The Philippines has deep and complex historical and cultural connections with many parts of the world. In pre-colonial times, polities in the Philippine archipelago had links, various forms of exchange, and interactions with societies and cultures in other parts of the Asia Pacific and as far away as the Middle East. Since the 16^th century, this island nation has been entangled with competing colonial and imperial powers, first with Spain via links from Latin America before the United States took over, with British interests in between, and with Japan during World War II. There are also connections with Switzerland that are historically deep. The interconnected and diverse lifeways and the heterogeneous populations in the Philippines pose a challenge to how we classify and categorise a society. For example, how do we regard what is “Filipino” or of the Philippines in its diverse linguistic and dynamic cultural manifestations?

This course will foster a nuanced and critical understanding of the formation and politics of social relations, identities, nationhood, and social and cultural change. It aims to enable students to situate social, political, economic, and cultural processes, their complexities and contradictions, distinctions, and similarities from the past to the present. We will read case studies and ethnographies about the Philippines from the vantage point of anthropological perspectives, addressing interrelated questions across disciplines. Thus, we will revisit, examine, and explore a wide array of distinct and overlapping topics such as colonialism, postcolonialism, self-determination, migration and diaspora, care and labour, kinship, intergenerational relations, religion, language ideologies, gender and sexuality, public health and medical practices, use of digital technology, markets and economies, environment, and food and material culture in diverse and transnational settings. Through this course, students will have the opportunity to consider thematic questions for further studies and engagement beyond academia.