Rappler columnist receives NBDB grant for guide on womanhood, religion, sexuality

The guide undertaking, ‘The Different Mary: Womanhood, Religion, Sexuality. Survival,’ is a group of narrative nonfiction portraits drawn from the physique of investigative work by ‘Intercourse and Sensibility’ columnist Ana Santos

The Nationwide E-book Growth Board (NBDB) awarded Rappler columnist and investigative journalist Ana P. Santos a grant for her forthcoming guide, The Different Mary: Womanhood, Religion, Sexuality. Survival.

The guide’s title comes from a examine Santos learn whereas she was a pupil on the London College of Economics and Political Science, the place she studied Gender (Sexuality) as a Chevening Scholar. “The analysis was about how within the Philippines, ladies are labeled as both being just like the Virgin Mary or the different Mary.”

The phrase captured a well-recognized however till just lately, hardly ever questioned expectations imposed on Filipino ladies to be pure, maternal, and self-sacrificing just like the Virgin Mary. Ladies who’re perceived to defy these expectations, particularly relating to their romantic and sexual lives, are forged as “the opposite Mary,” a label steeped in ethical judgment.

“Within the Philippines, the picture of Mom Mary is in every single place, shaping expectations of what a ‘good girl’ needs to be. However actual life isn’t that divine or that easy,” stated Santos.

This stress sits on the coronary heart of Santos’ guide, which brings collectively years of her immersive reporting on ladies navigating religion, sexuality, migration, and survival in deeply unequal programs.

The Different Mary

The Different Mary is a group of narrative nonfiction portraits drawn from Santos’ physique of investigative work. The narratives problem slim portrayals of Filipino ladies formed by the lingering legacies of colonial rule and the capitalist calls for of the worldwide care financial system, the place Filipino ladies are overrepresented as nannies, caregivers, and nurses. On the floor degree, these forces flatten the lives of Filipino ladies into stereotypes as maids, martyrs, or ethical warnings.

As an alternative, Santos facilities ladies as brokers of their very own lives.

The guide is split into three components, mirroring the construction of the Holy Trinity. The Migrant Moms focuses on ladies compelled to go away their households to work overseas and divulges how migration, love, and motherhood intersect in morally complicated methods. The Rebels is about ladies who had been subjected to vicious public shaming due to who and the way they selected to like. The ultimate part, Ladies of Negotiable Affection, seems to be at ladies whose labor entails promoting and performing intimacy.  

Throughout all three sections, Santos blends reportage with reflection, revisiting previous interviews with deeper consideration to the emotional and ethical terrain her topics inhabit. Quite a lot of the tales are primarily based on the varied cross-border investigations Santos wrote about feminine migrant labor in Europe and the Center East, which had been supported by the Pulitzer Heart.  

Moreover, Santos writes “Sprint of SAS (Intercourse and Sensibilities),” Rappler’s long-running gender and sexuality column, which has expanded right into a video sequence about optimistic sexuality as explored by the Filipino lens of tradition and spirituality.

Supporting Filipino literary voices

Santos’ guide is one among 20 titles chosen for the NBDB Publication Grant Program, which obtained 238 purposes nationwide. Based on the NBDB, the choice course of concerned eligibility screening, genre-based analysis by literature and publishing consultants, and last deliberations to establish publish-worthy fiction and nonfiction works.

Established beneath Republic Act 8047, the NBDB is remitted to develop and promote the Philippine guide publishing trade. The Publication Grant gives monetary help for key manufacturing prices akin to modifying, design, structure, and printing, serving to convey accomplished Filipino manuscripts to readers.

This yr’s grantees signify a variety of genres and voices from throughout the nation, reflecting the NBDB’s dedication to supporting numerous and regionally grounded tales. – Rappler.com