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xAI Series/Mindanao Philosophy: Featuring Menelito Mansueto

Menelito Mansueto (full name often listed as Menelito P. Mansueto or Menelito Piscos Mansueto) is a Filipino academic and philosopher.

He serves as an Assistant Professor (sometimes listed as Professor) in the Philosophy Department at Mindanao State University - Iligan Institute of Technology (MSU-IIT) in Iligan City, Lanao del Norte, Philippines.

His scholarly work focuses on areas such as:

  • Decolonization and decolonial theory (including a 2024 book titled Decolonial Turn in the Philippine South, published by KDP Publishing, which draws on Enrique Dussel's philosophy of liberation and discusses paradigm shifts in the Philippine South influenced by political and cultural dynamics)
  • Media theory
  • Psychoanalysis
  • Peacebuilding
  • Philosophy of liberation
  • Critiques of technology (e.g., in the Anthropocene era)
  • Epistemic injustice (applying concepts like Miranda Fricker's to Philippine social realities)
  • Engagements with thinkers like Nietzsche (e.g., reinterpreting "God is dead" with theistic elements)

He has around 40 citations on Google Scholar and has published papers on topics ranging from COVID-19 reflections through liberation philosophy to radical politics in the Philippines (including contributions to readers/anthologies).

He has presented papers in international conferences in Marburg, Germany and at Waseda University in Tokyo, Japan.

Earlier in his career, he taught philosophy, humanities, and social sciences at institutions such as:

  • Colegio de San Juan de Letran (Manila)
  • University of Santo Tomas (Manila)

He holds at least an M.A. in Philosophy (with some profiles listing Master of Philosophy), and his educational background includes degrees from Holy Name University (in Bohol, Philippines). He is originally associated with Bohol and has been described as a "dynamic young scholar from Bohol" in some academic community posts around 2021.

He maintains an active presence in Philippine academic circles, including contributions to journals, conferences (e.g., presentations on topics like Cebu’s dancing prisoners), and platforms like PhilPeople, ResearchGate, Academia.edu, and PhilArchive.

Overall, he appears to be a regionally focused philosopher engaging with global critical theories while centering decolonial perspectives relevant to Mindanao and the broader Philippine South.

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