Schedule
Nov. 28, 2024 | 10:30 AM–12:00 PM
Room
Rm 1, North Ballroom
Moderator
Aurelio S. Agcaoili, University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa
D1.1
Decolonizing Philippine Studies
Ma. Crisanta Nelmida Flores
University of the Philippines Diliman
Philippine Studies was originally conceived by Jose Rizal in his 13 April 1887 letter to Blumentritt. He shared his thoughts of wanting to become a professor and stimulate “these Philippine Studies which are like nosce te ipsum (know thyself) that gives the true concept of one’s self and drives nations to do great things.” Islas Filipinas under Spain was suffering from ignorance, slavery and brutalization of the natives. For Vivencio Jose, Rizal who was at the center of the Propaganda movement laid the theoretical imperatives and disciplinal tactics to study Philippine realities in order to change it. Organizing the Association International des Philippinistes (AIP) or the International Association of Filipinologists in 1889, Rizal drafted its constitution whose primary aim was to seriously study colonial Filipinas from a historical and scientific point of view. The first project of the AIP was to hold an international conference in France to coincide with the Paris Exhibition. The project failed but Rizal’s dream would become a reality after a century when International Conferences on Philippine Studies such as Dialogo have been gathering all the scholars and experts on the Philippines all over the world with the same decolonizing mindset.
This paper presentation traces the development of Philippine Studies from Rizal’s AIP under Spain to the Philippine Studies Program in American Universities such as in Illinois (1903), Cornell (1920s), Michigan (1930s), Chicago (1950s), etc. It also includes the history of the Philippine Studies Journal of the Ateneo de Manila (1953) and its institutional linkages with the American Universities offering Philippine Studies Programs. Charles Veric avers that “covert Cold War politics came to shape decolonizing projects in the new postcolony, a strange alchemy that came to define the rise of Philippine Studies after 1946.” This study also presents Zeus Salazar’s Pilipinolohiya which is his paradigmatic revision of Philippine Studies underscoring the local and the indigenous as a result of the Filipinization and Decolonization movements in the academe. This presentation also seeks to look into the trajectory of Philippine Studies from the national to the global in terms of academic programs, organizations and research centers, spurred by the Filipino diaspora from the 1970s.
D1.2
Araling Filipino Mula sa Sarili Tungo sa Kasarinlan
Randy T. Nobleza
Marinduque State University
Nagsimula ang Philippine Studies bilang area studies, ang mga pangunahing teksto nito ay mga kolonyal na dokumento na siyang batayan ng mga kolonyal na kasaysayan. Tahasang kolonyal na instrumento ang mga naunang area studies ng mga kolonisador ng kanilang mga kinokolonisa. Kagaya ng mga bansang Europeo sa kontinente ng Aprika, Asya at Timog Amerika. Maging ang kasunod na bugso ng imperyalismo sa Asya Pasipiko ay tahasang gumamit ng area studies para sa imperyalistang hangarin nito. Mabisang paraan ang area studies hindi lamang maunawaan ang mga nasakop kundi upang makontrol ang mga ito. Ang mga naunang area studies, isinagawa ng mga prayle mula sa orden ng Hesuita, Augustino, Dominako at Pransiskano. Nasa area ng pag-aaral sa wika hindi upang matuto ang mga katutubo ng kanilang salita kundi para makuha ang mga kaalaman maaaring magamit laban sa kanila. Pagkatapos ng mahabang panahon nang ganitong kalakaran, nagkaroon ng pagsasakatutubo ng mga akademikong disiplina kagaya ng kasaysayan, antropolohiya at sikolohiya. Sa panahon ng panggigipit at pagsagka sa mga karapatan ang nagbunsod sa kilusang pagsasakatutubo ng panahong 1970s. Sa ganitong konteksto naging tampok ang Pantayong Pananaw, Sikolohiyang Pilipino ay Pilipinolohiya. Naging laganap ito sa mga akademikong kaligiran ngunit hindi ito nakatagos sa ibang larangan. Mahalagang sundan ang nasimulan ng Coordinated Investigation of Sulu Culture (CISC) ng Notre Dame of Jolo College. Sa pamamagitan ng CISC na siyang sangay ng pananaliksik ng Notre Dame of Jolo College, nagsasagawa ito ng mga pag-aaral sa kalinangan at kasaysayan ng mga mamamayan ng dati at kasalukuyang nasasakupan ng Sultanato ng Sulu. Nakapaglabas ang CISC ng hindi bababa sa dalawang isyu ng kanilang journal sa pananaliksik, signipikante ang sinulat ni Gerard Rixhon na pagtatasa sa 10 Years of Research in Sulu 1961-1971. Hindi lamang simpleng dokumentasyon ito ng produksyon ng kaalaman kundi ang interaksyon ng mga mananaliksik sa kanilang mga kaugnay na mga mamamayan. Ang naging resulta ng sampung taon na pananaliksik ay pagkakaroon ng silid-aklatan at museo. Higit dito, ang nasimulang reputasyon at inspirasyon nito sa mga susunod na gagawa ng sariling pampook na pag-aaral. Ang mga sumunod sa CISC o halos kasabay nito noong dekada 70 ay ang Cebuano Studies Center ng University of San Carlos sa pangunguna ni Resil Mojares. Mula 1975 hanggang kasalukuyan, nagsagawa ng malawakang pananaliksik ang CSC tungkol sa kalinangang Sugboanon. Gayundin din, mas kontemporaryo ang Center for Kapampangan Studies na nagsimula noong 2002 at Mindanao Studies Consortium Foundation Inc noong 2005. Nasa yugto pa ng transisyon ang parehong Institute for Bikol History and Culture at Cordillera Studies Center na parehong nagsimula noong 1980s. Mayroon kanya-kanyang platforms at hindi nagkakatagpo ang interface ng mga nabanggit na mga pampook na pag-aaral ngunit, maaaring makagawa ng mga ugnayan sa pagitan ng mga ito sa pamamagitan ng pag-aaral.
