Between Two Worlds

Considers varying attitudes to social relationships in the West and Asia, in the context of the Philippines, and how bound up these are with material progress, business and politics.

This book considers the tensions and complementarities between two different attitudes towards social relationships - on the one hand, the attitude aspired to in the West, which emphasises individualism, institutional probity, and the rule of law, and which regards social relationships as ideals or absolutes; and, on the other hand, the attitude often found in Asia, where loyalties based on kinship, local networks, and places of origin are vitally important, and where social relationships, institutions and practices are often material for manipulation and the pursuit of ambition. The book explores the nature of these different attitudes, discussing the different attitudes as they are found in practice in the Philippines. It considers how they are bound up with material progress, and how they have a crucial impact, on business, politics and region-centre relations.