offered the idea that social movements can be become a source or an
outlet of people to fight for their own rights. When social movements are formed, the gap
between high culture and mass culture can unite and be formed as one. In
addition, I learned about the four (4) theorists of the Frankfurt School : Marx
Horkheimer, Theodore Adorno, Herbert Marcuse and Jürgen Habermas.
I learned that according to Horkheimer,
knowledge is consisted of propositions that are formulated to correspond to
facts, and hence be regarded as true. That is very interesting and I think is
very true. I sometimes question what I read in the internet and I try to filter
everything.
I learned that Habermas pushed thru the theory
that all people are equal and they have the right to express their feelings
freely. I strongly agree with his theory. In a democratic country like ours, we
are all deemed as equals and as much as I want to say that we feel this always,
sometimes it is not the case.
My favorite school of thought among
the critical western theories is the Feminist-Queer Theory. Queer Theory is the
approach to literary and cultural study that rejects traditional categories of
gender and sexuality. Personal is Political. Nowadays, the LGBT community is
being heard in the community but decades and decades before being queer was
said to be a disgrace in the community. There are a lot of TV shows that now
has gay men and women which only means that bit by bit, they are being accepted
by this generation. The Feminist theory aims to study the nature of gender
inequality and to promote women's rights, interests and issues. Just like queer
men and women, straight women weren't accepted as much as they are now. Before,
women were considered unequal with men. They weren't allowed to do things that
men can do. Luckily women now are not being discriminated. Yes, there still are
a few gender discriminations happening here and in other parts of the world but
thankfully there isn't as much.
Lastly, the French Cultural Studies was
rooted from Historiography and Existentialist philosophy. Similar to the
Feminist-Queer Theory, the French Cultural Studies also focus on the
individual. The
Annales School of Historiography also known as the New History emerged before
World War II. It gained momentum right after the World War. It is the
opposition to the prevailing positivist orientation of French historiography. Mikhail
Bakhtin is my favorite theorist from our presentation. Like others in the
French tradition, he wished to preserve the uniqueness and plurality as well as
the potential for novelty and innovation present in the forms of everyday
social life. He focused his attention on the prosaic character of everyday
life. He also said that there is no single language because people creates
their own like the Jejemons and the Conyos.
