ABSTRACT
The objective of this chapter is to reconsider the concept of “the social” through the concrete case of Boracay Island, Philippines. This case will show two opposite dimensions of “the social” emerging during the ongoing crisis and drastic change of Boracay Island. Boracay island is one of the world’s most popular beach resorts set in a beautiful natural environment. Recently, the island has seriously confronted environmental pollution due to its rapid tourism development. Various measures are taken to prevent environmental pollution of the island. However, most of the measures cannot keep up with the rapid tourism development. Moreover, these measures have become oppressive to many actors in Boracay. In the course of such a critical situation and a drastic change of Boracay, several forms of solidarity and community emerge initiated by plural and various actors, which go across the boundary between “hosts and guests”. The emerging communities are not necessarily utopian or ideal. They are, on the one hand, perceived forms of oppression that look toward the future, and on the other, the solidarity that has arisen and that looks to the past.
