Constructing Modern Filipino Identity: A Cultural Thematic Analysis of Selected Short Stories from Bamboo Girls: Stories and Poems from a Forgotten Life by Ian Rosales Casocot

Abstract

Modern Filipino Identity is shaped by cultural, historical, social, and everyday experiences. This study examined the formation of modern Filipino identity through the cultural themes of five selected short stories from Ian Rosales Casocot’s Bamboo Girls: Stories and Poems from a Forgotten Life. Grounded in social constructivism and an interpretivist perspective, the study employed a qualitative literary-cultural research design. The study purposively selected and analyzed five short stories using Reflexive Thematic Analysis, following Braun and Clarke’s (2022) six phases. Five major cultural themes emerged: Family Power and Survival; Strength Through Hardship; Poverty and Resourcefulness; Politics in Everyday Life; and Memory and identity. These themes reveal that modern Filipino identity is fluid and continuously negotiated through family relationships, resilience, socioeconomic realities, political experiences, and personal and collective memories. The study concludes that contemporary Philippine short stories serve as cultural texts that document and reconstruct modern Filipino identity while providing insights into Filipino lived experiences, cultural awareness, and critical literacy.