The Philippine International Studies Organization (PHISO) is the pioneering professional organization dedicated to the promotion of International Relations (IR) as a field of study in the Philippines, as well as interdisciplinary exchange of research and knowledge through workshops, conferences and collaborative publication projects aimed at furthering understanding about the concept of the ‘international’.
The mission and vision of PHISO encompasses goals for research and education. Firstly, besides providing a venue for the discussion of dominant approaches to IR such as realism, liberalism and constructivism, PHISO seeks to develop interest and scholarship in Global International Relations through the study of theories, scholars and sources of knowledge from the Global South, particularly the Philippines. This may include relational theory, contrapuntal reading, decoloniality, civilizational encounters in a multiplex world, and the incorporation of IR texts that express the realities of one’s culture and experiences.
Secondly, PHISO endeavors to foster relations and knowledge-sharing with educational institutions, scholars, practitioners and students in order to strengthen ties between the academe and the public, as well as create a broad base of interest in the field. Lastly, PHISO serves as a platform for critical engagement with the theoretical diversity of IR, from the rich corpus of Euro-American scholarship that has historically characterized the discipline and emerging scholarship critical of the limitations of this legacy.
