Synopses & Reviews
In 1898 the United States declared sovereignty over the Philippines, an archipelago of seven thousand islands inhabited by seven million people of various ethnicities. While it became a colonial power at the zenith of global imperialism, the United States nevertheless conceived of its rule as exceptionalandmdash;an exercise in benevolence rather than in tyranny and exploitation. In this volume, Julian Go and Anne L. Foster untangle this peculiar self-fashioning and insist on the importance of studying U.S. colonial rule in the context of other imperialist ventures. A necessary expansion of critical focus,
The American Colonial State in the Philippines is the first systematic attempt to examine the creation and administration of the American colonial state from comparative, global perspectives.
Written by social scientists and historians, these essays investigate various aspects of American colonial government through comparison with and contextualization within colonial regimes elsewhere in the worldandmdash;from British Malaysia and Dutch Indonesia to Japanese Taiwan and America's other major overseas colony, Puerto Rico. Contributors explore the program of political education in the Philippines; constructions of nationalism, race, and religion; the regulation of opium; connections to politics on the U.S. mainland; and anticolonial resistance. Tracking the complex connections, circuits, and contests across, within, and between empires that shaped America's colonial regime, The American Colonial State in the Philippines sheds new light on the complexities of American imperialism and turn-of-the-century colonialism.
Contributors. Patricio N. Abinales, Donna J. Amoroso, Paul Barclay, Vince Boudreau, Anne L. Foster, Julian Go, Paul A. Kramer
Review
andquot;This is an important and distinctive work. As an earlier discourse for understanding the diffusion of modernizing influences, technology, and global exchange, imperialism is the most important precursor to today's globalized economy and culture. Yet there are few studies of imperialism (and particularly American imperialism) that are broadly comparative or contextual. Filling this blank spot on the map, The American Colonial State in the Philippines will be of interest to a wide audience.andquot;andmdash;Nick Cullather, author of Illusions of Influence: The Political Economy of United Statesandndash;Philippines Relations, 1942andndash;1960
Review
andldquo;This superb collection of essays provides a necessary background for the stories that jump off todayandrsquo;s front pagesandmdash;a supposedly wondrous American andlsquo;empire,andrsquo; the hidden dilemmas of nation-building, drug-trafficking, colliding cultures, and a touching faith in American exceptionalism. As analyzed by some of our best younger scholars, we can now see clearlyandmdash;and learn fromandmdash;what happened to that earlier generation who set out to make the United States an imperial power.andrdquo;andmdash;Walter LaFeber, Cornell University
Synopsis
Interdisciplinary collection placing the U.S. imperial project in the Philippines within a global, comparative framework.
Synopsis
This volume offers new perspectives on the connected histories of Spain, China and Japan as they emerged and developed following the foundation of Manila as the capital of the Spanish Philippines in 1571. Cross-cultural encounters not only shaped Manila's development as a 'Eurasian' port city, but also had profound political, economic and social ramifications for the three pre-modern states involved. This becomes obvious in the diverse nature of long-distance trade including trans-Pacific silver-for-silks bargaining, direct Sino-Japanese exchange and provisions trade. In order not to overlook the human beings involved in proto-global struggles for power and foreign trade control, the book combines a systematic comparison with a focus on actors and their agency. Integrating Manila into world history helps in revising many long-cherished misconceptions while replacing them with a more balanced multi-facetted view.
Synopsis
Spain, China and Japan in Manila, 1571and#150;1644 offers a new perspective on the connected histories of Spain, China, and Japan as they emerged and developed following Manilaand#8217;s foundation as the capital of the Spanish Philippines in 1571. Examining a wealth of multilingual primary sources, Birgit Tremml-Werner shows that cross-cultural encounters not only shaped Manilaand#8217;s development as a and#147;Eurasianand#8221; port city, but also had profound political, economic, and social ramifications for the three pre-modern states. Combining a systematic comparison with a focus on specific actors during this period, this book addresses many long-held misconceptions and offers a more balanced and multi-faceted view of these nationsand#8217; histories.
About the Author
“This superb collection of essays provides a necessary background for the stories that jump off today’s front pages—a supposedly wondrous American ‘empire,’ the hidden dilemmas of nation-building, drug-trafficking, colliding cultures, and a touching faith in American exceptionalism. As analyzed by some of our best younger scholars, we can now see clearly—and learn from—what happened to that earlier generation who set out to make the United States an imperial power.”—Walter LaFeber, Cornell University"This is an important and distinctive work. As an earlier discourse for understanding the diffusion of modernizing influences, technology, and global exchange, imperialism is the most important precursor to today's globalized economy and culture. Yet there are few studies of imperialism (and particularly American imperialism) that are broadly comparative or contextual. Filling this blank spot on the map, The American Colonial State in the Philippines will be of interest to a wide audience."—Nick Cullather, author of Illusions of Influence: The Political Economy of United States–Philippines Relations, 1942–1960
Table of Contents
Introduction: global perspectives on the U.S. colonial state in the Philippines / Julian Go -- Empires, exceptions, and Anglo-Saxons / Paul A. Kramer -- Models for governing / Anne L. Foster -- Inheriting the "Moro problem" / Donna J. Amoroso -- Progressive-machine conflict in early-twentieth-century U.S. politics and colonial-state building in the Philippines / Patricio N. Abinales -- The chains of empire / Julian Go -- "They have for the coast dwellers a traditional hatred" / Paul Barclay -- Methods of domination and modes of resistance / Vince Boudreau.