مقاله سال ۲۰۱۶

The history of the Philippines is one of colonial struggle. It is no wonder that the indelible marks of three and a half centuries of Spanish colonization followed by five decades of American occupation are still intensely palpable in every aspect of Philippine society. The aftermath of centuries of domination is no more pronounced than in the education of its citizens. This paper argues that the colonial influences that shaped Philippine public relations continue to constrain the further development of public relations education in the country.

There are only a few published studies on Philippine public relations. Of the sparse scholarly literature, Philippine PR education is given but a brief, cursory attention (e.g. Jamias & Tuazon, 1996; Sarabia-Panol, 2000; Sison et al., 2011; Sison & Sarabia-Panol, 2014). By focusing entirely on the topic, this study is an attempt to ameliorate the dearth of research on PR education in the country. As a modest initial endeavor, this paper will trace the evolution of Philippine PR education, examine its influences and critically evaluate the content and status of the PR curriculum using a postcolonial lens. It has been claimed that postcolonial perspectives reveal the colonialist and imperialist legacies that have shaped contemporary culture and discourse. Postcolonial theory, according to Dutta and Pal (2011, p. 196) “examines the symbolic representations and material relationships that underlie processes of colonization. . .that challenge the systematic erasures of the narratives of oppression and exploitation.” Moreover, a postcolonial approach “involves a studied engagement with the experience of colonialism and its past and present effects, both at the local level of ex-colonial societies, as well as at the level of more general global developments” (Quayson, 2000; p. 2). Thus, a postcolonial lens provides a useful framework to investigate the impact of Philippine and PR history on contemporary PR education.