Description
Book SynopsisThis rich study examines the everyday politics of a rice farming village in central Luzon. Contending that the faction and patron-client relationships emphasized by conventional studies are but one part of Philippine political life, Kerkvliet offers a nuanced and fascinating portrait of political relationships among villagers. The world he portrays is complex and multifaceted: in a period of flux, relations of status and class shift as traditional roles give way to new social identities. The author demonstrates how disputes over land or controversies around wages lie at the heart of political life regardless of whether they manifest themselves in the usual political arenas. Kerkvliet shows how everyday politics illuminates contending beliefs about what is just and who has rights to particular resources. Furthermore, relationships between people in different class and status positions are far less harmonious than they might appear on the surface. Embedded in this contentious interactio
Trade ReviewA groundbreaking book in Philippine politics. * American Anthropologist *
A major study that deserves to be read by all those interested not only in the Philippines but in the rapidly changing world of the peasant. * Pacific Affairs *
An important contribution to the flourishing field of peasant studies. . . . Highly recommended. * CHOICE *
Addresses fundamental questions about how subordinated people understand the power relations in which they are enmeshed. . . . Kerkvliet brilliantly demonstrates that ideas about justice matter a great deal to those on the brink of survival. * American Political Science Review *
Table of ContentsChapter 1 Introduction Chapter 2 Capitalism and Rebellion Entwined Chapter 3 Status and Class Chapter 4 Household Views of Class and Status Politics Chapter 5 Class Resistance Chapter 6 Conflict among Status Groups Chapter 7 Networks among People in Different Classes and Statuses Chapter 8 Everyday Politics and Contending Values
