Abstract

This essay explores the social and cultural context behind the production and consumption of “Igorotak” (I am an Igorot) t-shirts in the Cordillera, northern Philippines, drawing on the works of Stuart Hall and Manuel Castells for its theoretical orientation. Textual analysis and sociological-ethnographic inquiries were conducted. Findings suggest that this latest ‘fashion’ of asserting Igorotness came from the renewed desire of Igorot people today, particularly young, urban, middle class Igorots, who have migrated out of their hometowns, to identify themselves as originating from one location—the ili (hometown). Advancements in clothing, information, and communications technology have subsequently allowed enterprising community members to fulfill and extend this desire by designing a practical creation that is easily marketed through translocal social networks. These historical ‘moments’ have, it is argued, allowed the t-shirt to become a symbol of post-resistance Igorotness, one that aims to organize itself beyond resisting actual and perceived forms of oppression, toward the potential articulation of the postmodern aspirations of the diasporic Igorot community.