Paul A. Kramer (1) (1968–)

Kramer looks at racial formulations and imperialism as the United States established the Philippines as a colony. He tries to demonstrate the relationship was transformative for both sides. The United States struggled to come to terms with being an imperial power and adapted racial formations from the United States to fit Filipino ethnic identities. After waging a race war to gain control of the island, the United States sought to co-opt Christian Filipino elites by categorizing them as superior to non-Christians. This racial formulation allowed American administrators to maintain their rhetoric of self-government. Christians were more “civilized” and were therefore fit to govern over the non-Christians.
Although this formulation worked for governing the Philippines, it could not be extended back to the United States. Nativist trends in American culture made no distinction between “civilized” and “non-civilized” Filipinos. At the 1904 St. Louis World’s Fair American presentations of the Philippines were offensive to visiting Filipinos. In a similar vein, nativist politicians wanted to limit the amount of Filipino access to travel to America. Ultimately, it was this racism that led the United States to relinquish its control of the Philippines.
Blood of Government is an amazing piece of work. Kramer provides a staggeringly in depth look at both Filipino and American sources. Despite this, his book seems to promise more than it delivers. Kramer’s introduction suggests a paradigm-shifting argument, but most of his work provides a very detailed documentation of ideas that are generally accepted. The U.S. struggle between its stated ideals of self-determination and its role as an imperial power is one of the most examined issues of U.S. foreign relations. Kramer provides some specific insight into the interplay between racism and U.S. empire, but it is significantly less than he claims.
Besides Kramer’s insights into US imperialism, his book is important because of its methodology. Some historians have suggested that historians of U.S. foreign relations should become experts not only in the United States, but also in the region(s) that they are studying. Kramer’s knowledge of the Philippines sets a very high… (meer)