Review of The Drama of Dictatorship: Martial Law and the Communist Parties of the Philippines

Rommel A. Curaming
Universiti Brunei Darussalam
[email protected]

2023: 133—138

Book Review

The book, Drama of Dictatorship: Martial Law and the Communist Parties of the Philippines, is a decisive and timely intervention in the still-ongoing, fiery debates. In my view, it is an exemplar of a nuanced and meticulous approach to the history of the Marcos era, which is a rarity in the scholarship on this period. Rather than the one-dimensional, black-or-white teleology of good and evil that is common in the Marcos era historiography, each chapter pulsates with the complexity and dynamism of a compelling historical account. This does not mean that the book will have the final word, as several of its claims and conclusions are likely to be debated for years to come. Nonetheless, this book forces proponents of both the Golden and the Dark Age narratives to reconsider their beliefs. They will find it challenging to uphold the simplistic, highly selective, and moralistic character of such narratives.

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Curaming, Rommel A. 2023. Review of The Drama of Dictatorship: Martial Law and the Communist Parties of the Philippines” by Joseph Scalice. Philippine Journal of Public Policy: Interdisciplinary Development Perspectives 2023: 133—138. https://cids.up.edu.ph/drama-dictatorship-martial-law-communist-parties-of-the-philippines-joseph-scalice-review/

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