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ABOUT THE AUTHORS: The Davao School of Radical Democracy

Christopher Ryan Maboloc, PhD, is an Associate Professor of Philosophy at Ateneo de Davao University. He was mentored by Thomas Pogge during his ASAP Yale Global Justice Fellowship. Mansoor Limba, PhD, SCL, is an Associate Professor of Islamic Studies at Ateneo de Davao University. He is a recipient of the 13th International Farabi Award (2022) on Humanities and Islamic Studies. Layne Hartsell, PhD, is a Research Professor at the Center for Ethics in Science, Technology, and Society, Department of Philosophy, Chulalongkorn University, in Bangkok. Ian Clark Parcon, PhD, is an Associate Professor of Philosophy at Ateneo de Davao University and the Chief Editor of the Social Ethics Society Journal of Applied Philosophy. Benjiemen Labastin, MA, is an Assistant Professor of Philosophy and the Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences at La Salle University – Ozamiz. Asuna Yoshizawa, PhD, is a Research Fellow at Kyoto University. Her research interests include Muslim-Christian relationships a...
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REVIEW: The Davao School of Radical Democracy - Southern Voices Reimagining Philippine Politics

This volume is an excellent introduction to contemporary Filipino political and philosophical mind. It examines liberal versus radical democratic theory through the prism of Philippine political experience, especially the challenges of the rise of Rodrigo Duterte and the re-emergence of the Mindanao agenda. It is political philosophy at its best, de-abstracted by local conditions. Abstract political and liberal concepts receive concrete characterizations and articulations by the various authors.  Drawing on Chantal Mouffe’s critique of harmonious liberal consensus based on rational deliberation, Prof. Maboloc argues for “radical” agonistic democracy, where antagonisms and conflicts are inherent to politics and "adversaries" (rather than "enemies") are contesting for opposing interests and conflicting visions of the future and the good life. It is a better understanding of politics in the context of nation-building and rectifying social injustices in the face of post...
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The Davao School of Radical Democracy - Southern Voices Reimagining Philippine Politics

The Davao School of Radical Democracy  Edited by Christopher Ryan Maboloc and Mansoor Limba  Preorder Discounted Price P750 (Regular P950): Click link:  https://forms.gle/kC6LUAFH2iT4Saya7 CONTENTS Foreword by Layne Hartsell  Introduction by Mansoor Limba I. Theoretical Underpinnings and Historical Background 1. Situating the Mindanao Agenda in the Radical Politics of President Rodrigo Duterte  Christopher Ryan Maboloc 2. Corrective Agonism, Philippine Democracy, and Civil Society Ian Clark Parcon 3. Two Faces of Dutertismo, Two Faces of Democracy in the Philippines  Benjiemen Labastin 4..A Macho Populist Comes Again: Sen. Robin Padilla and Radical Politics in the Philippines  Asuna Yoshizawa II..Dimensions of Radical Democracy in the Philippines 5. President Rodrigo Duterte and Biopolitics in the Philippines  Christopher Ryan Maboloc 6. The Future of the Environment and the Indigenous Peoples in the Philippines under President Rodrigo Duterte...
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11 International Researchers complete Global Summer School on Climate Change and Human Mobility at the Asian Institute of Technology in Thailand

  The Humanitarian Observatory for Policy and Education in Southeast Asia (HOPESEA), an organization based in Chiang Mai University, has awarded completion certificates to 11 international researchers who finished the program in the Global Summer School on Climate Change and Human Mobility held at the Asian Institute of Technology in Pathum Thani, Thailand.  Dr. Thida Chaiyapa, head of HOPESEA and the chief organizer of the event. expressed her elation and showed appreciation for the efforts of the participants and climate change experts who delivered lectures and helped direct the field work in Thailand's Ayutthaya Province. The researchers conducted interviews and also visited cultural heritage sites. Dr. Paula Banerjee, the director of the AIT Center on Gender and Forced Migration, gave an inspirational message during the week-long event. Dr. Bhichit Rattakul, the former governor of Bangkok, also delivered a talk. Below is the list of researchers who completed the Global Su...
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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 oliga...
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11 International Researchers complete Global Summer School on Climate Change and Human Mobility at the Asian Institute of Technology in Thailand

  The Humanitarian Observatory for Policy and Education in Southeast Asia (HOPESEA), an organization based in Chiang Mai University, has awarded completion certificates to 11 international researchers who finished the program in the Global Summer School on Climate Change and Human Mobility held at the Asian Institute of Technology in Pathum Thani, Thailand.  Dr. Thida Chaiyapa, head of HOPESEA and the chief organizer of the event. expressed her elation and showed appreciation for the efforts of the participants and climate change experts who delivered lectures and helped direct the field work in Thailand's Ayutthaya Province. The researchers conducted interviews and also visited cultural heritage sites. Dr. Paula Banerjee, the director of the AIT Center on Gender and Forced Migration, gave an inspirational message during the week-long event. Dr. Bhichit Rattakul, the former governor of Bangkok, also delivered a talk. Below is the list of researchers who completed the Global Su...
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Position of SES officials on CHED's proposal to reframe the GE Curriculum

  Top officials of the Social Ethics Society (SES), including Dr. Godiva Eviota-Rivera of MSU Marawi and Dr. Christopher Ryan Maboloc of Ateneo de Davao University, have expressed that none of the courses offered under the present GE Curriculum should be removed. Both do not agree that that CHED's move will improve Philippine education. Dr. Rivera, a trailblazer in peace education. mentioned the importance of context in the teaching of ethics. "It should be enhanced by including local issues on peace, not removed," she said. Meanwhile, Dr. Maboloc questioned the scholarly credentials of Edcom and TPGE officials, saying that they have not published articles in high caliber journals. The proposal of CHED will displace thousands of college teachers once implemented. The SES has held consultations with its members on the issue. Many believe that the proposal is elitist, undemocratic, and baseless. For Maboloc, the reframed curriculum reduces Filipinos into labores as it only ...
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