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An Ethnographic Study of a Friendship Group of Same-Sex Attracted Middle-Class Young Men from Metro Manila in the Philippines

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An Ethnographic Study of a Friendship Group of Same-Sex Attracted Middle-Class Young Men from Metro Manila in the Philippines Edith Cowan University Research Online Theses: Doctorates and Masters Theses 1-1-2007 Pagbukadkad ng bulaklak = Blooming of the flower : an ethnographic study of a friendship group of same-sex attracted middle-class young men from Metro Manila in the Philippines Ronald Macdonald Edith Cowan University Follow this and additional works at: https://ro.ecu.edu.au/theses Part of the Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons Recommended Citation Macdonald, R. (2007). Pagbukadkad ng bulaklak = Blooming of the flower : an ethnographic study of a friendship group of same-sex attracted middle-class young men from Metro Manila in the Philippines. https://ro.ecu.edu.au/theses/244 This Thesis is posted at Research Online. https://ro.ecu.edu.au/theses/244 Edith Cowan University Copyright Warning You may print or download ONE copy of this document for the purpose of your own research or study. The University does not authorize you to copy, communicate or otherwise make available electronically to any other person any copyright material contained on this site. You are reminded of the following: Copyright owners are entitled to take legal action against persons who infringe their copyright. A reproduction of material that is protected by copyright may be a copyright infringement. Where the reproduction of such material is done without attribution of authorship, with false attribution of authorship or the authorship is treated in a derogatory manner, this may be a breach of the author’s moral rights contained in Part IX of the Copyright Act 1968 (Cth). Courts have the power to impose a wide range of civil and criminal sanctions for infringement of copyright, infringement of moral rights and other offences under the Copyright Act 1968 (Cth). Higher penalties may apply, and higher damages may be awarded, for offences and infringements involving the conversion of material into digital or electronic form. PAGBUKADKAD NG BULAKLAK (BLOOMING OF THE FLOWER): AN ETHNOGRAPHIC STUDY OF A FRIENDSHIP GROUP OF SAME-SEX ATTRACTED MIDDLE-CLASS YOUNG MEN FROM METRO MANILA IN THE PHILIPPINES Ronald Macdonald Bachelor of Social Science with Honours in Youth Work This thesis is presented in fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy Faculty of Education and Arts Edith Cowan University March 2007 USE OF THESIS The Use of Thesis statement is not included in this version of the thesis. ABSTRACT In this dissertation I examine “gay” life in the Philippines by focusing on a long- standing friendship group of same-sex attracted middle-class young men living in Metro Manila who identify as bakla/gay/homosexual. I explain how dynamics of gender and sexuality including identity expression are conceptualised, articulated and negotiated through the interphase of Philippine culture, social class, economic status and the cultural appropriation and adaptation of elements of Western gay discourse and lifestyle. Ethnography was selected as the most appropriate qualitative research method because of its theoretical and philosophical “fit” with the methodological assumptions that underpin this study. A key feature in both the theoretical and ideological approaches taken in this project has been the inclusion of Filipino theoretical perspectives rather than coming from a purely Western paradigmatic viewpoint. I argue that collectivism is a fundamental concept and guiding principle that underscores Filipino cultural life and societal worldview, and because of these affectations, dynamically informs on the ways in which social relations of gender and sexuality are structured and experienced. Western societies function on the psychological and ethical principle of individualism (a concept connected with notions of political autonomy rather than group association), and it is because of the inherent differences between these social paradigms that I conclude that local Filipino forms of homoeroticism and gender variance are conceived in cultural conditions unlike those embodied in equivalent Western metropoles. The data presented in this dissertation elucidates these systemic differences by exploring pertinent social issues that link the experience of urban Filipino cultural life with gender and sexuality. iii DECLARATION I certify that this thesis does not, to the best of my knowledge and belief: (i) incorporate without acknowledgment any material previously submitted for a degree or diploma in any institution of higher education. (ii) contain any material previously published or written by another person except where due reference is made in the text; or (iii) contain any defamatory material. I also grant permission for the Library at Edith Cowan University to make duplicate copies of my thesis as required. Signature: ……………………………………. Date: …………………………….. iv ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I would like to thank all of the Youth Work staff from Edith Cowan University who, through their intelligence, compassion, and support, enabled me to complete my honours degree. I am most grateful to Meaghan Delahunt, who in my first year at university wrote on an assignment paper that I should read Lynne Segal’s book “Slow Motion: Changing Masculinities, Changing Men.” I did, and it sparked my interest in studying gender and sexuality as my chosen area for research attention. I am particularly indebted to Dr. Trudi Cooper for supervising both my honours and my doctoral theses. I cannot emphasis enough how much time and effort Trudi has expended in helping and supporting me in my endeavours. I am most grateful for her constructive critique and feedback. My doctoral studies have at times taken a rather convoluted path, and without Trudi’s kind offer of professional assistance I doubt whether this work would have come to fruition. Many thanks Trudi. It is also with much gratitude that I thank Associate Professor Margaret Sims for taking on the project at such a late stage, and for her helpful and constructive suggestions and critique. Although there is a considerable distance between the Northern Territory and Western Australia, both Margaret and Trudi have always been just an email or phone call away, and it was with that knowledge that I felt confident and assured in undertaking the write-up of my thesis. Thanks so much to both of you. I would like to give a very special thank you to Veronica Baldwin from Charles Darwin University who in her capacity as Research Degrees and Scholarships Officer helped me to gain a university scholarship so that I could travel to the Philippines and begin my fieldwork. To those I love and share my life with, thank you for your emotional support and for travelling the journey with me. Your devotion and dedication sustains me. Finally, it is with the deepest gratitude and pleasure that I would like to give a heartfelt thank you to those wonderful young men who so warmly and openly accepted me into their lives. They truly have been an inspiration to me, and I am so much the richer and wiser for having known them. I can honestly and unequivocally say their philosophies and approach to life have changed me, and for that I am forever grateful. v TABLE OF CONTENTS ABSTRACT iii DECLARATION iv ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS v GLOSSARY OF TERMS ix CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION 1 Approaching Gender and Sexuality from a Western Perspective 1 Approaching Gender and Sexuality from a Cross-Cultural Perspective 6 CHAPTER 2: METHODOLOGY 13 Method 16 Designing the Research Process 17 Personal Considerations......................................................................................... 17 Entry into the Field ................................................................................................ 18 The Study Participants ........................................................................................... 19 Refining the Study Focus....................................................................................... 21 Research Design 22 Interview Procedure 24 Language Considerations....................................................................................... 25 Data Presentation and Analysis.............................................................................. 30 Strengths and Weaknesses ..................................................................................... 32 Ethical Considerations 35 CHAPTER 3: REPORT OF FINDINGS 38 Category One: The Significance of the Friendship Group 38 The Background of the Friendship Group ............................................................. 38 The Extended Friendship Network ........................................................................ 40 The Friendship Group as Family ........................................................................... 42 Dating and the Extended Friendship Network....................................................... 45 vi The Happy Room Online........................................................................................ 48 Category Two: Gender Ideation and Issues of Cultural Identity 50 Gender and Language Concepts............................................................................. 50 Traditional Gender Roles and Gender Thinking.................................................... 53 Putting Gender and Identity into Context .............................................................. 56 Western Culture and Local Interpretations ............................................................ 58 The Social Structuring of the Gender Hierarchy.................................................... 61 Category Three: The Catholic Education System and
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