Abstract:
A need for workers posed a dilemma for the new U.S. administration in the Philippines anxious to demonstrate its progressive intentions and distance itself from the compulsion that had characterized public works during the previous regime. Instead, it turned to the market to find both an ideologically acceptable and a practically realizable solution. Commencing with an investigation of extrafamilial work relations during the Spanish period, this article traces the nature and extent of the labor shortage at the turn of the twentieth century. It then discusses the important role of unions before evaluating government policy in the light of subsequent events. In one sense, the American Philippines was the first truly modern state in Southeast Asia, infused by the logic of capitalism and informed by market mechanisms.
Description:
An open access copy of this article is available and complies with the copyright holder/publisher conditions. Published as Pacific Historical Review
74 (1), 59-86. (2005). by University of California Press. Copying and permissions notice: Authorization to copy this content beyond fair use (as specified in Sections 107 and 108 of the U. S. Copyright Law) for internal or personal use, or the internal or personal use of specific clients, is granted by [the Regents of the University of California/on behalf of the Sponsoring Society] for libraries and other users, provided that they are registered with and pay the specified fee via Rightslink® on [Caliber (http://caliber.ucpress.net/)] or directly with the Copyright Clearance Center, http://www.copyright.com
