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Indigenizing Filipino Social Sciences

This document discusses the indigenization of social sciences in the Philippines. It introduces three strands that have established indigenous Filipino social science: Pantayong Pananaw/Bagong Kasaysayan, Pilipinolohiya, and Sikolohiyang Pilipino. These were developed in the 1970s to use Filipino concepts, culture, language and experiences rather than solely relying on Western frameworks. The document provides examples of how these three strands analyzed history, society and psychology from an indigenous perspective.

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726 views5 pages

Indigenizing Filipino Social Sciences

This document discusses the indigenization of social sciences in the Philippines. It introduces three strands that have established indigenous Filipino social science: Pantayong Pananaw/Bagong Kasaysayan, Pilipinolohiya, and Sikolohiyang Pilipino. These were developed in the 1970s to use Filipino concepts, culture, language and experiences rather than solely relying on Western frameworks. The document provides examples of how these three strands analyzed history, society and psychology from an indigenous perspective.

Uploaded by

Ronnel
Copyright
© All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
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  • Indigenizing the Social Sciences
  • Answer Key
  • Activities and Evaluation

11

Discipline and Ideas in Social


Sciences

MODULE 7
Week 11
Name: ____________________________ Grade Level: __________
Section: ___________________________ Date: ________________
LEARNING ACTIVITY SHEET

BACKGROUND INFORMATION FOR LEARNERS

Indigenizing the Social Sciences: Is there a “native” intellectual foundation


for social thought?

MELC: Evaluate the roles and significance of Filipinos’ indigenous social ideas to national development.

Pambansang Photobomber is what they call the building which serves as an unwanted backdrop to the
iconic monument of the national hero, Jose Rizal. It is located in Luneta Park, Manila where the condominium
building seems to distract viewers and distorts the immaculate and postcard-worthy scenery of the Rizal Shrine.
Is it really just a matter of perspective” or do we recognize the fact that the issue of national dignity,
tradition, and heritage is a reality that must be given due consideration and respect? It is ironic to note that the
monument of Jose Rizal, who epitomizes the Filipino struggle for dignity and honor, is now the subject of
controversy due to an allegedly blatant disregard for not only the national hero but also for our national history
and memory.

Philippine Social Science or “indigenized social science”


Indigenization is a process in which there is a purposive and conscious effort to translate and interpret
foreign academic concepts, canons and methods. The point is that ideas – academic tenets and intellectual
trends – can never be imported at face value. It can never be made useful without refashioning it into the rhythm
and tempo of a particular group of people. Hence, the word “indigenization” refers to a process, in fact, a
tedious and long process, of acceptance and understanding, in which those foreign concepts and idea are made
relevant to a specific group of people whose culture and history differ very much from the originators of the
said “imported” ideas.
Nevertheless, importing of ideas is not at all bad; what is important is that these are “translated” into
one’s cultural, social and psychological milieu. By translations, we mean, we do not only look for a direct
semantic equivalent of it, but also look for its parallel in our culture. Hence, we adopt yet we discriminate too.
With ideas, we refashion, reconfigure, reconstruct, and reinterpret, in accordance with our needs as a thinking,
sensible, rational, and discriminating group of people. In this case, we require imported Social Science ideas to
respond to the needs of the Filipino and to make those ideas work for the Filipino. We require that within our
own cultures and history, we offer concepts that will serve as our contributions to global social ideas.

Three Strands of Agham Panlipunang Pilipino (Filipino Social Science)


