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

Dialogo: Philippine Studies Goes Global | Roundtable Discussions of the International Conference on Philippine Studies

Details
The UP Asian Center and the Department of Foreign Affairs will hold the ROUNDTABLE DISCUSSIONS of the International Conference on Philippine Studies, Dialogo: Philippine Studies Goes Global, on 29 November 2024, 9:00 AM, PST (GMT+8), at the GT-Toyota Asian Center Auditorium, UP Diliman. The event is free and open to the public. Online registration is required. LIMITED SLOTS ONLY. 

ROUNDTABLE DISCUSSION 1

Local Studies in Dialogue: Bridging Local Perspectives, Foregrounding Indigenous Knowledge

Ruth M. Tindaan, Ph.D., University of the Philippines Baguio

Dr. Ruth M. Tindaan is an Associate Professor of English at the Department of Language, Literature and the Arts (DLLA) simultaneously serving as a faculty member of the Ph.D. in Indigenous Studies Program of UP Baguio. She earned her Doctorate in Cultural Studies from Goldsmiths, University of London. Her research interests include: representation of the Indigenous in media and literature; Indigenous Peoples in the diaspora; Indigenous language documentation; and spatial analysis in the urban built environment. She has served as the Chairperson of DLLA and Director of the Cordillera Studies Center.

Hope Sabanpan-Yu, Ph.D., University of San Carlos

Dr. Hope Sabanpan-Yu currently serves as the Director of the Cebuano Studies Center of the University of San Carlos, a position she has held since 2011. She earned her Ph.D. from the University of the Philippines Diliman. A prolific and multi-awarded writer, she has authored several publications and poetry collections, translated various novels and short stories, as well as edited two anthologies. Dr. Sabanpan-Yu has long been an advocate for the promotion and preservation of Cebuano culture and heritage, holding multiple memberships in international, national, and local organizations.

Sorhaila L. Latip-Yusoph, Ph.D., Mindanao State University-Marawi

Professor Sorhaila L. Latip-Yusoph currently serves as the Director of the Mindanao State University (MSU)–Meranaw Cultural Heritage Center. She earned her Doctorate in Language Studies from MSU-Marawi. A multi-media practitioner, educator, and researcher, Professor Latip-Yusoph specializes in Meranaw language and culture; peace media, and communication; gender and development; and public speaking and digital literacy, among others

 ROUNDTABLE DISCUSSION 2

A Global Dialogue on Philippine Studies: Reflections, Challenges, and Future Directions

Maria Bernadette L. Abrera, Ph.D., University of the Philippines Diliman

Professor Maria Bernadette L. Abrera is a Retired Professor of History at the University of the Philippines Diliman. A longstanding pillar of the Tri-College PhD Philippine Studies Program, she previously served as the Dean of the College of Social Sciences and Philosophy and Chair of the Department of History at UP Diliman. Her research focus is on cultural history and the indigenous knowledge system, having written on the indigenous belief system, the status of women in pre-colonial Philippines and traditional boat building technology.

Patricia Halagao, Ph.D., University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa

Dr. Patricia Espiritu Halagao, professor and chair of Department of Curriculum Studies, is Co-Director of Center for Philippine Studies at University of Hawaiʻi, Mānoa. She advances Filipino K-12 education through academic, policy, and community work, co-developing programs like Pinoy Teach, Smithsonian’s Filipino American Story and Sistan Alhambra Filipino American Education Institute. A Trustee of the Filipino American National Historical Society, she co-edits its journal. She received UH Medal for Excellence in Teaching and Filipina Women’s Network Award. On the Hawai’i Board of Education, she spearheaded the Seal of Biliteracy and Multilingual Education policies. As advisor to the Filipino Curriculum Project, she helped launch the nation’s first statewide Filipino social studies course in Hawaiʻi schools.

Lorenzo Perillo, Ph.D., University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa

Dr. Lorenzo Perillo is currently Co-Director of the Center for Philippine Studies and Associate Professor in the Department of Theatre and Dance at the University of Hawaiʻi. He has taught at the University of California Berkeley, UCLA, University of Illinois Chicago, and Cornell University. Dr. Perilloʻs first book is Choreographing in Color: Filipinos, Hip-hop, and the Cultural Politics of Euphemism (Oxford University Press 2020). It draws from interviews with over 80 key artists and cultural organizers in the Philippines and diaspora to examine Black cultural expression in relation to Filipino socialization.

Björn Dressel, Ph.D., Australian National University

Dr. Björn Dressel is an Associate Professor and Director of the ANU Philippines Institute at the Crawford School of Public Policy, Australian National University (ANU). His research focuses on comparative constitutionalism, judicial politics, and governance in Asia. He has published in journals like Governance and International Political Science Review. His books include Courts and Politics in Southeast Asia (CUP, 2024) and The Judicialization of Politics in Asia (Routledge, 2012). He has also co-edited Politics and Constitutions in Southeast Asia (2016) and Informality and Courts (EUP, 2024).

Roger Friedlein, Ph.D., Ruhr Universität Bochum

Roger Friedlein is the Head of the Philippine Studies Programme at Ruhr Universitat Bochum, Germany. A chair professor specializing in Romance philology, he completed his doctorate at Freie Universität Berlin, exploring literary dialogue in the works of medieval Catalan philosopher Ramon Llull. His habilitation focused on knowledge and poetry in 16th-century epic poetry from France, Spain, and Portugal. His research spans medieval, Renaissance, and 19th-century Hispanic literature, including studies on the colonial Philippines. Recent publications include Els catalans i Llatinoamèrica (Barcelona: Montserrat, 2017), A epopeia em questão (Rio de Janeiro: Makunaima, 2019), and El yo en la epopeya (Madrid: Iberoamericana, 2020). Professor Friedlein is currently working on a book examining Spanish travel literature and early chronicles on the Philippines.

Yuchen Ma, Ph.D., Peking University

Representing Philippine Studies at Peking University, Dr. Yuchen Ma is a postdoctoral fellow at School of Foreign Languages, Peking University, where he obtained his Ph.D., M.A. and Bachelor degree respectively in 2023, 2017 and 2014. He was an undergraduate student of Philippine Studies Program of Peking University and was an exchange student to Ateneo de Manila University in 2013. His main research interests include Philippine mass media, religion and contemporary Southeast Asia society.
 For inquiries, please contact us at  This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or call 891-8500 loc. 3586.
The Asian Center, University of the Philippines Diliman offers M.A. degrees in Asian Studies with four fields of specialization: Northeast Asia, Southeast Asia, South Asia, and West Asia. The UP Asian Center also has an M.A. program in Philippine Studies that allows students to major in Philippine society and culture, Philippine foreign relations, or Philippine development studies. It also offers a Ph.D. program in Philippine Studies in conjunction with the College of Arts and Letters and the College of Social Sciences and Philosophy. For an overview of these graduate programs, click here. As an area studies institution, the Asian Center also publishes Asian Studies: Journal of Critical Perspectives on Asia, the latest issue of which can be downloaded at the journal's website.