| Abstract [eng] |
This master‘s thesis analyzes how the historically and culturally implemented haligi ng tahanan (pillar of the home) is reconstructing against the backdrop of contemporary transnational labor mobility. In the culture of the Philippines, the family structure traditionally revolves around the father, whose role is best represented by architectural metaphor, inspired by the physical design of the traditional Philippine house known as the Bahay kubo. This model, however, was never immutable, it was continually reshaped by different colonization periods, transforming “pillar of the home” into the emotionally detached, controlling and stoic authority figure. In the contemporary era, transnational labor migration has emerged as the main force, stimulating migrant fathers to re-evaluate, negotiate and reconstruct historically constructed standards. Integrating Western gender theories with indigenous Philippine psychology (Sikolohiyang Pilipino), acknowledging the main filipino values hiya (shame), kapwa (shared identity), pagtitiis (endurance) and utang la loob (debt of gratitude), the study utilizes a qualitative analysis of three father-son dyads. The findings reveal that migrant fathers seek to transcend the traditional inflexibility, however some of them still tend to „cite“ the traditional ideology. Finally, the analysis shows the generational perspective on the future tendencies, revealing that while sons plan to take over the economic responsibility inherent to the “pillar”, they seek to resignify emotional stoicism, move away from authoritarian control and to foster an alternative haligi ng tahanan model for the future generations. |
