UAA psychology professor E.J. David explores Filipino-American 'colonial mentality' in his new book

There are over 92 million Filipinos in the Philippines, where the legacies of Western colonialism continue to exist and propagate the message that anything Filipino is inferior to anything American or Western. Therefore many Filipinos dream of immigrating to various Western countries--mostly to the United States. Today, Filipinos have the second highest yearly immigration rate into the United States and compose the second largest immigrant group in the country. Filipinos in America also number over 3 million, making them the second largest Asian American Pacific Islander (AAPI) ethnic group in the country, and they are projected to be the largest AAPI groups when the results of the 2010 census come out. Not surprisingly, there has been increased attention on the experiences of Filipinos and Filipino Americans as minorities and immigrants, as well as toward better understanding their identity, cultural values and mental health.

However, given the conditions of postcolonial Philippines and the contemporary experiences of oppression by Filipinos in America, one cannot completely and accurately understand the minority, immigrant and psychological experiences of this group outside the context of colonialism and contemporary oppression.

In UAA psychology professor E.J. David's newly released book, "Filipino -/ American Postcolonial Psychology: Oppression, Colonial Mentality, and Decolonization," he focuses on the psychological effects of historical colonialism and contemporary oppression among Filipinos and Filipino Americans. It takes the reader from indigenous Tao culture, Spanish and American colonialism, colonial mentality or internalized oppression along with its implications on Kapwa, identity and mental health, to decolonization in the clinical, community and research settings.

For more information about David's book and research, call (907) 786-6778 or www.colonialmentality.com.