Authentic though not exotic : essays on Filipino identity / Fernando Nakpil Zialcita.

Cultural identity continues to be important within and among nations. However, many Filipinos question the "authenticity" of their identity. They are uneasy about the heavy Spanish influence that came in with colonialism. They wonder if their culture is but a mixture of conflicting traditions. Moreover, they fear that the hispanic presence seems an oddity in a Southeast Asia that defines itself as non-Western. This collection of essays offers another way to look at the encounter between the Western and the indigenous. It suggests that through a dialectical process, this encounter has generated a broader sense of community that has transcended the kin. Local genius transformed Spanish influences, even as it was itself transformed by the latter, resulting in a new culture. Finally, "Southeast Asia" is a recent construct that should be defined to reflect the diversity of cultures present in it.