The UP Asian Center will be hosting an on-site public lecture, Spectacle of Colonial Modernity: The Manila Carnival and Its Dual Legacies (1908-1939), on 20 July 2026, 10:00 AM, PHT (GMT+8) at the Japan Hall, Asian Center, UP Diliman. The event is free and open to the public. Online registration is encouraged due to limited slots.
ABOUT THE LECTURE
During the era of American colonial rule, large-scale public events became important tools for imperial governance. As the earliest formalized exposition-style celebration launched by the U.S., the Manila Carnival carries distinctive features of colonial modernity. This presentation focuses on how the colonial administration took advantage of this grand event to consolidate ruling legitimacy, ease bilateral tensions, and display colonial construction outcomes. It also discusses the carnival’s extensive influence on social integration and regional exchanges.
The public lecture will delve on how the American colonial administration employed the Manila Carnival to legitimize its rule, promote the ideals of “Benevolent Assimilation,” and publicize the achievements of colonial modernization. Also, it will showcase how the carnival served as a platform for the dissemination of American educational values, modern sports, and commercial expansion.
ABOUT THE SPEAKER
HONG TIANYUE (English name: Victoria Hong)
Ph.D. Student, School of International Relations of Xiamen University, PRC
Ms. Hong, or Victoria, is a Ph.D. student from the School of International Relations of Xiamen University, PRC. Her dissertation investigates people-to-people exchanges between Mainland China and ASEAN countries such as the Philippines, Cambodia, and Laos, by comparing the Confucius Institute at the University of the Philippines and selected educational or cultural institutions in the other two countries. Prior to her admission to Xiamen, Victoria obtained her Master’s degree in Political Science from Jinan University and a Bachelor's in Management from Nanjing Tech University. Dr. Shi Xueqin serves as her doctoral supervisor, while Dr. Joefe B. Santarita is her hosting professor at the Asian Center. Victoria’s stint is vital to the university’s international student mobility goals, and her doctoral research on China-ASEAN relations advances the Center’s aim to support research on contemporary Asia.
ABOUT THE REACTORS
MOREAL N. CAMBA, Ph. D.
Vice Dean for Academic and Student Affairs, College of Arts and Sciences
University of Asia and the Pacific
Dr. Moreal N. Camba is the Vice Dean for Academic and Student Affairs of the College of Arts and Sciences at the University of Asia and the Pacific. She earned her BA (Cum Laude, Phi Kappa Phi), MA, and PhD in Philippine Studies from the University of the Philippines Diliman, focusing her doctoral dissertation on the photographs of the Manila Carnival (1908–1915). Her scholarly track record and research endeavors have been supported by grants and fellowships, including those from the Commission on Higher Education (CHEd), the Asia Foundation, Monash University-Malaysia, and the Center for Research and Communication (CRC). Her publications on the carnival include studies on its queens (Sibol, University of Michigan) and the representations of indigenous Filipinos (Philippine Communication Society Review). She has also presented papers on the 1913 Far Eastern Championship Games held during the carnival (IAFOR MediAsia, Kyoto) and the carnival's spaces and infrastructures (UA&P Roundtable). Beyond her historical scholarship, Dr. Camba is a poet affiliated with LIRA, a PACUCOA accreditor, a DepEd textbook evaluator, and an NBDB-certified writer and translator.
KRISTOFFER R. ESQUEJO, Ph.D.
Professor and Graduate Program Coordinator, UP Department of History
Dr. Kristoffer R. Esquejo is a Full Professor 3 and the Graduate Program Coordinator at the Department of History, University of the Philippines Diliman. He has authored two books on Romblon local history: Tahanan, Tanggulan, at Tagpuan: Kasaysayang Pampook ng Bayan ng Looc (2024) and Pu-od Romblon: Mga Sanaysay tungkol sa Kasaysayan at Kultura ng Lalawigang Kapuluan (2015). He has also published journal articles and book chapters. He also edited and co-edited several publications. He obtained BA (magna cum laude), MA, and Ph.D. degrees in History from UP Diliman. He was a recipient of various awards such as the NCCA Young Historian’s Prize (2011), Aboitiz Foundation Research Grant on the Galleon Trade in Mexico (2011-2012), UP Diliman Centennial Faculty Grant (2018, 2019, 2020, and 2023), One UP Faculty Grant for Research and Public Service (2019-2021), One UP Professorial Chair in Teaching and Public Service (2022-2024), and PhD Incentive Award (2023). His interests include local history and religious history.