Tangkilikin ang sariling atin: Presence of colonial mentality among Filipinos today
Abstract: Looking at the current situation, the colonial mentality is one of the common social
phenomena that is observable among Filipinos. Colonial mentality refers to having a perception that one’s identity is inferior compared to foreign culture and ethnicity. Deemed as a result of a long- term colonial history in the Philippines, internalized oppression and a feeling of inferiority for one’s self-cultural identity have become prevalent. This mindset would negatively affect a Filipino’s sense of self-identity. The research study aims to shed light on the particular effects of the existing colonial mentality and enlighten the readers about the issue’s presence. The research included supporting information about Postcolonial Theory. Furthermore, the researcher conducted a survey to get the perception of Filipino students towards the presence of colonial mentality. With that, the artworks would consist of “Fading Away,” “Style,” and “Dream Place,” which would serve as a visual representation of the different effects of colonial mentality, specifically on Skin-color Hierarchy, Patronage of Foreign Culture, and Desire for Emigration. In addition, the artist would be creating the three paintings on canvas utilizing gouache paint as the medium. Through social realism as the art style, the artist will be able to visually express these human experiences with a realistic approach.
Moreover, decolonization through art engagement could be one of the possible ways to reduce the colonial mentality. The three artworks would allow the viewers to be aware of this social issue and inspire people to have a more nationalistic mentality with regard to their cultural identity.
Keywords:
colonial mentality; Philippine cultural identity; skin-color hierarchy; patronage of foreign culture; emigration; postcolonial theory; social realism
1. INTRODUCTION
1.1. Background of the Research Project
Cultural Identity is defined as an identification with or a sense of belonging to a certain group (V. Chen). Each country has its own culture that is unique and distinct.
Learning and appreciating one’s own culture not only enhances the quality of our lives but also improves both individuals' and societies' overall well-being. Additionally, it helps people to have a further understanding of their own identity.
However, a consequence of a long history of colonialism is that many Filipinos experience a loss of culture.
Also, the current globalization and advancements in technology can easily be influenced by cultural identity.
Colonial Mentality is defined as the perception of ethnic and cultural inferiority and a form of internalized racial oppression (Decena). This behavior results in Filipinos lacking cultural awareness of how Filipino culture can be great and be something to be proud of.
This study aims to shed light on the effects of the colonial mentality that is still prevalent among young Filipinos.
This artistic project also aims to educate readers and viewers about the cultural identity of the Philippines. With that, the artist would focus on the three effects of the colonial mentality prevalent in modern times. The first chosen topic would be related to a Filipino woman applying white-based makeup in front of a vanity mirror. This represents how the majority of Filipino desire to have a white complexion as they think this is the beauty standard. The second work would depict a visual representation of choosing to purchase or consume foreign culture and products over local products. This behavior results from believing that everything indigenous is inferior and everything foreign is superior. Lastly, the third work would visualize the choice of Filipinos to emigrate to another country with the belief that it would give them a better life. This research study and artwork aim to use art engagement as a method of decolonization among Filipino.
1.2 Statement of the Problem
This research paper mainly aims to determine the effects of the currently existing colonial mentality among Filipinos. This art research also seeks to enlighten the readers
and viewers about the effects of having a colonial mentality toward own cultural identity.
Moreover, the following are the research questions of the study:
1. What are the different ways doing the colonizers use to shape and influence the modern identity of the Philippines?
2. How can an individual identify the manifestation of the colonial influence among the Filipinos?
3. What artistic technique and medium would be best to represent and narrate the different issues related to Filipino colonial mentality?
1.3 Scope and Limitations
The study will only mainly focus on the effects of the colonization of the Spaniards and Americans in the Philippines. Although their influence is dynamic, the topic of colonial mentality will be emphasized. Visual representation of colonial mentality effects in the form of desire for skin whitening, patronage of foreign products, and emigration is included. This paper does not address other forms or indicators of colonial mentalities, such as its effect on the mental health of Filipinos. Furthermore, the setting of the study will only be limited to the Philippines. The art will not explicitly provide solutions on how to have a decolonized mindset, for it is just to enlighten people about the issue of losing identity due to colonial mentality and the need to address the issue.
As for the art style, it is limited to the painting technique, and the medium used is only gouache paint. Social Realism would be the painting art style used to represent the existence of colonial mentality among Filipino.
1.4 Significance of the Research Project
According to Mulder, “the widespread ignorance about the country's cultural affinity with its neighbors results in a helpless insularity.” If people ignore learning about their country’s culture and relationships with other countries, it will make them uninterested in their culture.
There are many studies with regard to the colonial mentality of the Filipinos; however, there are only limited studies that incorporate art engagement for decolonization.
With that, the research study and artwork are created to enlighten people about the presence of colonial mentality in Filipino nowadays. This project could help increase the cultural awareness and guide people to a more nationalistic mentality. Filipinos are encouraged to understand that the Philippines can control its own fate. Trying to overcome the colonial mentality can be a stepping stone to nationalism. This project could serve as a pathway to realize that the Philippines has a good distinctive cultural identity that Filipinos can be proud of. The research could also help the Filipinos understand the shared history of struggles and find commonality between the different existing cultures in the Philippines.
