Authentic Though Not Exotic: Essays on Filipino Identity

by Fernando Nakpil Zialcita, Fernando Nakpil Zialcita

This collection of essays offers another way to look at the encounter between the Western and the indigenous. It suggests that through a dialectical process, this encounter has generated a broader sense of community that has transcended the kin. Local genius transformed Spanish influences, even as it was itself transformed by the latter, resulting in a new culture. Finally, "Southeast Asia" is a recent construct that should be redefined to reflect the diversity of cultures present in it.

Genres: Anthropology, Nonfiction

348 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2007

Reviews

[J P · Rating 5 out of 5]

Dr. Zialcita, in tackling some of the biggest causes of insecurity of Filipinos with their culture, gives cause for Filipinos to be secure, even proud, of their identity.

His essays show that (1), despite us being unable to fit into the widespread East-West dichotomy, Filipinos do have a distinct way of living worthy of recognition, (2) that though Filipino culture is influenced by Spanish culture, we are more than a weak copy, (3) we must compare, contextualize, and look at our culture from different angles to see its richness goes beyond the stereotypes implicitly imposed by global cosmopolitanism.

All in all, Dr. Zialcita's erudition is a call for us Filipinos to reconsider and savor our unique ethos.