Fantasy-Production: Sexual Economies and Other Philippine Consequences for the New World Order

by Neferti Xina M. Tadiar

"Fantasy-Production is an important and much needed intervention in the growing debates regarding globalization and its vicissitudes especially in the so-called third world. It is of great vale to those with a stake in grafting feminist critiques of modernization theory with postcolonial theories regarding the fate of the nation state amid emergent conditions of the international (and gendered) divisions of labor. And it is a welcome addition to the growing body of critical area studies, offering theoretically informed analysis of an important area of Southeast Asia." -Vicente L. Rafael

Genres: Theory

355 pages, Paperback

First published November 1, 2003

Reviews

[Ken]

A personally consequential text. Like the author, I am "[endeavouring] to hold on to and heed the particularities of Philippine life, which I at once intimately know and am far away from" (267). Tadiar writes an incisive take on the production of dreams — Philippine dreams — as one invariably shaped by our positionality in geopolitical spaces and the practices of imagination that emerge out of the various heresies of our living. She also aptly critiques the limits of irony, which create these invisible-yet-material boundaries between the ones who dream and the ones who interpret these dreams. Without swerving away from a Marxian materialism, Tadiar contends that "imagination [is] a form of work" that is not merely captured and contained by 'critical consciousness' but instead can be incorporated either into systems of production or into alternative ways to inhabit the world (6). For my dissertation, I hope to situate this work into conversations about the spectral/material violence perpetuated by the Duterte's draconic war on drugs and terrorism and its lingering presence under an equally-insidious Marcos-Duterte governance.

[S. Alberto ⁻⁷ (semi-active, always yearning) · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book had a lot to offer, and I definitely see why it's considered essential reading in critical Filipino studies and postcolonial theory. I used it as a source for my final seminar paper (shoutout to my Sociology of Sound class), and it helped me connect global capitalist systems with local, intimate experiences in the Philippines in a way that was deeply thought-provoking—even if it left me rereading a few sections like 👀📖.

Tadiar’s analysis of “fantasy” as a structuring force in how Filipina bodies, labour, and desires are commodified under global capitalism? Wild. Brilliant. Sometimes dense, sometimes dazzling. But I’ll be honest: this was not always the easiest read. The prose leans heavily academic and theoretical, and while that’s not a bad thing, it did feel like a bit of a marathon at times.

Still, once you sit with it, the payoff is worth it. Tadiar makes connections between gender, empire, and economics that linger long after you close the book. Definitely one of those texts I’ll be returning to—maybe with a highlighter and a strong cup of coffee next time.

[june · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5