th Late 19 century history was key to identity for pioneers of Filipino nationhood Schumacher , 1973 Ilustrados reacted to the chauvinism common to members of governing races
Pedro Paterno: ancient Tagalog civilization had
long been Christian
Ilustrados desired to illuminate their origins in
order to know themselves; knowledge is vital to further political actionh
Rizal consciously imagined a past that effaced
the differences in colonial society (Ileto, 1998) th 19 century popular and scientific theories of race and attendant discourses of migration diffusion
positive science : belief that peoples of distinct
races moved into territories in discrete waves of migration
The extant cultural groups encountered by
European ethnologists in their primitive state were assumed to be survivals, residues that closely approximated the races of antiquity
Ferdinand Blumentritt in Versuch einer
Ethnographie der Philippinen (An Attempt at Writing a Philippine Ethnography) first systematic formulation of the migration-waves theory purporting to explain the peopling of the Philippine islands with two races and diverse cultural groups
Frenchman J. Montano scientific mission :
classified and elaborated upon three races in a discussion of Philippine anthropology Isabelo de los Reyes (1889) attempted to reconstruct the pre Spanish past through the new science of folklore Sucesis de las Islas Filipinas (Events in the Philippine Islands) Antonio de Morga copy in British Museum copied by Rizal wherein most were sent to Manila but was then banned, confiscated and destroyed. The edifice for pre-Hispanic migration waves and the associated racial-cultural classification scheme adumbrated by Blumentritt Rizal laid the epistemological foundation of Philippine history and identity
Rizal mined the idea of golden age from
th Blumentritts studies prior to the 16 century Spanish conquest
In Sobre la Indolencia de los Filipinos (The
Indolence of the Filipinos) Rizal expressed his longing for the ancient civilization he believed had been lost
Indirectly, racial science left its traces in the
revolutionary worldview of the Katipunan Summary: Ilustrados turned to racial science for their identity as a Filipino. II.
Racism, Nationalism and Philippine History
Relationship between racism and nationalism
Ton Nairin (1977) racism derives from
nationalism
Benedict Anderson (1991) racism and
nationalism are ideologies that are distinct and separate in origins, aspirations, and expressions. Nationalism thrives on political love and dreams of historical destinies, in contrast to racisms rage
and obsession with contamination and class
superiority
Etienne Balibar (1991) broad structure for
racism forms a supplement constitutive of the nation, providing the basis for its factitive ethnicity and unity
George Mosse (1995) racism thrives on a
sharp and totalistic certainty and nationalism is a loosely constructed and flexible belief that can tolerate ethnic differences th
Late 19 century saw nationalism and racism
form an alliance that allowed racism to become operative and eventually ride upon nationalism Mosse (1995) emphasizes that the search for roots is basic to racism because the roots of the race were thought to determine its future as well The Iluastrados drew on racial science to form a counterdiscourse to the unscientific claim of the Spanish friars and colonials Constantino pointed out that Filipino was original referred to Spaniards born in colonial Philippines >Ilustrados transformed it into a class concept >finally embraced the entire nation and became a means of national identification th William Henry Scott countered that 17 century Filipino was used to mean people of the Philippine islands Edgar Wickberg (1964, 1965) established that Filipino elite descended from the Chinese mestizos who first th gained economic ascendancy in the mid-18 century
The passage from Chinese mestizo to Filipino
was sidelined by Domingo Abellas (1978) work entitled from Indio to Filipino Scott stressed that cultural minorities were a colonial artifact and that prior to colonial period they were indistinguishable from those that subsequently became the Hispanized majority why many did not consider them to be Filipinos. John Schumacher has admitted that "[i]ri the Philippines the pagan Igorots and Muslim Moros were considered and treated by Christian Filipinos as outside the civilized Filipino community," but claimed that their "humiliating treatment" in the 1887 Madrid Exposition "stung many of the educated Filipinos into identifying themselves with these their 'brothers' and 'countrymen'" H. Otley Beyer (1948) made his own version of migration-aves theory
Robert Fox critiqued nad modified said theory in
the 1950s
F. Landa Jocano (1975) argued that the theory
distorts, rather than illuminates, the racial origins of Filipinos while denigrating the vitality and autochthonous development of Filipino culture Arnold Azurin (1993) scored theory for its colonial, racist and anti- Filipino framework
Fuels notions such as the Igorot being another
race
Scott called it speculative rather than factual
theory
Tagged Negritos as the archipelagos aboriginal
occupants
The theory is now widely discredited among