2. THE PROCESS
According to de Leon, cultural identity is the fundamental source of social participation, development, and empowerment. To remove such identity will result in the society becoming disunited, self-serving, and short-sighted. In relation, Claro Recto, a prominent Filipino national leader, said that “nationalism is the natural antagonist of colonialism”
(Quimpo). Looking at the Philippine history, the arrival of Spaniards and American colonizers in the country greatly transformed the rationale of the Philippines. The colonizers not only physically imposed themselves on the colonized, but it also imposes itself mentally on the locals (Mateo).
Colonial mentality is a form of internalized oppression and perception of ethnic or cultural inferiority (David and Okazaki). The researcher found that three prevalent effects of colonial mentality among Filipinos are skin-color hierarchy, patronage of foreign culture, and desire for emigration. Skin-color hierarchy shows how Filipinos perceive one’s social standing based on the skin complexion (Singson). There is a favor toward individuals with light or white complexion. Moreover, Filipino are more inclined to purchase foreign products over local products (Gabornes).
Foreign culture products influence Filipinos to yearn to live a lifestyle similar to the foreign countries. Lastly, there are Filipinos that believed in the idea of America as the ideal place to have a better life (Monton). If given the opportunity, they would migrate, work, and permanently reside abroad.
Meanwhile, a study by Mateo focused on how art engagement can both decolonize and have inclusivity among
Filipinos. The right art could deconstruct the stigma against Filipino culture and products. Therefore, the purpose of this research study and artwork is to inform Filipinos about the social issue and be an art engagement as a method of decolonization among Filipino.
Moreover, the research uses the postcolonial theory which focuses on the topic of the domination of Western culture in the non-Western world as the colonial histories continuously influenced and shaped the colonial mentality (Nair 69). This idea suggests that even though colonialism ended many years ago, its impact on the colonized countries is still observable today. Looking at the Philippines as an example, the Spaniards and American colonial teachings are still significantly noticeable in the current society.
Additionally, the theory involves the idea of disparities among the different countries in the world in terms of power and wealth (69). With that, it is often perceived that the Western culture is dominant while the rest, especially the developing countries like the Philippines, appears to be inferior. Filipinos tend to be in favor of foreign culture and products than locally made products. There is also the desire to have similar lifestyles as the Westerners or other foreigners. The theory also overlaps with the marginalization of people of color as it argues that there is a struggle against social inequality in relation to race, class status, and ethnicity (73). This idea could be associated with how simply having a white skin complexion gives a social privilege compared to those dark skin-colored people.
For the paper to answer its research questions and achieve its objectives, the researcher will also use a survey form to gather information and sentiments of the respondents regarding presence of colonial mentality among the Filipinos.
The survey questionnaire would consist of 17 item questions that are divided into 5 sections: (1) sentiments on colonialism in the Philippines, (2) consumption preference, (3) beauty standard, and (4) choosing between Philippines vs foreign countries, and (5) self-evaluation on being a Filipino.
Meanwhile, the respondents will be Filipino students, and random sampling techniques will be used.
During the data gathering process, the researcher would clearly state the purpose of the survey and request for the consent of the respondents for the use of their information.
The collected data would be treated with utmost confidentiality and anonymity, and will be solely used for research purposes. The participation of the respondents would
be voluntary; thus, they may choose to discontinue at any time.
Respondents would have the right to be informed, object to processing, access and rectify, or withdraw their personal data.
The researcher would also ensure that only correct data and information shall be reported in the research paper.
Credibility, reliability, and relevance of the resources are assessed. Proper acknowledgment and credit to proper resources of the paper will be given.
With these, the artist plans to have three artwork outputs that would represent the three said effects or indicators of colonial mentality among Filipino. The chosen medium for the artwork will be a wet medium, particularly gouache. Using a gouache would allow the artist to create a vibrant colored painting with natural tones. A plain canvas board sized 24” x 30” will be used as the surface for the painting. Furthermore, the art style that the artist will utilize is social realism. By doing social realism, the artist attempts to share realistic images about the existing socio-cultural issue. This could enlighten people about the research topic and inspire them to change how people live.
3. THE ARTWORK/ CREATIVE WORK
The artist believes that while indeed there are flaws, every country still has its own unique culture worth being proud and celebrated. However, oftentimes, it is underappreciated. Especially now with the increased globalization, it is easy to get caught up exploring and understanding other cultures but people then forget to look first at themselves and see who they really are. Majority of the Filipinos didn’t realize that the colonizers successfully manipulated them. This is a sad reality we are currently facing.
Thus, the artist reflects on the importance of needing to appreciate one’s own culture. By understanding one’s own culture, it enables an individual to increase their personal growth and well-being, additionally, it also helps to connect better with each other. As a Filipino, having a sense of nationalism is an important stepping stone for the progress and development of the Philippines.
