What, and Where, is Philippine Studies? A Response

Abstract

The paper responds to the papers on Philippine Studies presented in the 126th MLA Annual Convention. The panel consists of T. Ruanni F. Tupas, Jeffrey Arellano Cabusao, Cynthia Tolentino, and Vicente L. Rafael. The paper contends that what is most instructive of these papers is their cogent treatment of Philippine Studies as a problem, a mode of critical inquiry, more than a field of studies. The paper challenges scholars to explore Philippine Studies in a truly transnational perspective, to look for Filipino imaginaries beyond the United States, in unexpected sites.