Chasing Freedom: The Philippines’ long journey to democratic ambivalence, written by Adele Webb

What is it about?

Adele Webb probes into the rationale explaining why Filipinos cannot fully commit to either democratic or non-democratic politics, demonstrating democratic ambivalence. It is widely understood that democratic ambivalence contributes to the decline of democracy in recent times, which is believed to be brought about by the 'misbehaviors' of the middle class. Webb rejects this simplistic notion and successfully attempts to connect democratic ambivalence to the impact of historical legacies such as American imperialism. As a result, Webb asserts that democratic ambivalence should not be viewed as a defect in demonstrating democracy but rather a feature of practicing democracy under duress. Accordingly, understanding deeper democracy and its decline today should be contextualized, taking into consideration the lived reality of performing democracy and democratic ideals imposed on peoples, especially in countries where US democracy-building took place. In the end, Webb implores us to understand the present better by attempting to process current information with a long view (i.e., deeper engagement with history).

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