Articulating the Inarticulate from the Margins of the State: A Post-Orientalist Alternative

Abstract

The purpose of this essay is to elaborate on the theory and practice of the discursive analytical approach. In response to the epistemological and ontological challenges raised by the PPSJ 2002 forum on Orientalism and Philippine political studies, the discursive analytical approach aims to address power asymmetry in modern knowledge production, between the representing and represented. By examining the theories and practices of representation in positivism, interpretivism, structuralism and postmodernism, this essay argues for a post-Orientalist theory and practice which investigates claims of power/knowledge of state subjects. Drawing from selected fieldwork snapshots in the Cagayan Valley, a discursive analytical approach attempts to articulate the inarticulate as, in Gramsci's term, intellectuals. It aims to encourage continuous dialogue between the representing and represented. By seeing every individual as an agent of social change, it aims to encourage collaborative engagement, which renders the future of the Philippine state open to change. By continuously engaging with the state subjects serendipitously, the researcher may also serve as a venue for diverse actors to address their concerns of the Philippine state.

Keywords:

• agency and ontology
• discursive analytical approach
• knowledge and epistemology
• political theory
• post-coloniality
• state-building