Filipino academics Racial science of migration waves cannot simply be disregarded for it was central to Ilustrado nationalism and provides context that intertwines race and nation in Filipino
Summary: Racial science of migration waves cannot simply be
disregarded for it was central to Ilustrado nationalism and provides context that intertwines race and nation in Filipino III. Tracing the Ancestors, Differentiating the Indio Despite the crudity of the Spaniards, Jose Rizal kept his word on why the ancient Filipinos are something to be proud of. Rizal stated that it is brutal debasing of the religious colony, friars specifically, that made our ancestors ignorant In the past they knew how to reason; at present they are satisfied with merely asking and believing. Classification of ancestors las sociedades malayofilipinas (The Philippine-Malayan societies) based on race, civilization and principally acceptance of Spanish culture:
the civilized Filipinos (los Filipinos civilizados)
did not resist conversion to Catholicism
the mountain tribes (las tribus montaesas)
resisted conversion and therefore were not civilized Ancestors that Rizal was referring to as the ancient Filipinos -> Malays (from third wave) Rizals view of Spanish colonialism:
He appreciated the access to European
civilization and modernity
He saw the conquest as a tool that alienated him
from his ancestors and deprived him of history and identity. Summary: In tracing the ancient Filipinos, Jose Rizal believed that the Spanish colonialism has made a good and a bad effect to our ancestors. A.
The First Wave
Negritos original owners of the land Antonio de Morga: They are natives who are of black complexion & barbarians of trifling mental capacity, who have no fixed homes or settlements Blumentritt: They are lively and talented people. However, their isolation has made them almost powerless to resist their enemies. Eduardo P. Casal y Ochoa (Bagong-Tauo): There is a hierarchy of race, Tagalog being at the top (but not all conformed) and Negritos being at the bottom. Summary: Negritos are seen as members of the wild race which proves their incapacity for civilization therefore making them not our ancestors. B.
The Second Wave
Malayans- displaced the Negritos Blumentritt: They are not considered as ancestors because they are considered contaminated by the Negritos. Malayans also settled in mountainous interior and they were consistent in resisting Spanish rule and culture. Blumentritts description of Igorots
Although they have same practices as Tagalog,
they progress backwards
Igorrotes was synonymous with primitivity and
savagery 1887 Exposicion de las Islas Filipinas (Exposition of the Philippine Islands)
Showcased the mountain tribes (eight Igorots,
eight Moros, two from Marianas, two from Carolines, and twenty-four others including Negritos)
The Madrid Igorots became emblems of
Philippine backwardness they made it look like
the Philippines is moving backward only to show
how they can bring civilization in a colony Rizal believed that industrialization is the pinnacle of civilization that is why he thought of Igorots as rare individuals because they are not industrial workers. However, he was unaware of the artisanal and hydraulic-engineering skills of the Igorot. De los Reyes: Wrote a book confessing about his Ilocano blood and how he believed that there is already a civilization but shines with a very faint light. Evaristo Aguirre: Wrote an article which addresses persons displayed at the Retiro zoological gardens (those in the Exposition) as our brothers Later on, there was inclusion of Marianas and Carolines which portrayed the deep and rare comradeship of the ilustrados with the mountain tribes Being identified as Igorot was such a disgrace and this way of thinking was only altered after a century when their native costume was worn by Kidlat Tahimik (Filipino filmmaker) in an event abroad. Summary: It was an embarrassment if someone in the past was called Igorot as they are seen as sign of backwardness mainly because of how Spaniards viewed them and how they showcased them to the other parts of the world. C.
The Third Wave
Blumentritt: 3rd migratory wave = 2nd group of malay invaders, "milder and more civilized" than the first malays; lived in lowlands and coastal plains of Luzon and Visayas Rizal: Sumatra is the origin of 'Indios Filipinos' Old traditions / mythologies / genealogies were gone due to Spanish religious zeal Blumentritt: 3rd wave (2nd group) Malays had European-level civ, vs savage 1st group Malays Blumentritt could see in these Indios Filipinos themselves (as ilustrados), and so as to not insult themselves, he differentiated the Indios Filipinos with the people in mountain tribes, despite the many similarities in their cultural practices de los Reyes contended that preconquest Phils was already a civ due to: mercantile relations, firearms, religion/pantheon, writing, law Over time, the Spanish decided that the term 'indios' referred to those who went under religious conversion Rizal, Lopez Jaena , A. Luna and other ilustrados remarked that Chinese, chinitos, blacks and Igorots are not Filipinos Summary: Ilustrados considered only the third-wave migrants as part of the family of 'genuine Filipinos' like them. IV.
