Wherever I am, the world comes after me.
It offers me its busyness. It does not believe that I do not want it.
Now I understand why the old poets of China went so far
and high into the mountains, then crept into the pale mist.
"The Old Poets of China" by Mary Oliver

AC Student Wins '2nd Best Philippine Paper' at Graduate Conference in Hawai'i

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Category: News @ UP Asian Center

Two graduate students of the Asian Center took part in the 25th School of  Pacific and Asian Studies (SPAS) Graduate Student Conference held from 2–4 April 2014 at the Center for Korean Studies, University of Hawai’I at Mānoa.

John Mychal Feraren, who is taking up his masters degree in Philippine Studies, won the 2nd Best Philippine Paper for his "Paradise in Dispute: The Boracay Ati's Continued Struggle for Ancestral Land and Cultural Integrity." It explores ‘the socio-cultural and socio-political situation of the Ati living in Boracay amidst the thriving tourism of the island.’ He also provides ‘policy recommendations' that can help the Ati maintain their cultural integrity and protect their human rights. The Ati are one of the indigenous peoples of the Philippines, who face a variety of issues—from landlessness to development aggression—in a ‘globalization-driven’ Philippines. 

PHOTO (L-R): Glennis Uyanguren, John Mychal Feraren, and Dr. Patricio Abinales (courtesy of Edgie Uyanguren)

Mr. Feraren received $50 (USD) for his award. He was part of the panel, 'Colonialism, Postcolonial Studies, and Indigenous Perspectives'  moderated by Dr. Patricio Abinales, who sits on the editorial advisory board of Asian Studies, the journal published by the Asian Center. 

Another AC student, Glennis Uyanguren, who is enrolled in the Ph.D. Philippine Studies program, presented two papers at the conference, "Diasporic Culture: Narratives of the New Japanese Immigrants to the Philippines" (co-authored with Ivy Marie Ganadillo) and "Weak State or Strong State: The Implications of Self-Organization in a Disaster-Prone Community in the Philippines"  (co-authored with Edgie Uyanguren). The first paper is part of a panel, Exploring Diasporic Identity while the second was slated in 'State-Society Relations in Asia.'

The theme of the conference is “Pushing Boundaries, Shifting Perspectives: Remapping Asia and the Pacific Through a Transnational Interdisciplinary Lens." 

The Asian Center offers MA programs in both Asian Studies and Philippine Studies. The Asian Studies program covers four regions of specialization: Southeast Asia, Northeast Asia, South Asia, and West Asia. The Center also offers the Tri-College Ph.D. Philippine Studies program, which is jointly run by the Asian Center, College of Arts and Letters, and the College of Social Sciences and Philosophy. For more information, visit the Academic Programs page of the Asian Center.