Reddit reviews In Our Image: America's Empire in the Philippines
We found 4 Reddit comments about In Our Image: America's Empire in the Philippines. Here are the top ones, ranked by their Reddit score.
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I am not Filipino but I have enough connection now to have more than a passing interest. By reading "In Our Image: America's Empire in the Philippines," I feel somewhat more informed on the topic than even well-educated Americans and Filipinos I run into. I would be curious to know of similar or better books to read on the topic.
The wikipedia page for Bonifacio goes into some detail as well.
There are two ways to read history -- one focuses on the personalities, the "great men" if you will -- while the other is more of a study of culture, resources and demographics. Both aspects are important. To make history approachable for normal people, you have to kind of shine the light on individuals. However, I think the great movements and outcomes are generally determined by less personal forces. Who one chooses to illuminate and elevate often reveals more about an author or speaker than it does about history.
If I remember correctly, Bonifacio went to Hong Kong to buy guns from and enlist support of the Americans but they had already set sail without him. If that story is correct, it seems to me that his political ground game was not so tight. Like he may not have been in the same league as other figures he was dealing with on a pure power-politics level. But he also seems like a more admirable guy than Aguinaldo.
Where it seems the Philippine independence movement fell short is that Aguinaldo was basically fighting on behalf of the elite to preserve the status quo just without the Spanish. His idea of Philippine nationhood was not terribly expansive or inclusive and he didn't really have the regular people behind him in a committed way.
When it sounded like the independence was going to offer them a good deal, the elite of the Philippines were cautiously for it. (But almost certainly keeping their options open just in case.) Later, as dealing with the Americans promised greater riches and became less threatening, the enthusiasm for independence among them subsided. Aguinaldo also lost support of regions through the trial and execution of Bonifacio.
The main concern for Philippine elite was protection of their land titles. The prospect of trade deals leading to export contracts with the US -- then rapidly becoming one of the hottest markets -- was also a major draw. What could independence offer that would be better than that for them? For the regular Juans also, Americans offered education and other benefits.
I wonder what would Aguinaldo's Philippines have looked like had he succeeded. But then again I also wonder what America would have looked like had it remained part of the British empire -- a similarly improbable outcome.
It wouldn't hurt to read a good history book on whatever country you're going to. For PCVs going to the Philippines, I highly recommend In Our Image by Stanley Karnow.
I found this book in my school library. my parents were pretty open about our family's history, but they are both Filipino.