Aletheia Publishing is thrilled to unveil its upcoming title:
As the inaugural volume in our new series, PINOY POP CULTURE AS PHILOSOPHY, a spin-off series under Aletheia Philosophy Series, this project aims to bring philosophy closer to Filipino audiences by exploring beloved local works. We’re inviting fans and thinkers alike to dive into the celebrated komik series TRESE, created by Budjette Tan and Kajo Baldisimo, and to share fresh philosophical insights. Chapter proposals are welcome from anyone excited to contribute to this fascinating intersection of pop culture and philosophy.
The series aims to make philosophy more accessible to people by philosophizing about Filipino popular culture. It supports the claim that numerous works in Filipino popular culture are philosophical and, thus, worthy of philosophical investigation. Following the "as philosophy" approach, it treats popular culture as works of philosophy. 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 t.. [thus] the works they produce can be philosophy, and as a result are worth philosophical examination" (Johnson, 2023, xiii). Further, this series seeks to make philosophy understandable, relatable, and enjoyable to Filipino readers. Thus, chapter contributions should be written in a way that can be engaged by both beginners and experts in philosophy. They must not be written like research papers.
The first volume in the series will be on the highly-acclaimed komik series, TRESE (Budjette Tan & Kajo Baldisimo, 2005ff). This volume will be published in mid-2025, in time for the 20th anniversary of the publication of its first issue. We invite chapter proposals from anyone who would like to unearth the philosophical ideas, questions and arguments underlying Trese.
Possible themes and topics may include, but are not limited to:
Humans and Aswang: What Face Does Evil Have?
The World of Trese: The Fiction, The Folklore, The Reality
"Tabi-tabi Po": Respect as a Virtuous Approach to the Metaphysical and Supernatural
The Races of Trese: Community amidst Interculturality
Alexandra Trese: Is she the Modern Filipina?
The Pinoy Popular Culture as Philosophy Series will be edited by Leander Penaso Marquez. He is a faculty member of the University of the Philippines - Diliman and has authored / co-authored several articles on pop culture and philosophy. His works have been included in the volumes The Palgrave Handbook of Popular Culture as Philosophy (published by Springer Nature) and Black Mirror and Philosophy: Dark Reflections (published by Wiley).
You may send inquiries and submissions to: ppopxphilosophy@gmail.com
SUBMISSION GUIDELINES:
1.) Proposal
a. Working title following the format: (Title: Subtitle)
b. Abstract (250-350 words)
c. Keywords (5 max.)
2.) Bionote
a. Institutional affiliation
b. Contact information (email)
c. Brief bio (200 words max)
3.) Deadline
a. Abstracts (16 December 2024)
b. First draft of accepted proposals (15 March 2025)
c. Send inquiries or submissions to: ppopxphilosophy@gmail.com
Special thanks to: Avenida Books, Budjette Tan and Kajo Baldisimo for the use of the Trese logo.