TRESE as Philosophy: Living Among the Creatures of the Night is a groundbreaking work and the inaugural volume of our new series, Pinoy Pop Culture as Philosophy — the first of its kind in the Philippines to apply the “as philosophy” approach to local works of popular culture. In his book, fans and thinkers of this beloved komiks series explore the dark and thrilling TRESE universe, uncovering fresh insights into its themes, characters, and cultural significance.
Some of its chapters include:
- Alexandra Trese as the Modern Filipina: Analyzing Female Agency in Trese
- The Diabolical Pact: The Agreements as Social Contract for Intergenerational Justice
- Embrace of the Tiyanak: An Allegory for the Superego
- Supernatural Elites and Human Oligarchs: Trese as a Necessary Fiction
"Reading the chapters written for this book, I am in awe of what they have uncovered. When Kajo and I created the first thirteen cases of TRESE, we worked on them on a case-by-case, month-by-month basis. And somehow, in the telling of these tales, a pattern started to emerge, a pattern that was discovered by these philosophers/detectives who have read and reviewed TRESE from their point of view. Their chapters now shed light on our mysteries and reveal their underlying messages.” — Budjette Tan, co-creator of TRESE (from his foreword)
Pinoy Pop Culture as Philosophy aims to make philosophy more accessible by exploring philosophical themes in Filipino popular culture. It supports the claim that numerous works in Filipino popular culture are philosophical and, thus, worthy of philosophical investigation. In this perspective, creators are "not only inspired by philosophy, or use ideas they learned in philosophy class, but they can convey philosophical points, raise philosophical questions, and even make philosophical arguments [thus] the works they produce can be philosophy, and as a result are worth philosophical examination," as noted in The Palgrave Handbook of Popular Culture as Philosophy (edited by David Kyle Johnson, 2023, xiii).
TRESE as Philosophy is edited by Leander Penaso Marquez. The contributors include: Alexander Atrio L. Lopez, Beaujorne Sirad Ramirez, Justin Felip D. Daduya, Concordia Marie A. Lagasca-Hiloma, Khent Bryll M. Jarales, Dan Ian Niño B. Jaducana, Carl Jayson D. Hernandez, Christine Carmela R. Ramos, Jairus Diesta Espiritu, and Ralph Jason V. Abad