Philippine Popular Culture

Philippine Society and the
Challenge of Modernity
by Randolf S. David University of the Philippines
Annotated by: JOHN MARK D. BUGARIN
Brief Overview
The world demands modernity as compliance to the

phenomenon of globalization. Modernity is the term we use
to refer to a mode of experiencing the world as an
environment of ceaseless change. The complex process
that brings this change about is called Modernization.
Modernist is the term we apply to those who thrive and
make themselves at home in such a world, while
Traditionalist refers to those who are intimidated by the
new and derive comfort in nostalgic recollections of the
past.
Modernization is fact of life that is needed and inevitable to
us. It is like to go with the flow or perish. Along with its
development are the endless possibilities of success or
devastation. There will be positive or negative impact to
humanity, society or culture. Modernist impulses have
flourished in our society mainly via four important channels,
namely: (a) the school, (b) the market, (c) the mass media,
and (d) overseas work. On the other hand, modernity has
been impeded by three basic forces, namely: (a) the family,
(b) the Church, and (c) traditional politics.
Objectives
It explains Modernity, Modernization,

Modernist and Traditionalist
Present the effects of modernity among the
Filipinos
Explain the role of modernization on our
history, politics and culture
Statement of the Problem
(1) Is there one modernity or are there many? What does

it mean to shape our transition to modernity?
(2) What have been the driving forces of modernization in

our country and who have been its most abiding
constituencies? And conversely, what have been the
most important obstacles to modernization, and who
have been its main opponents?
(3) What have been the unintended consequences of
modernization? And what kind of adaptations has it
bred?
(4) And finally, what dangers and opportunities will

modernization throw into our path in the future, and
how shall we deal with them?
Methods Used
Comparison
Observation
Sociological
Historical
Arguments, Position and Proposition
• The author encourages that, “Our first task should be

to understand and accept what we have become. To
understand means to take a hard look at our present
situation and to identify the weakest areas of our
national life requiring the most urgent and sustained
intervention.”
• It is to believe that we are what we are today as a
result of the peculiar circumstances of our evolution
as a nation. That colonialism produced both good
and bad effects.
• The author believes that, “To be modern is not just
to survive a world of continuous change; more than
this, it is to be able to exercise some measure of
control over our lives.”
Conclusion
To be modern is to open ourselves to the possibilities

brought about by the unending flux of innovation and
obsolescence. It is to welcome change, and to be at home
in it, rather than to sneer at the new from the vantage point
of a romanticized past. But to be modern is also to grow in
freedom with time, to strive to reduce our vulnerability to
unsettling events and phenomena, and to discipline and
form ourselves into a confident, stable, and peaceful nation.
3 important Passages/ Quotation
“To be modern, is to experience personal and

social life as a maelstrom, to find one’s world
and oneself in perpetual disintegration and
renewal, trouble and anguish, ambiguity and
contradiction: to be part of a universe in which
all that is solid melts into air.”
~Marshall Berman
“To be a modernist, is to make oneself somehow
at home in the maelstrom, to make its rhythms
one’s own, to move within its currents in search
of the forms of reality, of beauty, of freedom, of
justice that its fervid and perilous flow allows.”
~Marshall Berman
Antonio Gramsci,
“the old is dying but the new cannot be born.”
Contemplation
Modernization is not just about the

advancement of technology but on how
people manage to survive and adapt to the
consistently changing world through
different ways and their strong hope and
will.
Slide Title
Are you a modernist or

traditionalist?
What will you choose the
peace and simplicity of the
old or the fun and chaos of
the new?
Is modernization good in
the long run?
Activity:
DEBATE:
“Modernization brings more negative
effect than positive effect.”

Philippine Popular Culture

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Philippine Popular Culture

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Philippine Society and the

The world demands modernity as compliance to the

It explains Modernity, Modernization,

(1) Is there one modernity or are there many? What does

(2) What have been the driving forces of modernization in

(4) And finally, what dangers and opportunities will

• The author encourages that, “Our first task should be

To be modern is to open ourselves to the possibilities

“To be modern, is to experience personal and

Modernization is not just about the

Are you a modernist or

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