Separation of Church from State? Secular Somatechnologies of Governmentality and Pedagogy

This paper examines how two secular nation-states, such as Australia and the Philippines, connect through their shared practice of secularism as Christianity. Through this, the paper argues that secularism in these contexts enables a Christian framework in which ‘mainstreaming’ Muslims becomes a paramount technique in fostering bilateral relations and (trans)national security. In focus is the Basic Education Assistance for Mindanao project, which Australia and the Philippines have established as a pedagogical tool for including Muslim-Filipinos within ‘secular’ society.