According to the survey, 61.5% of the students knows that Spaniards provided structured and formal school to teach the Filipino students. Yet, 57.7% pointed out that educational opportunity became a privilege than a right.
Meanwhile, 30.8% of the students strongly disagreed that Filipinos should be grateful for the Spaniards colonization.
On the other hand, there are 80.8% of the students who acknowledge Americans was the pioneer in establishing public schools. There are also a number of respondents that recognizes the influence of English being the medium of communication (69.2%), and adoption of western culture into the Filipino culture (61.5%). While it is seen as a good influence, the Filipino identity was slowly taken away.
Therefore, the overall concept of the art project is about visualizing the different manifestation of colonial mentality in the present modern society. The artworks would tackle three different forms of Filipino colonial mentality, which are the desire for skin whitening, patronage of foreign culture over local culture, and emigration to another country.
The first artwork is entitled “Fading Away”. This work focuses on the concept of Filipinos having the desire to have white skin. The subject of the first painting is a portrait of a Filipino woman applying makeup in front of a vanity mirror. It can be seen that many makeup products are scattered on the table. Furthermore, the painting shows how the woman covers her natural skin color with a heavy white make-up. The focus of the work is the color contrast between brown and white color schemes.
According to the survey, majority of 30.8% of the respondents were always advise by the elderly not to get dark skin. This is followed by 23.1% who were often told not to get dark skin. Meanwhile, there might be 57.7% who doesn’t use skin whitening products however there are still 30.8% who sometimes use such products. When asked if they feel social pressure to look in a certain way, 34.6% answered sometimes.
Next, the second artwork, “Style”, illustrates two different kinds of shoe on a shop display. Given its prices, despite the Nike shoe costing more money than the Rusty Lopez, the Filipino woman chooses to spent her money on the Nike. This artwork depicts the patronage of local people preferring to have foreign products presuming that they have better quality. The artist focus on creating balance between the upper and lower sides of the canvas as it gives emphasis on the upper space with the foreign product.
On the conducted survey, while it shows majority of the people (57.7%) are good with either local or foreign products, there are still 30.8% that prefers foreign products, while only 11.5% prefers local products. Additionally, the survey result shows that Western (34.6%) and Korean (34.6%)
pop culture is the most preferred kind of pop culture consumption of the students. Next is the Chinese pop culture with 19.2%, Philippine pop culture with 7.7%, Japanese pop culture with 3.8%. As seen, Philippine culture is less favorable compared to the other foreign countries.
Lastly, the third artwork is entitled “Dream Place”.
It is a painting of the Filipino woman taking selfies with a picture of a famous landmark in Singapore called “Merlion park”, However, this background is merely a poster pasted in the wall of her house in the Philippines. It portrays the desire of Filipino wanting to migrate to other countries as they see it as more of an advanced nation where they can have a better living. The principle of variety plays a part, as the artwork is composed of two contrasting settings.
According to the survey result, majority of the respondents (69.2) are still satisfied with living in the Philippines, however, there are 65.4% who might or might not have plans leaving the county in the future. Meanwhile, the most desired place for the students to live in is in Singapore (23.8%), followed by China (9.5%) and New Zealand (9.5%).
Therefore, these research study and artwork outputs aims to determine the different effects of the currently prevalent colonial mentality among the Filipinos and enlighten the audience about the said issue. Revisiting the history, the Spaniards mainly used religion – Catholicism as a to implicitly impose authority and instill fear in the Filipinos’ mind to be obedient. They also conditioned the social hierarchy to look down on the Filipinos. Meanwhile, the most effective and subtle imperialism tool Americans used was the socio-cultural approach, from education, language, sports, literature, art, music and more. Education was one of the most powerful tools used as schools, especially public schools. They subtly emphasized that the Western culture is superior and in the level of modernization and progress compared to Filipino culture.
As evident in the contemporary world, there are many effects of the colonization in which one of them is having a Colonial Mentality. In relation to this, there are common indicators or manifestation of the colonial influence among the Filipinos which are having a skin-color hierarchy, patronage of foreign products over local products, and the desire to migrate to another country with the perception of having a better living abroad.
Thus, to encapsulate these socio-cultural issues of colonial mentality, the artist produced three social realism paintings that show cased the three said effects of colonial mentality. The artist reflects on the importance of needing to appreciate one’s own culture. Through these outputs, the artist intends to decolonize Filipino mind through art engagement that will help them understand the past that led to this situation and give more value to Filipino cultural identity.
4. ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
The researcher wishes to convey her gratefulness to the people for their assistance, support, and effort in completing this research study. I would like to thank my research adviser, for his advice and support. Throughout my study, I am appreciative for his words of knowledge and insight. With his help, my research was able to be improved. I am grateful to my research mentor, for his continual assistance and patience in entertaining PRACRES concerns. Also, I would like to thank my PRACRES panelists for their comments and recommendations that helped in improving my paper. Lastly, to my family and friends, who supported me throughout the process of accomplishing my research study, thank you.
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6. APPENDIX/ LIST OF IMAGES
Fig. 1. Fading Away
Fig. 2. Style
Fig. 3. Dream Place
