The Crucible of Family: An Exploration of Student Activists’ Lived Experiences of Red-tagging in the Household

Abstract

Red-tagging predates to the US colonial era in the Philippines. Under the current administration, red-tagging has intensified and continues to repress and infringe upon the rights, liberties, and security of the people, especially critiques and vocal dissenters branded as enemies of the State. This study explores the lived experiences of student activists on red-tagging committed by family and members of the household. Utilizing Althusser’s theory on Ideological State Apparatus and a new institutionalist framework, the study extends clarity on the contribution and recognition of the role of red-tagging in the household in legitimizing the dominant ideology. Focus group discussions categorized under Svensson’s four typologies of activism triangulated through key informant interviews with (1) an expert who contextualized red-tagging in the Philippines and (2) a human rights lawyer lobbying for the criminalization of red tagging are employed. Using thematic and dialogical analyses, the study will be able to identify the role of the household as an institution and an ISA, contextualize and operationalize red-tagging in the household relative to the experiences of student activists, determine its effects on student activists’ political consciousness, and ascertain its effects on the student activists’ political activism.