The study of politics in Southeast Asia: the Philippines in Southeast Asian political studies

Abstract

The study of politics in Southeast Asia emerged out of significant junctures in historical state-making and nation-building in the region. Given the “neglect” of Southeast Asia in “mainstream” Western political science, efforts have been made by scholars within and outside Southeast Asia to form “epistemic communities” like the Asian Political and International Studies Association (APISA) to promote studies about Asia. The Philippines is an interesting case in this regard because it mirrored significant periods in its political history – from colonialism to nationalism, modernization, authoritarianism, and democratization. Notwithstanding the strong influence of American political scientists in the early teaching and writing on Filipino politics, the discipline has generally avoided the quantitative methodologies privileged by its American counterpart. Moreover, a vibrant and pluralist approach has been evident in the scholarly output of the Philippine Political Science Journal (PPSJ). Despite initial setbacks in its organization, the Philippine Political Science Association (PPSA) has been successful in fostering a national “epistemic community” of academics, scholars, and practitioners.

Keywords::

• Southeast Asia
• Philippines
• political studies
• epistemic communities
• Asian Political and International Studies Association (APISA)
• Philippine Political Science Association (PPSA)
• Philippine Political Science Journal (PPSJ)
• content analysis

Acknowledgments

An earlier version of this article was presented at the 60^th Annual Conference of the Political Studies Association (PSA) entitled “Sixty Years of Political Studies: Achievements and Futures,” held from 29 March–1 April 2010 at the George Hotel, Edinburgh, UK. The author acknowledges the comments of two anonymous reviewers but assumes full responsibility for the final article.

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Notes on contributors

Julio C. Teehankee

Julio C. Teehankee is Dean of the College of Liberal Arts at De La Salle University and served as Secretary of the Philippine Political Science Association (PPSA) from 1995 to 1999. He is currently the Executive Secretary of the Asian Political and International Studies Association (APISA). He completed his postdoctoral studies at the Graduate Schools of Law and Politics at the University of Tokyo, Japan and obtained his PhD in Development Studies from De La Salle University.