TO THE PROBLEMS OF POSTCOLONIAL FEMINISM (ON THE EXAMPLE OF THE PHILIPPINES)
Abstract
The article is dedicated to the study of problems of postcolonial feminism in the Philippines and revealing of reasons why they need creation of a separate program that differs from the program of pioneering theorists of postcolonial criticism (Edward Said, Gomi Bgabga, Gayatri Spivak, etc.). The problem of the article is unsufficiently studied postcolonial feminism. The example of the Philippines shows scientific limitations of local articles, however, there is an urgent need to update the whole field of acute issues in the lives of the Filipinos on whom feminist criticism is most focused today. The relevance of the article is due to the interest in development of feminism in the Philippines – postcolonial country which suffered both from colonial West policy and American domination, and had a matriarchal culture in pre‐colonial times. The aim of the article is to analyze the problems, ideas, and strategies of postcolonial feminism in the Philippines in terms of postcolonial philosophy and gender theory. Authors analyze social problems in the lives of the Filipinos, including unresolved women’s issues at all levels of society and LGBTIQ community, sex tourism and prostitution, etc. Cultural foundations of gender perceptions are analyzed in the Philippines and reasons are found for distrust of the Filipinos to Western critics of patriarchy in artificial imposition of patriarchy by Spanish conquerors in colonial times. Authors consider paradoxical situation of LGBTIQ community in the Philippines emphasizing non‐violent and non‐homophobic nature of Philippine society which is represented by the figure of babaylan – transgender woman or feminine shamanic man known even in pre‐colonial times. In addition, authors analyze in detail the problems of sex tourism, prostitution, abandoned children from “white men” who represent not only saved forms of colonialism in the East (they represent the model of symbolic relations between West and East as a relationship between the dominant and the subordinate), but also have transformed into social problems which require regulation by the authorities. The novelty of the study is in an attempt to find interdependencies between historical and cultural characteristics, gender perceptions, and strategies of postcolonial feminism in the Philippines.
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