Necessary Visions: Richard Sennett’s Levinasian Neighbor in Pre- and Post-War Manila

This paper examines the deterioration of Manila's urbanism by contrasting the outward orientation of its pre-war elite with the enclave urbanism of present-day Metro Manila.Drawing from Richard Sennett's concept of the Levinasian neighbor, the paper explores how everyday opportunities for exposure to the "different stranger," persons who were not just unknown but also different, were available to the pre-war elite.This developed skilled interaction, undergirding an openness toward and even delectation in public life.Literary and autobiographical evidence is drawn from Jos Rizal, Nick Joaquin, and Carmen Guerrero Nakpil.The urbicide of Manila during the Second World War not only destroyed the city's physical form but also cut short a thriving urbanism that delighted in urban complexity.We critique the metaphysical underpinnings of enclave urbanism and argue that Emmanuel Levinas' privileging of ethics over metaphysics is better for cities.