The Campaign for Assimilation and Its
Exclusionary Politics of Numbers Ilustrados [Rizal, etc] excluded Negritos/ highland peoples/ muslims from the national community they had begun to form as these races were thought to be inferior to indios The ilustrados laid claim to the same lands the Spanish colonial state had already exercised authority over, fostering the colonial mentality and campaign for assimilation of the Philippines to Spain These ilustrados considered themselves Spaniards, to as much as claiming co-rulership in "savage" Africa The "primitive races" were considered a hindrance to this campaign as they saw it would be hard to give these 'savages' the same liberties as Spanish citizens Accd to them: these 'savages' had no capacity for future development. This, however, should not
exclude the Philippines in Europe's civilizing world
tour, for these 'savages' were not Filipinos. These early ilustrado nationalists considered a 'nation' one that was modern, cultured, civilized, Catholic, industrial, progressive - as per European standards Only a few of these ilustrados had ever come in personal contact with said tribes- Rizal, during his exile in Dapitan, only then realized the positive traits these tribes had, but his martyrdom prevented him from expounding on this possible alternative view of 'nationalism' La Soli (1889): Philippine population est. 5.06M Christians 1.14M Non-christians These ilustrados kept stressing the tribal people's low population when they occupied 15% of the population Summary: Ilustrados wanted assimilation/ equal entitlement to Spanish citizenship rights for themselves and their 'nation', which excluded Moros, highland tribes, etc. V.
Prevarications on Race and Nation
Jose Rizal
doubted idea of indio forebears emigrated from
Sumatra
doubted whether it would ever be possible to
know the origin of Malay race
questioned the very notion of Malay race: It
appears to me that Malayans should not be considered the original race or the type of race (die Typen von der Rasse); the Malayans have been exposed to many foreign and powerful factors that have influences their customs as well as their nature
designated himself as indio despite mixed
background
raised concept of majority -pure indio; minority impure indio
They are creole youth of Spanish descent,
Chinese mestizos, and Maalayans; but we call ourselves Filipiinos (Rizal to Blumentrit) Skin color threatened to become the basis for identifying genuine Filipinos Common race was seen as basis of unity Isabelo de los Reyes
Malay race of PH is not pure mixture of
Negritos, Chinese, and Indonesians and Arab
no myth of descent; binding element of race is
territory - Las Islas Filipinas Blumentrit
Malay Tagalog have plenty of foreign blood
flowing in their veins, not only Chinese and Spanish but also Japanese which mixtures have bettered the race as a whole
Malays with foreign blood remained Malay
Chinese: next after Malay; new arrivals; alien
entities did not merit any mention at all Edgar Wickberg
J. Rizal(5th gen. chinese mestizo)s paternal
grandfather used money to transfer from mestizo tax register to that of naturales; Maternal side: Japanese & Spanish blood
wealthier chinese mestizos had been hispanized
and rejected chinese culture Lopez Jaena - we the genuine or pure indios are not the ones who foment disunity but the mestizos Native language cannt be a unifying force bec og the profusion of native tongues Travel, Education, and Civilization -exclusive domain of indios
Summary: Because civilization encompassed a racial
boundary, the Ilustrado concept of nation depend on a mythology of descent. VI. Filipino as race/nation Race
at one level, it would appear to be not
fundamental to the nation because of the ilustrados self-awareness of their own racial diversity
other level, it was an elemental dimension of
nationhood
scientific idea: diff in appearance, culture, and
mental capacities Rizal: Malay race as a category
used race to refer to to pueblos of more than half
a million, those whom you call nations, but we do not call nations pueblos that are not independent, for example, the tagalog race, the visaya race, and so on
pride of the malay race
Filipino race
collective designation for filipinos who otherwise
would have been referred to separately as the tagalog race, visayan race, and so on
circumvented the nascent regionalism that
distancesd the ilocano from the tagalog
this term was racist: it applied only to indios who
were deemed assimilable and civilizable M H Del Pilar
Japanese are Malay and the inhabitants of PH
are malays
Declared the filipno race is anthropologically in
a state of inferiority Ilustrados
too deeply immersed in racial thinking ( product
of european thought)
began to talk of the filipino race ( la raza filipina)
might have been using rase as a substitue for
nationality Panatang Makabayan(Oath to the nation)
promise is made to love the PH
Summary: Nationhood does not stand still, however, and is ever being reconstituted.