Darlene Demandante

This paper challengesconventional understandings of political subjectivity by examining dead bodies produced through violent state policies rooted in colonial histories, with particular attention to the drug war. It opens critical conversations about the intersections of violence, colonialism and political agency, which remain underexplored in mainstream political theory. I substantiate my argument on the subjectivity of dead bodies by using Rancière's notion of political subjectivity and, at the same time, go beyond Rancière by claiming that his notion of political subjectivity highlights the role of bodies in politics, but the way that he does so is dismissive of the effects of colonial violence on specific subjects. By engaging with Rancière's influential concept of political subjectivity while exposing its limitations in accounting for colonial violence, the paper contributes to both expanding and decolonising political theory.

_This paper argues that a strong work ethic can be derived from Filipino indigenous concepts such as Kapwâ (fellow being) and Loób (the core of a person)—two foundational sources of many values central to Filipino culture, which shape the understanding of work and workplace behavior of those who associate with this culture. This work ethic provides a non-western framework of relationality, expanding an understanding of work from outside Anglophone academia. The analysis draws on diverse literature from organizational psychology, philosophy, and ethnographic studies of Filipino workers, including those focused on migrant workers. On this basis, it shows how a specific, relational work ethic can be derived from Kapwâ, Loób and some values that emanate from these concepts, reflecting on its positive contributions as a potent source of resistance against exploitation, but also on the risk of perpetuating vulnerabilities and facilitating abuse._.