Luzon at War: Contradictions in Philippine Society, 1898-1902

by Milagros C. Guerrero

Mila Guerrero’s Luzon at War, first written in 1977, grew out of a world in motion seeking to understand another earlier era of radical turmoil. Its findings helped lay the groundwork for the emergence since the 1980s of new ways for understanding the historical roots and unresolvable contradictions of the Philippine Revolution.

The book puts forth a series of questions about the colonial origins of the nation, the tensions between State and society, the role of the intelligentsia, and the resistance of ordinary people that successive generations of scholars are still seeking to come to terms with. It remains arguably the most astute critique of the first Philippine Republic, laying bare many of the sources of today’s political and social problems.

Genres: History

327 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 1977

Reviews

[John Ray Catingub · Rating 4 out of 5]

Guerrero's "Luzon at War" continues a historical assessment similar to Joaquin's "A Question of Heroes" and exposes the realities of the underbelly of the Philippine Revolution. Meticulously researched, its heavy use of primary sources give a greater insight into the turn-of-the-century struggles amongst and through Filipinos, especially by way of regionalism, and against the contemporary Americans and historical Spanish. I appreciated the lengthy bibliography at the conclusion of the book which not only lends credibility to Guerrero's writing but points the way to more historical reading needed to understand the revolution in a deeper sense. Although a minor inconvenience, there were many typos; I'm not sure if these were in the author's original dissertation or if these were introduced in the typesetting of the book.

[emil · Rating 3 out of 5]

okay-ish perspective, not much new info and frustrating formatting