The Philippines: A Global Studies Handbook

(Hardback)

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A unique, revealing look at the history and contemporary culture of the Philippine Islands and their multicultural and foreign-influenced facets. Across the centuries, the Philippine Islands have been treated as pawns in a vast geopolitical game; colonized, militarized, terrorized, And yet through it all, the homegrown culture of this remarkable archipelago-the first democracy in Asia-has proven to be not only resilient, but defiant, as evidenced by its two recent outbursts of "People Power." Interest in the Philippines has grown substantially over recent years. The Philippines: A Global Studies Handbook provides an all-encompassing introduction to the dramatic history of this intriguing nation as well as the contemporary social, political, economic, religious, and artistic life, written for travelers, business people, researchers, students, or general readers. The author, an award-winning professor of Asian studies, explores the effects of centuries of change and continuity on this fascinating, often contradictory land. It is a locals-eye view that gets straight to the heart of the Filipino experience-a cultural tour that measures the profound impact of the islands' Japanese, Spanish, and American conquerors, as well as the influence of Islam, the Marcos regime, and the People Power revolutions that ousted Ferdinand Marcos and, 15 years later, Joseph Estrada.

Author Bio

Damon L. Woods, Ph.D., is a lecturer in the Department of Asian and Asian American Studies at California State University, Long Beach, CA.