In contemporary times, three strands of Filipino Social Sciences have trailblazed the Philippine academe
and are already enshrined in Philippine intellectual history. The indigenized form and structure of the said
discipline is not only as a separate track of academic social science but also as a Filipino contribution to the
discipline of social science in general. This is the Filipino contribution to the global field of social inquiry.
Pantayong Pananaw/Bagong Kasaysayan, Pilipinolohiya, and Sikolohiyang Pilipino were spearheaded
by Zeus Salazar, Prospero Covar, and Virgilio Enriquez. Incidentally, all of them are from the University of the
Philippines, of the same generation, and were part of the intellectual ferment for the Philippine academe during
1970s. Salazar is a historian-ethnologist, Covar is an anthropologist, and Enriquez is a psychologist. All of them
attempted to come up with a Filipino academic discipline based on the idea that Filipino culture, society, and
language should provide the necessary tools, concepts, and discourse consciousness, social relations, and social
organizations. Only a contextualized and culturally sensitive theorizing and methodology could sufficiently
explain who we are as people. Eventually, these attempts gained momentum, attracted like-minded intellectuals
in search for meaning and purpose of study, and converted nonbelievers by showing them how futile it is to
depend on Western concepts and models in explaining the Filipino. In every culture, every group of people
must have a model in social reality and phenomenon that can be explained and interpreted. These three strands
of Agham Panlipunang Pilipino are now full-blown schools of thoughts that are being taught not only in the
University of the Philippines but also in many universities and colleges in the Philippines. They were also made
part of the intellectual discussions in international academic circles.
Pantayong Pananaw posits that history is not only about recording of events, much like the tradition of
historia/histoire/history of the West but also about finding meaning in past events. That is why we are very
lucky that we have a rich discourse on this matter based on the indigenous concept, kasaysayan, which is about
the past based on the idea of saysay or meaning. Salazar went on to propose a new timeline or periodization of
Philippine history, which he calls Bagong Kasaysayan (or new history) based on the internal logic of historical
events and not on the traditional and colonial parameters of periodization such as the coming of the colonizers
in successive periods.
Pilipinolohiya (or Philippine Studies) also states that the Philippines and the Filipinos must be studied
and investigated using methodologies and conceptual tools drawn from Filipino culture, society, and
experience. Just like in Pantayong Pananaw and Bagong Kasaysayan, language is of ultimate importance
because it is only through the local language that a talastasan and dalumat as intellectual discourses could be
created among the Filipino scholars and Filipino scholars and Filipino public in general. Ideologically,
Pilipinolohiya is a response to the seeming academic imperialism of which and powerful Western nations.
Almost all of them have established cooperation agencies and specialized study centers in developing countries
in order to maintain their influence and control under the guise of economic cooperation and pursuit of
intellectual interests. Hence, Philippine Studies as an intellectual project has been established in the US, Europe,
Japan, and recently, China and Korea, not for the benefit of the Filipinos themselves but for the benefit of the
sponsoring nations who wish to understand the Philippines and its people. Pilipinolohiya maintains that we
should have our own purpose, set our own intellectual course, and steer our own ideology in the service of the
Filipino and for the betterment of our society.
The aims and intellectual premises of the Sikolohiyang Pilipino (or Filipino Psychology) do not stray
away from those of Pantayong Pananaw and Pilipinohiya. Like the first two, Sikolohiyang Pilipino, which was
conceptualized and developed during the same intellectual ferment of the 1970s, debated upon the usefulness
and appropriateness of Western models of psychology in defining the Filipino psyche. What Enriquez argued
was that those psychological explanatory models as well as research techniques on human personality may not
be enough to enable the psychologist to dig deeply into the Filipino consciousness. Rather, a more culturally
sensitive approach beginning with pakapakapa, pakikipagpalagayang-loob, and onwards to pakikisangkot and
pakikiisa (they do not have direct equivalents in the English language) should be the starting point of every
social research. Such research takes into consideration the people and their social world whether they are being
investigated by an outsider or of fellow Filipinos. Thus, it is not the surface meanings that should matter like
establishing smooth interpersonal relationships among community members but a deeper concept of loob and
kapwa, which underscore the pakikipagkapwa as the Filipino way of dealing with the “other”. Ultimately, the
other is a kapwa, which is also an extension of oneself.

Activity 1.
Activity 2
Give at least 10 foreign intellectual concepts and Philippine Social Science concept
look for its closest Filipino equivalents (can be in
local dialect). Make a table in your Notebook. See
sample below: Foreign Social Science concept
Soul Kaluluwa
Power Gahum
Family Mag-anak
Civilization kabihasnan
Answer key:

Activity 1. Answer may vary


Activity 2. Answer may vary

Prepared by:

CLARISSA C. CABILI
Subject Teacher

Noted by:

JUAN C. PANGANDOYON
SHS Dept. Head, MT-I

Approved:

MA. ELENA JARITO, DALL


OIC-Principal I

Common questions

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Cultural concepts such as 'pakikisangkot' (involvement) and 'pakikipagpalagayang-loob' (mutual trust) play crucial roles in shaping Filipino social research methodologies by emphasizing relational and participatory approaches. These concepts advocate for research that prioritizes building trust and genuine engagement between researchers and communities. This culturally sensitive approach ensures that research reflects the lived experiences and social dynamics of Filipinos, challenging more detached or objective Western methodologies that may overlook local nuances .

