Abstract

This article examines issues related to cross-cultural encounters through the presentation of Filipino folk culture at the 1998 Smithsonian Folklife Festival (SFF). Embedded in the project were issues of power—historical and current, actual and virtual—related to the differing U.S. relationships with the Philippines. I suggest ways in which Philippine values and modes of thinking determined or at least influenced the inception and reception of events, constructed communication, and informed Filipino intent in this particular presentation across cultures. I consider modes of complicity and responsibility that referenced Filipino and American experiences throughout the project.

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