"Filipino-/American Postcolonial Psychology" Out Now, Author Shares His Experiences

In mid-2009, Kevin Nadal published the first book on Pilipino American psychology, “Filipino American Psychology: A Handbook of Theory, Research, and Clinical Practice”. The afterword of that book, along with two of its chapters, were written by E.J. David, a Philippine-born Alaskan who earned his Doctoral Degree in Clinical/Commuity Psychology at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Now it is Nadal’s time to return the favor, as he has written the afterword to David’s newly released book, “Filipino -/ American Postcolonial Psychology: Oppression, Colonial Mentality, and Decolonization”.

The book explores the effects that the Pilipino history of colonialism and oppression has on Pilipinos and Pilipino Americans today. It takes into account both Spanish and American colonialism, and oppression self-imposed from within the community. It then looks at ways to break through the colonial mentality. We asked Dr. David on some of the experiences he had while writing this book.

BakitWhy.com: What's the most surprising thing you discovered while researching for this book?

E.J. David: There are plenty of surprises. The most surprising is probably the fact that colonial mentality may exist and operate even when we are not doing it on purpose, and even when we are not aware of it. It can really affect our thoughts, attitudes, and behaviors toward some people, products, or whatever else. For example, by not being aware of colonial mentality and how it may exist within and affect us, then we cannot keep it in check or under control. If we don't keep it under control, then we're just going to continue making decisions and behaving in ways that reflect colonial mentality, like preferring lighter-skin, American-made products, making fun of FOBs (fresh-of-the-boat; first generation immigrants), or regarding someone who is mestizo/a and can speak accent-free English as more attractive or credible. Colonial mentality may operate automatically, and even unconsciously.

BW: Why did you choose to write about this specific topic?

ED: I decided to write about colonial mentality because this has been negatively affecting Pilipinos and Pilipino Americans for many generations. What is probably the most negative effect of colonial mentality is the loss of Pilipino culture. With this loss of pride and appreciation for a very important part of our self-concept, our self-esteem may be affected. In turn, not having a positive regard for our self and our group/heritage can have devastating influence on our mental health. Thus, many of the issues our community is facing today such as depression, suicide, alcohol and drug use, gang involvement, and others, are partly due to the loss of appreciation, pride, involvement, and competence in our heritage ethnicity and culture. For many generations now, we have been regarding anything Pilipino as inferior to anything American or Western, and this leads to the replacement of the Pilipino culture with American or Western culture. First, we need to realize that we do not need to do this. We can adapt and be competent in the American world while simultaneously being competent, proud, and appreciative of the Pilipino culture. We do not need to forget about being Pilipino in order to be American.

BW: What do you hope readers will take away from your book?

ED: In addition to being biculturally competent, as I explained above, what I hope people take away from the book is awareness - if not acceptance - of how colonial mentality has been negatively affecting ourselves and our loved ones for many generations. For people to become aware, if not accept, the presence of colonial mentality within themselves and the people around them. This way, we can at least begin the process of controlling colonial mentality and try not to pass it on to future generations.

BW: What's your opinion on how young Pilipino Americans self-identify today?

ED: I think many Pilipino Americans today might try to dilute their Pilipino-ness, by saying that they are of mixed race or by saying that at least they are Pilipino Americans and not Pilipino who live in the Philippines. Some might even deny that they are Pilipino. These instances are expressions of colonial mentality, because they imply that the less Pilipino you are, the better off you are. Then of course you also have young Pilipino Americans who, on the outside, proudly claim that they are Pilipino. However, you still see them make fun of FOBs or mock other Pilipino who speak English with a Pilipino accent. Again, these are attempts to distinguish one's self from others who are perceived to be too Pilipino or not American enough. In fact, in my book, I describe a study I conducted where I was able to show that even young Pilipino Americans who are very proud of their heritage may still have colonial mentality tendencies.

BW: What's the most challenging thing you encountered during your research?

ED: Hands down, the most challenging issue is the fact that I, my family, my friends, and many other people I care about have colonial mentality. Also, when I travel the country to make presentations to Pilipino American organizations, it's difficult to talk about colonial mentality and hear others share their personal stories of colonial mentality. Colonial mentality is a very sensitive and highly emotional topic. It's almost like talking about very traumatic events! Colonial mentality is very personal, but I think by doing these presentations and now publishing this book, I hope to let Pilipino and Pilipino Americans realize that colonial mentality is very common. I hope to remind Pilipinos and Pilipino Americans who may be struggling with colonial mentality that they are not alone.

“Filipino -/ American Postcolonial Psychology: Oppression, Colonial Mentality, and Decolonization” is available now.

Relates Sites:

• E.J. David’s site, “The Colonial Mentality Project”
• Amazon link