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
IAN CHRISTOPHER B. ALFONSO, Ph. D.
Assistant Professor, UP Department of History
Ian Christopher B. Alfonso, Ph. D., is an Assistant Professor at the Department of History, University of the Philippines Diliman. He is a Board Member of the Philippine Historical Association and a member of the UNESCO Memory of the World Program in the Philippines. He graduated with an MA in History and a PhD in History from UP Diliman. Among his latest books are Dogs in Philippine History (2023), a National Book Awards’ awardee (Best Book Design) and Finalist (Best Book on History); A History of the Sarangani Islands 1521-1921 (2023); and The Burning of Macabebe (2024).
FRANCISCO JAYME PAOLO A. GUIANG
Assistant Professor, UP Department of History
Francisco Jayme Paolo A. Guiang is an Assistant Professor at the Department of History, University of the Philippines Diliman. He is finishing his Master of Philosophy (MPhil) in History at The Chinese University of Hong Kong. His MPhil project is about the history of pensionado scientists in the American colonial bureaucracy in early 20th-century Philippines and their contributions in the process of early decolonization. His other research interests broadly include intellectual history, Philippine nationalist historiography, and studies on the Martial Law period in the Philippines. He has an MA and BA History from the University of the Philippines Diliman.
JOEFE B. SANTARITA, Ph.D.
Professor and College Secretary, UP Asian Center
Dr. Joefe B. Santarita is a Professor at the Asian Center, University of the Philippines Diliman. He earned his Ph.D. in South Asian Studies from the National University of Singapore in 2012, following an MA in Asian Studies with a focus on Southeast Asia from the same institution in 2004. Dr. Santarita began his academic journey with a BA in History-Community Development from the University of the Philippines in the Visayas in 1997. His extensive educational background has equipped him with a profound understanding of Asian cultures, histories, and political economies. Dr. Santarita has made significant contributions to these fields through his research and publications specializing in Indian studies, migration studies, Philippine culture and society, maritime history, and Southeast Asian political economy.
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.