Buhay sa Pabahay: Social Exclusion and Human Agency in Development-Induced Displacement and Resettlement
Date of Award
5-1-2023
Document Type
Thesis
Degree Name
Master of Science in Social Development
First Advisor
Melissa Q. Navarra, PhD
Abstract
Existing development-induced displacement and resettlement studies amplify the impoverishing life in housing sites, characterizing it with the destruction of social life, economic disarticulation, and marginalization. Thus, life in development-induced resettlements is deemed inconducive to living and its relocatees are “victims of displacement.”
Through an ethnographic stance, this research surveyed life in a resettlement site in Bulacan and examined how the relocatees exercise their agency in addressing the challenges of their day-to-day life to improve their well-being. It was found that there was an improvement in the lives of the resettled compared with the pre-displacement phase despite the challenges presented in the housing site. The present living conditions were considered better given that their houses are bigger and safer, and access to utilities is easier as compared with their previous residence. Housing problems are perceived as a part of life rather than a shortcoming of its stakeholders. The findings also indicate that individual and collective agencies are being utilized due to personal aspirations. Social capital, skills, and past experiences are tools to advance agency. Relocatees are fueled to work on their own to provide a better quality of life for themselves and their families. They strive with the idea that a comfortable life is attainable with hard work and though external assistance (e.g. government aid) is helpful, it is not something that should be relied on. This study introduces a different perspective of looking into displacement, recognizing the agentic capabilities of individuals in shaping their lives, as well as the limitations that hinder agency.
Keywords: development-induced displacement and resettlement, social exclusion, human agency, well-being
Recommended Citation
Mercado, Pauline S., (2023). Buhay sa Pabahay: Social Exclusion and Human Agency in Development-Induced Displacement and Resettlement. Archīum.ATENEO.
https://archium.ateneo.edu/theses-dissertations/681