Recreating Igorot identity in diaspora

ABSTRACT

This paper examines contemporary construction of identity in the context of the diaspora of indigenous Igorot migrants from the Cordillera Administrative Region of Northern Philippines. It focuses on the activities of Igorot Organisation-UK, a regional association of migrant Igorots in the UK. It looks at visual self-representations of the community related to performance of ritual and production of styled travel photography. The study illustrates the mobilization of migrant indigenous people to reconfigure the set of discursive frameworks that have prevailed in the production of knowledge about indigenous communities. It highlights the restorative value and emancipatory potential of these migrants’ attempts for self-remaking in diaspora.

KEYWORDS:

• Igorot diaspora
• Igorot migration
• Igorot identity
• Philippines
• indigeneity
• photography

Acknowledgements

The conduct of this research was supported by the Doctoral Studies Program of the University of the Philippines System while the writing of this article was facilitated by the Ph.D. Incentive Grant awarded by the University of the Philippines Baguio. I am grateful to the officers and members of Igorot Organisation-UK, especially from 2015 to 2017, for their participation in this research. I also thank the two anonymous reviewers for their comments and suggestions.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author.

Notes

1 From Igo-UK Facebook Page.