Scandal as Constructivation: Trust Cultures and the Politics of Legitimacy in Southeast Asia

Abstract

This article theorizes political scandal in Southeast Asia as a performative and culturally embedded process rather than simple exposure of wrongdoing. Using the Dengvaxia vaccine controversy in the Philippines as a generative case, it introduces the concept of trust cultures: historically grounded and affectively charged frameworks through which publics evaluate credibility, sincerity, and moral authority. The analysis identifies three competing trust cultures—parental, technocratic, and journalistic—and examines how they interact through affective resonance, moral legibility, and narrative fit. These dynamics demonstrate that scandal is not merely revealed but performed, as competing actors stage claims to truth and legitimacy in ways that compel public interpretation. Extending beyond the Philippine case, the article proposes a Southeast Asian grammar of scandal marked by fragmented authority, affectively mobilized publics, and hybrid media environments. In doing so, it challenges liberal-democratic models and foregrounds cultural-political performance in understanding trust, legitimacy, and media power in the Global South.