Beyond the Fields: Ethnographic Explorations on Notions and Practices of Sustainability in Ifugao, Philippines
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Beyond the fields: Ethnographic explorations on notions and practices of sustainability in Ifugao, Philippines. Kathrine Ann Cagat Thesis submitted for the degree of PhD 2015 Department of Anthropology and Sociology School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London 1 Cagat, Kathrine Ann (2015) Beyond the fields : ethnographic explorations on notions and practices of sustainability in Ifugao, Philippines. PhD Thesis. SOAS, University of London http://eprints.soas.ac.uk/23666 Copyright © and Moral Rights for this thesis are retained by the author and/or other copyright owners. A copy can be downloaded for personal non‐commercial research or study, without prior permission or charge. This thesis cannot be reproduced or quoted extensively from without first obtaining permission in writing from the copyright holder/s. The content must not be changed in any way or sold commercially in any format or medium without the formal permission of the copyright holders. When referring to this thesis, full bibliographic details including the author, title, awarding institution and date of the thesis must be given e.g. AUTHOR (year of submission) "Full thesis title", name of the School or Department, PhD Thesis, pagination. DECLARATION FOR PHD THESIS I have read and understood regulation 17.9 of the Regulations for students of the SOAS, University of London concerning plagiarism. I undertake that all the mate- rial presented for examination is my own work and has not been written for me, in whole or in part, by any other person. I also undertake that any quotation or paraphrase from the published or unpublished work of another person has been duly acknowledged in the work which I present for examination. Signed: ________________________ Date:_17 November 2015__ 2 ABSTRACT The thesis explores varying notions and practices of sustainability through a focus on the relationship between management of a heritage site, the Ifugao Rice Terraces and the implementation of the Ambangal Mini-hydro Plant, a small-scale hydro-electric power initiative in Ifugao Province. In doing so, I ad- dress the politics of resource governance. Likewise, rather than just a mere translation of ‘sustainability’ in local vernacular or an identification of sustaina- ble practices, I instead elaborate upon how people conceptualise and practice the principles which underpin sustainability. As such, I consider the commonly pro- moted definition of sustainability as the undertaking of community development without compromising social and natural resources for future generations. Thus, the thesis presents Ifugao conceptualisation and practices regarding stewardship and prosperity. Specifically, I elaborate upon the Ifugao’s kinship system, agricul- tural activities, and well-being rituals, and relate these practices with how people currently deliberate heritage and development interventions transpiring in the province. The aim is to more explicitly link spiritual and technical activities in anthropological approaches to sustainability. As the thesis argues, integral to community members’ concern for the well-being of people across generations is the plurality of possibilities, not simp- ly the achievement of particular outcomes or a preoccupation with stability. Thus, I describe local understandings and enactment of sustainability as ‘capaci- ty-expansion’ and discuss this in relation to the often deployed term, ‘capacity- building’ in sustainable development practices. In Ifugao understanding of sus- tainability, what is particularly salient is how community members articulate is- sues regarding the linked potential of people and places to arise in multiple pos- sibilities. Therefore, the thesis delves into theoretical approaches in potentiality along with current insights on socio-ecological resilience to expound on what such discussions can contribute to an anthropology of sustainability. 3 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS My gratitude goes out to Dr Kostas Retsikas for his guidance and support throughout my doctoral research. I am also grateful to the following faculty members for additional feedback, support or encouragement: Prof Trevor Marchand, Dr Kit Davis, Prof Johan Pottier and Dr Fabio Gygi. Additionally, I thank Prof Susanne Küchler and Dr Catherine Allerton for the questions and feedback they posed regarding the matter of sustainability discussed in this the- sis. Throughout my thesis, my interlocutors were kept anonymous, in keeping with ethical guidelines; however, I mention the names of some of those individu- als in this acknowledgement page. Additionally, there are individuals in my the- sis who have not been anonymised, due to the fact that they explicitly expressed wanting to be named, because their names are mentioned in public documents or because I have a familial relationship with them and want my thesis to reflect this. Such individuals are similarly mentioned by name on this page. I thank the Guinid family for welcoming me into their home and family, particularly auntie Doring (my host-mom) for her kindness, patience and generosity. Many thanks also go out to Marlon for his advice and support throughout my residence in Kiangan and beyond; Ruel, for his incredible insight and energy. I especially thank the following people: manang Doreen (for being the best neighbour), manang Lyn, manang Esther, manang Lallie, manang Rachel, Jovel, manang Karen, Auntie Maria, manong Nilo, auntie Tabs, manang Maryann and auntie Sabel for their kindness and for acquainting me with the communities of Ifugao. I am also grateful to the SITMo family, especially: Atan, Kenneth, George, Joey, T.A., manong Roland and manang Kathleen. Thanks also go out to the staff members of the National Commission on Indigenous Peoples, Provincial Plan- ning and Development Office and Ifugao Cultural Heritage Office for facilitating my inquires. I especially thank Engr Carmelita, Ms Nancy N., Mr Jonathan P. and Mr Renato P. My appreciation also goes out to Dr Villia Jefremovas for her hospi- tality and openness. A debt of gratitude goes out to the community members of Ifugao Province, especially the residents of Kiangan and Hungduan for graciously welcoming me in their community and home and for kindly giving me their time. 4 I thank the J. William Fulbright Foreign Scholarship Board for providing much needed funds to my research. In conjunction with Fulbright, I want to thank the Philippine-American Educational Foundation, especially Dr E.C., Con, Yolly and Marge. I am likewise grateful to the University of Philippines Diliman – School of Urban Planning, especially to Prof David Leonides Timbol-Yap and Dean Candido A. Cabrido, Jr. for providing me with institutional support during my fieldwork. Many thanks go out to the members of the 2009 and 2010 SOAS MPhil/PhD cohort for the academic community and camaraderie they provided. I am also grateful to friends especially Linda, Farah, Sonja, Valentino, Cris, Rehaa- na and Sibilla for giving me much needed assistance and support during the toughest times of this research. I especially thank members of the Alegado, Abut, Cuntapay and Dabalos families, who gave me encouragement and support throughout my stay in Philippines. Thanks also go out to my brothers-in-law Ryan and Jodi who provided constant encouragement and support throughout my writing of this thesis. Lastly, I could not have undertaken this endeavour if it were not for the unconditional love of my parents, Marilyn and Pepe and my sis- ters, Michelle and Claire. 5 A NOTE The thesis is written with British-English spelling; however, when citing American publications I uphold the American-English spelling, so words in quotes will have the American-English spelling. Additionally, there are differ- ences in the way certain Tuwali words are spelled across different municipali- ties. The works of authors who have written on Ifugao and who have conducted research in various Ifugao municipalities reflect such differences. Thus, when quoting the work of these authors I retain the spelling that they use, but I indi- cate alternative spellings in the footnote. 6 TABLE OF CONTENTS ILLUSTRATIONS........................................................................................................................8 INTRODUCTION ........................................................................................................................9 CAPACITY-EXPANSION IN IFUGAO: POTENTIALITY AND RESILIENCE...................................................... 15 ‘CAPACITY-BUILDING’ IN SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT ........................................................................... 22 KIANGAN AND HUNGDUAN ............................................................................................................................... 27 METHODOLOGICAL DISCUSSION ...................................................................................................................... 32 THESIS STRUCTURE ............................................................................................................................................ 39 CHAPTER 1: ADAPTABLE PATHS .......................................................................................... 45 THE HOUSE AND THE FIELD ............................................................................................................................. 49 ACCESS AND MOBILITY ...................................................................................................................................... 58 CHAPTER 2: WELL-BEING MATTERS ...................................................................................