D1.3
The Evolution of Philippine Studies in US Higher Education and How We Can Support its Growth in the 21st Century
Lily Ann B. Villaraza
City College of San Francisco
Formally established Philippine Studies programs have been a part of American higher education since the mid-twentieth century. However, support for the development of formal academic spaces dedicated to Philippine and Filipino American Studies has been weak, often being subsumed into larger “area studies” or “ethnic studies” academic spaces. There needs to be greater visibility of the work to formally institutionalize Philippine Studies in the diaspora and to think about how to collaboratively cultivate the next generation of Philippine Studies scholars.
Scope: 1) to provide a historical overview of the development of Philippine Studies in US higher education; 2) to give focus to the development of Philippine studies in the California Community College system. The population of Filipinos in California allows us to advocate for greater visibility to the academic and cultural needs of Filipino students, encouraging students to explore the relevance of Philippine Studies beyond identity formation; and 3) share an updated database of resources.
Objectives: Explore the history of Philippine Studies in the United States—and how it has evolved in different spaces and timeframes. Provide a case study of the development of Philippine Studies in the California Community College system. Discuss updated information on a resource database on Philippine Studies.
Methods: Archival research, oral history and interviews.
Findings: Nine US institutions offer 17 academic degrees or certifications in Philippine Studies. Since 2020 three new Filipino learning communities have been established in the California Community College system, a new Philippine Studies program is in its nascent stages at NYU, and City College of San Francisco increased potential course offerings from 3 to 15 in three years.
D1.4
Philippine Studies in China: History, Paradigms, and Prospects
Yuchen Ma, Peking University
Youyang Zheng, Chinese Academy of Social Sciences
Modern Chinese research on the Philippines has developed over nearly a century, gradually forming two major centers in northern and southern China. The southern center, including universities such as Xiamen University, Jinan University, Sun Yat-sen University, and Yunnan University, began Philippine studies as early as the 1950s. The northern center, comprising institutions like the Institute of Asia-Pacific and Global Strategy of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, the China Institutes of Contemporary International Relations, and the Center for Southeast Asian Studies at Peking University, was mostly established in the 1980s. After nearly a century of development, Philippine studies in China have formed three main research traditions. The historical discipline has a long-standing tradition with substantial research, shifting its focus from overseas Chinese history and political history to specialized fields such as environmental history. Since China’s reform and opening up, international politics and comparative political science have rapidly become the main forces in Philippine studies, with research topics closely following Philippine social hotspots such as democratization and separatism. Entering the 21st century, the language-literature-culture research paradigm has gained attention. It covers areas including Philippine literature, anthropology, film and television, religion, and media, greatly enriching the research fields of Philippine studies in China. These three paradigms are not exclusive, and interdisciplinary research is common. Looking ahead, Philippine studies in China face both challenges and opportunities. On one hand, collaboration between different disciplines remains insufficient, and the internationalization of research outcomes is not fully realized. On the other hand, the Belt and Road Initiative has increased Chinese society’s demand for understanding the Philippines, while the establishment of “Area Studies” has provided a broader academic platform for scholars. Also, the expansion of Philippine language teaching programs will continue to provide a sufficient talent pool for the academic community.