CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY- Xavier University-Ateneo de Cagayan (Xavier Ateneo) recently convened the 1 st Regional Conference on Ethical Criticism of Mindanao Literature on November 15-16, 2024 at the Little Theater of Xavier Ateneo — the first of its kind in the Philippines.
Hosted by the Department of English Language & Literature (DELL) headed by Dr. Ferdinand Cantular , through the endorsement of Dr. Maria Luisa Reyes , Panel head of the Commission on Higher Education (CHED) Center of Development (COD) Panel Head, UST Scholar in Residence and UST’s UNITAS Chief Editor, the conference convened well-respected proponents of Ethical Criticism, paper presenters, literature teachers from high school and tertiary levels, and English majors/Graduate students who engaged in critical discussions of works by Mindanaoan authors through the lens of ethics as a pedagogic, analytic, and critical tool in appreciating, understanding, and interrogating literary and cultural texts.
Reyes stressed the conference marks an important milestone in this country , as it focuses on ethical literary criticism in the classroom setting .
Tracing the evolution of ethical criticism in the Philippines in its historical context from its origins during the American colonization of Philippine education by colonial and westernized English departments, to the Commonwealth Period when its dichotomy divided Filipino writers into the Veronicans associated with Jose Garcia Villa, and members of the Philippine Writers Guild associated with Salvador P. Lopez, Reyes stressed the conference should now insist that ethical criticism is critical theory as well.
“This means that what we seek to understand is not only in the practice of this criticism alone, but in critiquing society in our literary and cultural studies. In this, the question of the aesthetics of form is intricately constitutive of the ethics of its content — if you forgive this simplistic yet familiar and certainly simply heuristic dichotomy, and dichotomizing between aesthetics and ethics,” she noted.
Reyes suggests that ethical literary criticism in the Philippines today could take off from the so-called “Rizal tradition” — where the ethical and the aesthetic hold a tension through which Philippine ethical critical tradition may emerge from the country’s cultural diversity and historical richness, a tradition shaped by the Filipinos’ history of struggles in everyday life, at home and beyond, against historical injustice, and a vision of a life of social and national freedom for all. It is hoped that from the history of their critical practice that the flame of ethical literary criticism in the Philippines might continue to burn.
Ethical Literary Criticism
“At IAELC, we have long believed that Ethical Literary Criticism has a unique position that challenges us to consider literature beyond its artistic merits and aesthetic qualities,” said Prof. Nie Zhenzhao , President of the International Association for Ethical Literary Criticism (IALC), in a taped presentation from China. “It allows us to ask more of literature, and asks us not only to reflect on what is well-crafted but also on what is just, what is humane, and what is morally essential.”
So, in Mindanao, a region with diverse histories, cultural identities, and linguistic richness, this field of inquiry takes on particular importance. Mindanao literature does more than tell stories; it carries voices that span generations, languages, and ideologies, each one contributing to a larger narrative of human experience, he noted.
In this context, we are given a unique opportunity to reflect on how these stories and historical significance navigate issues of justice, identity, and all beyond. We recognize that Mindanao literature not only represents beauty and tradition but also embodies resilience, courage, and ethical complexities that reflect the profound cultural diversity. And by critically engaging with these works, we come closer to understanding the ethical fabric of a culture that continues to evolve within a dynamic social landscape, he explained further.
Zhenzhao is Professor and Yunshan Chair of World Literature and Languages at Guangdong University of Foreign Studies. He is currently President of the IAELC, and has consistently been designated by Elsevier as a Most Cited Chinese Researcher, and in both the career-long and single-year categories of Stanford University’s World’s Top 2% Scientists List as well. He is an International Fellow of the British Academy, and a Foreign Member of the Academia Europaea , the de facto “National Academy” of the European Union.
Perspectives from the Region on the Question of Ethics & Morality in Literature
Delving into the ethical context of Mindanao Literature is quite challenging because it cannot be merely done in a generic manner, Cantular said. Mindanao, the second largest island in the country, is the most ethnically/culturally diverse. There are indigenous people native to the island apart from migrants coming from the Visayas and Luzon. Dominant religious affiliations are Christianity, Islam and Animism, the belief system of the indigenous group. With this, one would see a complex layer of moral awareness and consciousness which have direct bearing on people’s moral choice.
In addressing the questions of morality and ethics in literature, particularly from the Mindanao region, it is essential to recognize the unique socio-political, cultural, and historical contexts that shape the literary landscape. The literature of Mindanao, reflecting a rich and diverse heritage of indigenous groups, Muslim communities, and settlers, offers deep insights into the ethical questions of justice, conflict, identity, and resilience. The questions of morality and ethics in literature, when viewed from the perspectives of Mindanao, offer fertile ground for critical engagement.
Ethical criticism is a method of literary analysis that examines the moral and ethical dimensions of a work, its characters, and its themes. When applied to Mindanao literature, this approach involves not only assessing the ethical content of the texts but also considering the cultural, social, and historical context of Mindanao.
XU Center of Development
As an awardee of CHED’s COD (Center of Development) status in 2014, and the only one in Mindanao, DELL has been invested with the cloak of responsibility of taking the lead in promoting Literature as a curriculum, as academic discipline and as scholarly work, Cantular noted.
Part of its purview as COD is to set the tone or influence/shape the literature program in higher education, literary studies here in our region through literature conferences, trainings, and workshops for Region X.
“Part of our responsibility is to convene a conference like this, archiving, translation of local literatures which had been paved by the pioneering works of Fr Francisco Demetrio and Fr Miguel Bernad (who facilitated the translation to English of Subanen and Talaandig epics and published them in the Kinaadman journal), the gathering of writings from emerging authors like the TINUBDAN anthology of ArleneYandug , Elena Paulma and Lilia Cotejar , and the publication of established authors through the XU Press like the works of Anthony Tan, Ricardo de Ungria , and Paulma ,” he added.
Among the paper presenters of the conference were Prof. Carthelyn C. Adajar , PhD ; Abigail James-Botavara, Alessandro Nioda, Ma. Luisa S. Saministrado, PhD ; and April Jade Ramayan (Xavier Ateneo); Therese Abonales, Nelia Balgoa, PhD ; and Omnah Pierre P. Talle (MSU-IIT, Iligan); Adonis Hornoz (Norte Dame of Dadiangas University, General Santos); Prof. Gel Inte, PhD (USTP-Cagayan de Oro); Diandra-Ditma Macarambon (MSU-Marawi); Khyrstal Venus M. Munar (Ateneo de Zamboanga University); and Floraime Pantaleta (AdZU-Mindanao Institute).
“Holding this conference at Xavier University is significant. This venerable institution has long upheld the values of academic rigor and social responsibility, and it is fitting that we examine the ethical dimensions of literature in a place where education and community service intersect. By hosting this conference, Xavier University underscores its commitment to bridging academic excellence with ethical responsibility, making it a home for scholarship that matters not just in the classroom, but in the world beyond,” Zhanzhao said.
“I wish that in the next few months, that Xavier University may also be the hub for ethical literary criticism in Mindanao of all its shapes and stripes that could work in tandem with the IAELC. As such, we could take the lead or cooperate with national and international institutions on other related initiatives and disciplines in conducting seminars, encouraging research and scholarship, publications,” Reyes said.
As Conference Convenor, XU Press Director Dr. Arlene Yandug facilitated secretariat/ground work, with Xavier Center of Culture and the Arts under Dr. Hobart Savior, in cooperation with ELCCAP (Ethical, Literary, and Cultural Criticism of the Philippines) and IAELC.
