FORTHCOMING BOOK: The Davao School of Radical Democracy - Southern Voices Reimagining Philippine Politics
"The Davao School of Radical Democracy: Southern Voices Reimagining Philippine Politics" challenges the dominant, Manila-centric liberal narratives that have long treated the regions as footnotes to history. By employing “Southern theory,” the authors decentralize political philosophy, grounding it in local histories, indigenous wisdom, and the visceral struggles of the marginalized. It is a “clarifying storm,” unsettling the status quo and inviting readers to confront uncomfortable questions about violence, memory, and the limits of Western-style liberal norms.
The book’s central thesis rejects the myth of “perfect consensus,” which often masks the interests of the powerful. Drawing from Chantal Mouffe’s concept of “agonism,” the contributors argue that democracy is a permanent struggle where conflict is not a flaw, but a productive force. The volume provides a scathing critique of the 1986 EDSA Revolution, framing it as a “failed project” of the elite that restored an oligarchic order while ignoring systemic injustices and the equitable distribution of wealth. It advocates for a “substantive democracy”—one that addresses hunger and domination rather than merely protecting formal institutions.
The volume situates the rise of Rodrigo Duterte as a “radical shift” and a “revolt from the South” against the Ilustrado class of the North. For the Bangsamoro, this book provides a vital theoretical mirror for a long history of resistance. It frames the “Mindanao agenda” as a fundamental struggle for recognition, validating the rebellion in the South as an authentic quest for self-determination. It acknowledges that the deep wounds of historical injustice do not heal easily under a Padrino system that has historically treated Moro territories as foreign and marginalized.
This reader is a call to action by scholars who refuse to remain silent while elite families dictate the national narrative. From my perspective, governance is rooted in the Islamic principle of shūrā (consultation) and deep cultural identity. This book speaks directly to that need for a democracy that is not a Western transplant, but one that grows from our own soil. It is a work dedicated to the people of the South—a gift offered with the prayer that justice, peace, and the “folk wisdom” of our indigenous and Muslim traditions will finally reign in a region long denied its just share.”
– Datu Mussolini Sinsuat Lidasan
Director, Al Qalam Institute,
Ateneo de Davao University
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