This project examines folk Catholicism and the history and practices of revolt in the Philippines. At the center of this multi-media work are the rituals of penitensya (penance) practiced during Semana Santa.

For over a century, and especially during U.S. colonial rule, Western observers of the Philippines have focused on Semana Santa rituals – especially on performances of self-flagellation – and have characterized them as irrational and barbaric expressions of misguided devotion.

But for many participants and for some historians, these religious folk practices have complex cultural and political meanings. They narrow the gap between divine time and the present, solidify a sense of social belonging, and remain part of a longstanding tradition of popular Philippine resistance to colonialism.

Through documentary photography and portraiture, this project aims to make that complexity visible by exploring self-flagellation and other Semana Santa rituals as practices of individual and collective transformation.