The concept of 'indigenization' in social sciences involves adapting and reinterpreting foreign academic concepts to fit the cultural, social, and historical contexts of a specific group, such as Filipinos. It is a process that allows Filipino scholars to refashion imported ideas into tools that are relevant to their own social realities. This approach offers a unique understanding of Filipino society by ensuring that theories and methodologies are culturally sensitive and reflective of local experiences, thereby contributing original insights to global social sciences .

The three strands of Filipino Social Science are Pantayong Pananaw/Bagong Kasaysayan, Pilipinolohiya, and Sikolohiyang Pilipino. Pantayong Pananaw focuses on history from an internal perspective, using the concept of kasaysayan to give meaning to historical events. Pilipinolohiya emphasizes studying the Philippines through methodologies derived from Filipino culture and experience, resisting Western academic imperialism. Sikolohiyang Pilipino advocates for a culturally sensitive psychology based on local concepts such as loob and kapwa, emphasizing the importance of understanding the Filipino psyche through indigenous frameworks .

Pantayong Pananaw challenges traditional Western historiography by emphasizing the 'saysay' or meaning in historical narratives rather than merely recording events. It proposes a new periodization of Philippine history based on the internal logic of events, moving away from colonial influences. This approach encourages a re-evaluation of national history from a perspective that centers on Filipino experiences and cultural meanings, thereby offering a critique of Western historiographical practices that often ignore indigenous contexts .

The 'Pambansang Photobomber' controversy, involving the construction of a building that disrupts the view of the Jose Rizal Monument, underscores broader issues of national identity and cultural heritage in the Philippines. It highlights tensions between modernization and the preservation of historical sites that embody national dignity and collective memory. The incident reflects societal debates about respecting historical landmarks that symbolize struggles for national honor and integrity, bringing into question the priorities in urban development vis-à-vis heritage conservation .

In Pilipinolohiya, language is crucial because it serves as the medium through which intellectual discourses rooted in local contexts are conducted. It enables the creation of 'talastasan' (discussions) and 'dalumat' (concepts) that are meaningful to Filipinos, fostering a deeper understanding of social realities. This focus on local language contrasts with Western academic practices that may impose foreign linguistic and conceptual frameworks on other cultures, often marginalizing indigenous knowledge systems .

The intellectual efforts in the 1970s significantly contributed to the development of a unique Filipino academic discipline by fostering discussions around the inadequacy of Western models in explaining Filipino society. Scholars like Zeus Salazar, Prospero Covar, and Virgilio Enriquez championed the creation of Pantayong Pananaw, Pilipinolohiya, and Sikolohiyang Pilipino. These fields provided frameworks for interpreting Filipino culture, society, and history on their own terms, thus establishing schools of thought that were culturally and contextually appropriate .

The emergence of Pilipinolohiya is ideologically motivated by the need to counteract Western academic imperialism often perpetuated through cooperation agencies and specialized study centers in developing countries. These centers, under the guise of intellectual cooperation, aim to maintain influence over indigenous knowledge systems. Pilipinolohiya responds by advocating for a self-defined academic pursuit that serves Filipino interests, steering the intellectual discourse towards methodologies and goals that prioritize local cultural contexts over foreign dominance .

Sikolohiyang Pilipino redefines the concept of 'self' by incorporating indigenous concepts such as 'loob' (inner self) and 'kapwa' (shared identity with others). These ideas emphasize that the self is not an isolated entity but is intrinsically connected to others. The Filipino self-concept involves a relational 'pakikipagkapwa,' where the 'other' is an extension of oneself. This contrasts with Western individualistic notions of self, highlighting a more collective and relational understanding within Filipino psychology .

The Filipino strands of social science, namely Pantayong Pananaw, Pilipinolohiya, and Sikolohiyang Pilipino, have made significant contributions to global social inquiry by introducing culturally grounded methodologies and theories. They offer examples of how social sciences can be localized to reflect the distinct histories, languages, and social structures of different cultures. This challenges the universality of Western frameworks and enriches global discourse by highlighting the importance of cultural context in understanding social phenomena .

11 Discipline and Ideas in Social Sciences MODULE 7 Week 11
Name: ____________________________ Grade Level: __________ Section: ___________________________ Date: ________________ LEAR
explain who we are as people. Eventually, these attempts gained momentum, attracted like-minded intellectuals in search for m
Activity 2 Give at least 10 foreign intellectual concepts and look for its closest Filipino equivalents (can be in local di
Answer key: Activity 1. Answer may vary Activity 2. Answer may vary Prepared by: CLARISSA C. CABILI Subject Teacher Noted by:

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