Confronting Colonial Legacies: Imagining a Decolonial Future for the Philippines through Reproductive Health Restricted; Files Only
Mangabat, Danielle (Spring 2023)
Published
Abstract
This work investigates the sexual and reproductive health (SRH) movement in the Philippines as a potential 'decolonial project' and its contributions to a decolonial turn in the country. Drawing upon key decolonial and decolonial feminist works, the study examines the impact of colonial legacies on the reproductive health landscape through fieldwork conducted at a non-profit organization, Roots of Health (Ugat ng Kalusugan) in Palawan, Philippines.
Chapter 1 employs a decolonial analysis to contextualize the Reproductive Parenthood and Reproductive Health (RPRH) Act of 2012 and its implications in the Philippines' modern colonial gender system. Chapter 2 delves into the taboo culture surrounding SRH education in the country, analyzing the role of SRH non-profit organizations in disrupting heteronormativity and heteropatriarchy. Chapter 3 investigates the potential of Roots of Health to contribute to the decolonization of public health practices in the Philippines, acknowledging the tensions between Western colonial power and decoloniality.
Overall, this thesis seeks to imagine a decolonial future for the Philippines. How can Filipinos sense and imagine their bodies, gender and sexuality, and autonomy, outside of colonial perceptions? Through a critical analysis of the intersections between colonial legacies, socioeconomic obstacles, and religious tensions, the study aspires to cultivate a nuanced understanding of decolonial public health practices in the pursuit of sexual and reproductive health rights.
Table of Contents
Introduction ………………………………………………………….………………………...… 1
Chapter 1: The RH Bill Story: Coloniality, Contentions, and Compromises………………..…..19
Chapter 2: “The Lonely Journey”: Sexual and Reproductive Health Education as a Catalyst for Untangling the Colonial Episteme………………………………………………..……………...39
Chapter 3: Decolonizing Public Health: Paradox or Potential?………… …..……………...….. 61
Conclusion…………..………………..………………..………………………………….……..82
References………………..…………………..………………..………………..………………..89
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File download under embargo until 19 May 2025 | 2023-04-10 07:30:13 -0400 | File download under embargo until 19 May 2025 |
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