Author Description

This study departs from conventional demographic analysis and examines urbanization in the Manila hinteland of Cavite from a political economic perspective. Tracing the emergence of friar estates in the early Spanish colonial period to the intorduction of industrial estates in the Marcos era, the book demonstrates how the incorporation of Manila into the world economy and successive roles it played in capital accumulation have had profound effects on land use, land tenure, and class realtions in Cavite province. Moving from the social history of the entire province to the more recent experiences of families and communities in the municipalities of General Trias and Dasmarinas, the book considers a wide range of apparently unconnected processes of appropriating wealth as interrelated and of consequence. Since the 1970s local communities in Cavite have become more integrated into the world economy. In large measure the actions of international bankers, capitalists, and state governments have fostered this development leading to profound changes in the lives of ordinary people. But as households and families struggle to survive through numberous and creative strategies their individual activities coalesce into broader social movements which in turn affect the global accumulation of capital, the enforcement of state policies, and the quality of urban life.