Inside Philippine society: Interpretations of everyday life - Softcover

This book is about how modern, urban Filipinos look at and handle their social life. What is the order they bring to their existence and how do they perceive their relationships with near and distant others? By indentifying the basic reference points informing their actions, life in Philippine society becomes reasonable, indeed. As such, this study is an attempt to understand Filipino life in its own terms, identifying its "logic." Interestingly, the characteristic omodes of thought of lowland Christian culture show a stark similiarity with the perception of individual and society in other civilizations along te inner littoral of Southeast Asia. As a result the essays not only describe Filipino ideas about the experience of social life in inner and wider society, but also place them in a comparative perspective with Java and Thailand. In inside Philippine Society, Mulder draws an accurate portrait of Philippine political and religious culture, show how, despite being deeply based on personal values, it is often manipulated for the interests and advantage of its powerful members. He shows how a moral order which does not include a strong public responsibility can easily degenerate into private vice. Mulder is particularly good at showing the contractitions in Philippine society and culture. The chapter on Filipino self-images is extremely revealing. --Raul Pertierra Review of the Asian Studies Association of Australia Inside Philippine Society is a compact, challenging text that examines carefully how modern, urban Filipinos look at and handle their social life and the logic that informs it. --Jean-Paul Dumont The Journal of Asian Studies