Mary Ann M Arnado

Casualties of Globalization: Natural Resources, Violent Conflict and Displacement in Mindanao, Philippines Mary Ann M Arnado

Mindanao has been a site of Bangsamoro people's anti-colonial struggle since the Spanish colonization in the 16th century. In this monograph, Janet and Mary Ann Arnado examine the continuing violent conflict in Mindanao within the framework of global competition for natural resources, and investigate the impact of this conflict on the internally displaced population. By doing so, they introduce another lens in understanding the Mindanao conflict, from the oft-repeated historical and political aspects to the grand economic interests. Involving interviews and focus group discussions with over a hundred stakeholders, Arnado and Arnado focus their analysis on the 2003 war between government forces and Bangsamoro fighters along the mineral-rich Ligawasan Marsh in central Mindanao. Casualties of Globalization caters well to scholars and students in the social sciences, particularly in political science and sociology. It is useful to policy makers and leaders in addressing the issue of peace and development in Mindanao, and is equally valuable for civil society and grassroots leaders in responding to their ironically dismal situation in the Ligawasan marsh.