Aswang Revivals: Typologies of Shapeshifting, Gender, and Contamination in 21st Century Philippine Fiction
Date of Award
5-1-2023
Document Type
Dissertation
Degree Name
Doctor of Philosophy in English Language and Literature
First Advisor
Charlie S. Veric, PhD
Abstract
This dissertation explores and tracks the patterns, changes, and revival of the aswang typologies that recur in fifteen 21st century short stories to reveal their meanings in the context of 21st century social reality. Aimee Meredith Cox’s theory of shapeshifting and choreography of citizenship, Uri McMillan’s notion of avatars and multiplicitous selves and performance of objecthood, and Silvia Federici’s theory of capitalism and gender politics provide the theoretical bases for theorizing the revival of female aswang. Specifically, this dissertation ponders the recurring typologies in the stories which include the shapeshifting aswang, the gendered aswang, and the contaminating aswang. The matrices that present the recurring tropes, patterns of traits, appearances, beliefs, and thematic meanings constitute what I call the aswang bodyscape. Guided by the frame of interdisciplinarity, I argue that this aswang bodyscape describes the dimension of gender identity construction and literary representation of aswang in contemporary fiction.
Recommended Citation
Illana, Mary Ann A., (2023). Aswang Revivals: Typologies of Shapeshifting, Gender, and Contamination in 21st Century Philippine Fiction. Archīum.ATENEO.
https://archium.ateneo.edu/theses-dissertations/954
