An article by UW Historian Vicente Rafael on the Necro- and Narco-Politics of Philippines President Rodrigo Duterte was published in the latest edition of the Journal of Asian Studies. Rafael’s article explores the origins of Duterte’s powers as an authoritarian figure and how death dominates his governing style while he also attempts to monopolize laughter, drawing from the works of Michel Foucault and Achille Mbembe. Rafael further draws a comparison between Duterte’s style of governance and Donald Trump’s, which also relies on “tricksterism” to gain and dominate attention.
The complete article can be downloaded below: