Mindanao: Land of Unfulfilled Promise

The name Mindanao evokes a wealth of images. Some are complementary, others paradoxical. Some are based on scholarship and personal experience, others reflect fear and ignorance, perhaps even puzzlement. They jostle for acceptance and play a large part in shaping the meanings and interpretations we place on the history and contemporary reality of Mindanao. They can both enlighten our perceptions and confirm our prejudice. -- from the Introduction