Abstract

This article presents a redefinition of cultural literacy based on the accounts of respondents from six cultural literacy initiatives operating within Metro Manila, Philippines. It argues that the value of culture for a postcolonial society is in how it functions as a point of unity and defense of the oppressed against the colonial experience and the colonizing logic of the market. It situates culture in the context of neoliberal advancements such as the creative economy and shows the potential of having a redefined cultural literacy as a compass for new valuations of culture that balances economic instrumentalism and nation-building. Using Freire’s critical pedagogy as the basis for synthesizing the accounts of the respondents, this article provides a theoretical framework and a redefinition of cultural literacy while giving an empirical overview of the current landscape of cultural education in the Philippines.