The Philippines: A Singular And A Plural Place, Fourth Edition (Nations of the Modern World) [Paperback]

David Joel Steinberg (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 31, 2000 | ISBN-10: 0813337550 | ISBN-13: 978-0813337555 | Edition: Fourth Edition

A unified nation with a single people, the Philippines is also a highly fragmented, plural society. Divided between uplander and lowlander, rich and poor, Christian and Muslim, between those of one ethnic, linguistic, and geographic region and those of another, the nation is a complex mosaic formed by conflicting forces of consensus and national identity and of division and instability.It is not possible to comprehend the many changes in the Philippines—such as the rise and fall of Ferdinand Marcos or the revolution that toppled him—without an awareness of the religious, cultural, and economic forces that have shaped the history of these islands. These forces formed the focus of the first edition of The Philippines. Of that 1982 edition, the late Benigno Aquino Jr., noted that “anyone wanting to understand the Philippines and the Filipinos today must include this book in his ‘must’ reading list.”The fourth edition has been updated through the final years of the Ramos presidency, and contains a new section on the impact of President Estrada.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

David Joel Steinberg is president of Long Island University and author of Philippine Collaboration in World War II winner of the University Press Award in 1969, and co-author of In-Search of Southeast Asia. He has consulted for the Ford Foundation, the United Nations Fund for Population Activities, and the United States government and has testified often before Congress on Philippine matters.

Product Details

• Paperback: 288 pages
• Publisher: Westview Press; Fourth Edition edition (March 31, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0813337550
• ISBN-13: 978-0813337555
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 5.8 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 13.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,092,215 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A very accurate understanding, February 7, 2005

By 

Joan Jose "eye wear suspectacles" (Foothill Ranch, CA USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Philippines: A Singular And A Plural Place, Fourth Edition (Nations of the Modern World) (Paperback)

I read this book for a class that I took during my undergraduate years at UCI and found it to be a very helpful book in understanding the history, culture and people of the Philippines. Being a Filipina-American myself, I could better understand where my parents came from in their way of thinking and understanding the world. My parents were born and raised in the Philippines and I was born and raised in the USA. We often clashed in our ways of thinking and beliefs because of the different environments we grew up in, and this book definitely helped me to understand why.

The title itself, "The Philippines: A Singular and Plural Place"

definitely describes how such diversity- the mountain people, the farm people, the city people, the elite, and the poor, the 1000+ dialects are actually one in the Philippines. The fact that there are 1000+ separate islands yet are all part of the Philppines physically brings together this same idea of many being one.

This is a definite must read for anyone trying to understand the culture, people and politics of the Philippines.

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A Scholarly General Overview of the Political an d Personal, June 3, 2000

By 

Randy N. Townley "Randy N. Townley, M.A." (Washington DC) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Philippines: A Singular And A Plural Place, Third Edition (Nations of the Modern World : Asia) (Paperback)

This book is definitely a scholarly level book that is aimed toward those taking a somewhat intellectual look at the "plight of the Filipino." The book is written very well, and seems to be fairly neutral when analysing the historical elements of how the Philippine Islands have progressed in the last couple centuries.

The book is quite good and offers a lot of information to provide a fairly well-balanced view of the PI. Many would say it is too high-level, meaning, too general, but, for those that are wanting a peak into the political climate, as well as how the filipino has struggled to "become," then this book is definitely for you.

If you are looking for light reading, this book isn't for you. Anyone intersted in Filipino, Filipino tradition, marrying a Filipina/Filipino, this book will give you a much needed advantage to understanding the culture, by understanding its historical context and the struggle of becoming a unified nation.

I highly recommend it..