Bakwit: The Power of the Displaced

by Jose Jowel Canuday

A book that renders long overdue respect for the dignity and struggle of the bakwit - people displaced by conflict and, at times, disenfranchised by aid. Canuday reminds us that the first and lasting fact in any rigorous and reverent social analysis is the resilience of the human spirit.

228 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2012

Reviews

[Luke Schroeder · Rating 3 out of 5]

The author takes up an important topic and gives a window into the process he went through to learn it. I like his adoption of the term FDP (forcefully displaced persons) instead of IDP (internally displaced persons) after being made aware that refugee is not the appropriate term for the situation of the Bakwit. Topics worth pondering some more that are given considerable consideration are appropriate methods of providing aid, ways that evacuees themselves can be agents and take action to better their situation, and also what ancestral domain looks like for people that have endured a long history of disruption to their communities that even can predate the wars of the later half of the 20th century. I was especially drawn to the realization of the Erumanen that they needed to talk with other related Manobo languages or dialects and come up with a single identity in order for them even to explore what is their common history and their ancestral domain in such a way that government entities heard their cause.

At parts of the author's writing I got lost in academic language and deliberations. As this is related to the author's M.A. thesis it made me wonder if I have the ability to write up to the standard of a post-graduate thesis. In the middle chapters of the book it transitioned into story telling which focused on very specific individuals and organizations. These parts were easy to read and entertaining, but made it hard to glean useful information towards anthropological understanding. I am happy to have read the book in that my experience with the Maguindanaon in particular reverberates some of the things the author says about those who have gone through quite a bit of duress that seems cyclical even the greatest victims are often capable, persistent, creative, and assertive.

[Joe · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great book that sheds light and unpacks the concept of the "bakwit" in Mindanao. Canuday skillfully weaves a compelling story of how the different threads of struggling and coping belie the image of the dole-out dependent, helpless and hapless evacuee. Instead, Bakwit tells of the resilience of a group of people who never faltered in rebuilding their oft-disrupted lives.