Is Communitarianism Uniquely Asian? A Filipino’s Perspective
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 6086401 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Fernando N Zialcita (corresponding author) |
| Year | 1999 |
| Volume | 14 |
| Issue | 2 |
| Pages | 313-331 |
| Publication date | 1999-10-01 |
| Open Access | No |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Journal of Social Issues in Southeast Asia (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 0217-9520 • E-ISSN: 1793-2858 |
| Publisher | ISEAS - Yusof Ishak Institute (PUBLISHER • SG) |
| DOI | 10.1355/sj14-2c |
| OpenAlex | W2065939070 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 2 |
| References cited | 4 |
It is often claimed that the heavy influence of Western individualism is at the heart of the Philippines' many problems. Filipinos should therefore return to the Asian value of community-orientedness. This article questions whether there is in fact an Asia as a distinct cultural unity with values that differentiate it from the West. The concept of an Asia was invented in the West. Community-orientedness is equally fuzzy because community can mean different types of groups whose claims upon the individual may contradict each other. Still, various types of community-orientedness have been present both in the West and in the Philippines. Rather than look exclusively for values, it may be better to study urban areas as social systems in order to identify problems in such systems. My family has an ancestral mansion in the eastern part of Quiapo, in the heart of Manila. We are trying to develop the house as a district arts centre. But the street has been a mess since the 1980s. The several restaurants on the street and around the block throw their food waste into the canal, clogging it. At the corner of one end of the street are unlicensed eateries that cook and sell their food at unkempt, makeshift stalls right on the pavement. A lawyer who holds office in the area was asked to write a letter to the city government complaining about them. Other neighbours were supposed to sign the letter of complaint. But one major complainant, Gardo, backed off together with his family. He did not want the illegal eateries to know that he was a signatory. He feared trouble because, as everyone knows, the owners had police protection. The complainant invoked the value of pakikisama. I want to get along with
Communitarianism · Liberalism · Perspective (graphical · Political science · Sociology · Cultural Identity and Representation · Law · Literary, Cultural, Historical Analysis · Mathematics · Philippine History and Culture
| Citations per year | 0.1 |
|---|---|
| Citation span | 2006 - 2023 (18) |
| Highly cited | No |