Colonial Mentality and Pilipinx Americans

• In Event: What Does Decolonizing Education Look Like in Asian American Spaces?

Abstract

The colonial psychological experiences of APIA, and more specifically Pilipinx Americans, have gone largely ignored despite their recent histories of colonization (David, 2013; David & Okazaki, 2006a, 2006b). The work of distinguished postcolonial scholars like Fanon (1965), Memmi (1965), and Freire (1970) contend that there are three types of effects of colonialism on the colonized. The inhumane treatment and subjugation over a significant amount of time result in 1) accepting and internalizing the inferiority that has been imposed by the colonizer, 2) developing an intense desire to shed their own culture and heritage and the urge to emulate the colonizers, and 3) rationalizing the oppression as necessary while feeling gratitude toward their oppressors. Having explored the history of the Philippines through the lens of colonialism, it can be understood how centuries of oppression have shaped the lived experiences Pilipinx and Pilipinx Americans to produce a colonial mentality.
Pilipinx American scholars in related fields like history and psychology have identified colonial mentality as a defining factor of the Pilipinx American experience (Andersen, 2013; David 2013; Lott, 1976; Strobel, 2001). Although internalized oppression is the term that is often used in literature, colonial mentality is the term used in scholarship that is focused on Pilipinxs and Pilipinx Americans because it has become more visible and familiar in the community (David, 2013; David & Okazaki, 2006a; Root, 1997). Colonialism and the resulting cultural imposition and disintegration have contributed to the Pilipinx identity crisis (Cordova, 1983). Further, Pilipinx history is absent from history books and curricula, and when it is present, it is often presented in an inferiorizing and U.S. or Euro-centric manner, which also contributes to the community’s identity crisis, convincing Pilipinx Americans that their culture is inauthentic and not worthy of pride. Without any significant visibility or opportunities to learn their histories, many Pilipinx Americans unknowingly live with a colonial mentality (David, 2008; David, 2013; David & Okazaki, 2006b; Strobel, 200).
Scholars David and Okazaki (2006b) developed the Colonial Mentality Scale (CMS) as a theoretical way to measure and study colonial mentality among Pilipinx Americans. Prior to the creation of the scale, there had been no systematic investigation of colonial mentality and its potential connection to the psychological experiences of Pilipinx Americans, and more specifically, their mental health. The CMS is comprised of 36 different items that are believed to be common manifestations of colonial mentality among Pilipinx Americans. Emerging from a study using data from over 600 surveys were five different subscales or types of manifestations which were divided into two categories -- covert and overt manifestations. The covert manifestations include the 1) internalized inferiority or deficit perceptions of being Pilipinx and 2) cultural shame and embarrassment. The overt manifestations that emerged were 1) deficit perceptions of physical characteristics, 2) within-group discrimination of other Pilipinxs, and 3) colonial debt or the tolerance of oppression.

Author

• Kristine Din, University of Massachusetts Boston