The Making of the Modern Philippines

“Well-researched... a welcome guide.” The Spectator
“Reliable and lucid.” History Today

With a fractured geography and complex identity, The Philippines is an eclectic and unique mix of culture, environment, people, and politics. Known mostly for natural disasters, migrant labour, and dictatorial presidents, in this book Philip Bowring shows how it is much, much more. Deftly navigating the history of this populous island republic, The Making of the Modern Philippines traces its history to define and explain its position in the modern world.

Looking past the headlines of volcanoes, earthquakes, and violence, it asks why the Filipino economy has lagged behind its neighbours. It explores the importance of its location in geopolitics and investigates how its deep-rooted Catholicism clashes with the Islamic consciousness of the region in which it sits.

Taking the history of the Philippines from its pre-colonial era, through its Spanish and American occupations and up to the modern day, it unravels the complex politics, culture, peoples, and economy of this rich and unique nation. Engaging with challenges the Filipino people face today such as federalism, revolution, Mindanao, the diaspora, capitalism, and relations with China, it rediscovers the struggles, culture, and history of its past to understand the present.