Abstract

Much of the knowledge anchoring political ecology continues to privilege Euro-American or Western epistemes. This article explores the opportunities and challenges of using local or indigenized scholarship to enrich political ecology in the Philippines. It analyzes a phenomenon—"utang" (credit or debt)—typically examined in political ecology through the combined lens of indigenized Philippine studies and political economy. The constructs of "hiya" (loosely translating to "shame") and "utang na loob" (loosely translating to "debt of gratitude") are employed to unpack the nuances of credit and debt as relational action, state of mind, or situation in the context of precarity and poverty in the coastal Philippines.

Keywords: debt, indigenized Philippines studies, Sikolohiyang Pilipino, Pilosopiyang Pilipino, political ecology, Philippines, indigenized Philippine studies

How to Cite:

Montefrio, M. F., (2026) “Utang: Reflections on credit and debt, indigenized scholarship, and political ecology in the Philippines”, Journal of Political Ecology 33(1): 8625. doi: https://doi.org/10.2458/jpe.8625