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RIZAL 101
LESSON 2
PHILIPPINE NATIONALISM

Specific Learning Objectives

At the end of the lesson, the students will be able to:
1. Define nationalism;
2. Identify the theories on nationalism; and
3. Provide ways and examples in which nationalism is shown.

Focus Here
Nationalism is such a multi-faceted concept. In the Philippines, it has had a huge history.
As a sentiment, it has its peaks and valleys and nationalism as a political concept has been
espoused at one time or another by different sectors of society which projected particular
nationalist goals as their own interests and historical circumstances demanded. There are three
theories on Nationalism :
1. The objective modernity of nations to the historian’s eye vis-a-vis their subjective
antiquity in the eyes of nationalists.

Hence nationalism is a relative term which disposition and application would vary from
person to person and from society to society. The time element is also material from the
historical to contemporary perspectives. From the physical armaments to the modern
warfare, the struggle and understanding of nationalism is also variant.

2. The formal universality of nationality as a socio-cultural concept that it has a

gender vis-a-vis the irremediable particularity of its concrete manifestations .

Nationalism can be manifested in several ways, from the bloodless to the bloodliest
manner. This fundamental love towards the country is part of the socio-cultural
dimensions. Since, this has become contributory in its survival.

3. The political power of nationalism vis-a-vis their philosophical poverty.

Talking about nationalism entails both political and philosophical dimensions. The quest
for grasping its aspects is quite elusive and eternal. This is where politics plays an impact
either as an end or the means itself. Inevitably, just like politics and philosophy, both
affect human existence and sustenance.

Nationalism is rooted from the word -nation which it is an imagined political

community and imagined as both inherently limited and sovereign . It is imagined because
the members of even the smallest nation will never know most of their fellow-members,
meet or even hear of them, yet in the minds of each lives the image of their
communion .The nation is imagined as limited because no nation imagines itself
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coterminous with mankind. It is sovereign because the concept was born in an age in
which Enlightenment and Revolution were destroying the legitimacy of the divinely
ordained, hierarchical dynastic realm. Finally, it is also imagined as a community, because
regardless of the actual inequality and exploitation that may prevail in each, the nation is
always conceived as a deep, horizontal comradeship.

There are three theories on the roots of a nation :

1.Primordialism – it argues, that a national identity has always existed and nations have
“ethnic cores.”
2.Modernity – states that nation, national identity, and nationalism are products of the
modern condition.
3.Constructivist approach –to understand nationalism, this view maintains that nationalism
is socially constructed and imagined by people who identify with a group.

Benedict Anderson, a political scientist who explored the origins of a nation, argues
that nations are “imagined communities.” With this imagined communities comes a “ deep,
horizontal comradeship ” that maintains harmonious co-existence and even fuels the
willingness of the people to fight and die for that nation. Anderson put the importance
of mass media in the construction of the nation during that time. He underscores that
the media -

1. fostered unified fields of communication which allowed the million people within the
territory to “know” each other through printed outputs and become aware that many
others identified with the same community;
2. standardized languages that enhanced feelings of nationalism and community;
3. maintained communication through a few languages widely used in the printing press
which endured through time.

In the Philippines, many argue that the project of nation-building is a continuing

struggle up to the present. Many Filipino scholars who endeavored to understand
indigenous/local knowledge have identified concepts that relate to how Filipinos
understand the notions of community and to an extent, nation and nation-building . The
indigenous intellectual movements introduced the concepts of Kapwa and Bayan that can
enrich discussions about nationalism in the context of the Philippines. Throughout
Philippine history, the challenge of building the Filipino nation has persisted, impacted
by colonialism, violent invasion during World War II, a dictatorship, and the perennial
struggle for development.

Senator Claro M. Recto defined nationalism this way which is still true today as “…a
banner of freedom proclaiming the national interests of the people, to be protected and
safeguarded by themselves so that the fruits of their efforts and the wealth derived from their
God-given resources shall accrue to them and thus enable all of our people to rise above poverty
and march on to prosperity, contentment and dignity.”
As such, nationalism is defensive and protective. The nationalists believe that the resources of
our country should be for the benefit of our people today and in the future.
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JOURNALS/ BOOKS/ ARTICLES

Craig, Austin. Lineage, Life and Labors of José Rizal, Philippine Patriot. University of
Michigan. March 13, 2007
De Viana, Augusto V. et.al. Jose Rizal: Social Reformer and Patriot. Rex Bookstore, 2018.
Legarda, Benito J. Jr. The economic background of Rizal’s time. The Philippine Review of
Economics. Vol. XLVIII No. 2 December 2011 pp. 1-22.
Mojares, Resil B. Jose Rizal and the Invention of National Literature. Universidad de San
Carlos, Cebú, Filipinas
Marco, Jaime et. al. Rizal’s Madrid. April 7, 2018.
Morris, John D. Jose Rizal and The Challenge of Philippine Independence. The Schiller Institute,
Washington DC
Ocampo, Ambeth R. Rizal’s Morga and the Views of Philippine History.Ateneo de Manila
University. Philippine Studies vol. 46, no. 2 (1998): 184–214. June 27, 2008
Osias, Camilo. Rizal and Education. FROM THE LIBRARY OF JOSEPH RALSTON
HAYDEN 1887-1945 UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN . 1930-1931
Schumacher JN. The Burgos Mnifesto: The Authentic Text and its Genuine Author. Philippine
Studies. Vol.  54, No. 2, Burgos Manifiesto (2006), pp. 153-304. Published by: Ateneo de
Manila University
Setsuho, Ikehata. JOSÉ RIZAL: THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE NATIONAL VIEW OF
HISTORY AND NATIONAL CONSCIOUSNESS IN THE PHILIPPINES. June 1968
Teodoro, Noel V. Rizal and the ilustrados in Spain. University of the Philippines. Asian and
Pacific Migration Journal, Vol. 8, Nos. 1-2, 1999
Zaide, Gregorio F. Zaide, Sonia M. Jose Rizal: Life, Works, and Writings. Second Edition.
Quezon City