Kapwa as a Decolonial Lens in Culturally Sustaining Pedagogy

• In Event: Pakikipag-Kapwa: Filipino Indigenous Ways of Knowing for Decolonial Studies in Filipino-American Educational Research

Abstract

Purpose. This presentation introduces the audience to the theoretical underpinnings of Kapwa (Enriquez, 1994). This construct reclaims and centers Kapwa as a culturally rooted and legitimate epistemological foundation for educational research and decolonial theory building. The presentation aims to demonstrate how Pakikipagkwentuhan (De Vera, 1995), as a research methodology, emerges from and affirms Kapwa—foregrounding relationality, reciprocity, and collective meaning-making. It challenges dominant Western paradigms that isolate the researcher from the researched, and instead advances a participatory, community-embedded mode of inquiry reflective of
Filipino world views.

Theoretical Framework. As a decolonizing methodology and relational ontologies, Kapwa is positioned within broader movements to center Indigenous epistemologies in decolonial education research (Kovach, 2021; Patel, 2016; Sefa Dei & Lordan, 2016; Tuhiwai Smith et al., 2019). Kapwa, a psycho-social construct, highlights collective selfhood, shared humanity, and relational knowledge construction. As a methodological framework, it is connected to pakikipagkwentuhan, which centers on participatory and community-based research approaches. Pakikipagkwentuhan is grounded in mutual care and respect, where participants and researchers are thoughtful about asking questions and sharing ideas. Its informal nature allows for a deeper emotional connection and expression; at times, it serves as a validation of the insights shared (Orteza, 1997).

Modes of Inquiry. This theoretical analysis is grounded in traditional Filipino concepts of pakikibaka (resistance), katarungan (justice), and pakikipagkwentuhan (relational storytelling). By situating Indigenous concepts within the broader discourse of decolonizing methodology, this work offers a transformative mode of inquiry that challenges Western research paradigms and affirms knowledge production rooted in collective, community-based, and justice-oriented practices when working with Filipinos and Filipino Americans.

Sources and Evidence. This presentation draws on a robust and evolving body of literature that situates Sikolohiyang Pilipino as a decolonizing and culturally grounded framework for research and pedagogy. Foundational texts by Virgilio Enriquez serve as the theoretical cornerstone that challenges dominant Western epistemologies. Contemporary studies on kapwa were synthesized. The results of this theoretical analysis engage with traditional Filipino stories, oral traditions, and cultural practices. Additionally, ethnographic studies of Filipino relational life provide empirical grounding for how Kapwa operates in everyday contexts.

Substantiated Conclusions. Empirical studies affirm that Kapwa promotes pro-social behaviors (pakikipagkapwa) and active participation (pakikilahok), fostering mutual recognition and shared identity. Concepts expressed through Indigenous terms—such as pakikiramdam (empathic sensing), pakikibaka (cooperative resistance), and patanong-tanong (indirect inquiry)—are not just linguistic expressions but essential social processes that guide respectful engagement and deep understanding of others. Within this framework, Pakikipagkwentuhan emerges as a culturally legitimate research methodology that prioritizes storytelling, relationship-building, and collective meaning-making. Kapwa reframes the research relationship from ibang-tao (outsider) to hindi-ibang-tao (one of us), dismantling extractive hierarchies and creating ethical imperatives for reciprocity, shared learning, and community benefit.

Scholarly Significance. This theoretical analysis explores Kapwa as a lens for decolonial pedagogy—an angle that has not yet been fully developed in existing literature in education. This work contributes essential theoretical foundations for understanding Filipino indigenous research methodologies, filling gaps in scholarly literature that has largely focused on other Indigenous traditions (e.g., conscientiaçao, pláticas, ubuntu, sankofa).

Author

• Eric Claravall, California State University - Sacramento