The Hispanic Identity of Filipinos: A Short History

This is a student guest blog post in honor of Hispanic Heritage Month and Filipino American Heritage month.

Author: Mark Francis Mabalatan ’21, Management and Political Science Major, 3+2 Master of Public Administration Program

333 years is quite a long time. For Filipinos, the 333 years the Philippines were subjugated to Spanish colonization were rife with conflict, both militarily and in identity. Like several other civilizations that first met Spanish conquistadors at their shores in the 15th and 16th centuries, the Philippines had unique, highly structured societies prior to European contact. These conflicts were exemplified by the story of The Battle of Mactan, where Ferdinand Magellan (Guillermo 261) was famously defeated by native datu (ruler) Lapu-Lapu (Guillermo 240), in my own ancestral province of Cebu (Guillermo 100). While the Battle of Mactan is a legend every Filipino is familiar with, the subsequent centuries gave way to a tidal wave of Spanish settlement, economic practices, and cultural rifts.

The first Spaniards in Cebu were 2,100 settler-soldiers from New Spain (Mexico), and the Philippines was administered as a Viceroyalty of New Spain until the end of Spanish rule in 1898. In that time, Spanish settlers changed almost every aspect of life on the islands. They changed our names. They changed our languages. They changed our religions. The effects of Spanish colonization were wide-ranging and emphatic, remaining to this day. So, is the Philippines a Hispanic country? Quite clearly, yes. But in the contemporary Hispanic consciousness, it is not understood as such – as if there was something that erased those 333 years of history.

As it turns out, the subsequent 48 years of American colonization is quite the eraser. The United States undertook an expedited process of undoing the Hispanization of the Philippines to make way for its Americanization of the islands. Despite this, the fact remains that the cultural DNA of the Philippines is Hispanic, making many aspects of the Filipino experience Hispanic and the experience itself Hispanic. The father of modern Philippines, José Rizal, wrote all his foundational works in Spanish. We tell time in Spanish. 80% of Filipinos are Catholic. The holiday known in the Philippines as Undas is a carbon copy of Dia de Muertos in Mexico and other Latino countries. Cebuano, also known as Bisaya and the native language of my family, contains thousands of Spanish words. However, the beauty of our culture is not derived from our colonization, but how we rose out of it. Distinctly Filipino music and dance styles such as Cariñosa, featuring dancers in brightly colored, flowing dresses called Maria Claras, bears a striking resemblance to jarabe tapatío of Mexico. Traditional Hispanic family values, including respect for elders, close family ties, and pride of the home country, are powerfully evident in many Filipino families.

Every year, October 1st to 15th serves as a metaphor for Hispanic identity of Filipinos. During this time span, there is a two-week eclipse of Hispanic Heritage Month, which lasts from September 15th to October 15th, and Filipino-American Heritage Month, which lasts the entire month of October— Hispanic, but not completely. History defines the present and the future, an axiom especially significant to ethnic groups. So what does Filipino history say about the country’s Hispanic identity? As Filipino-American sociologist Anthony Christian Ocampo, author of The Latinos of Asia: How Filipinos Break the Rule of Race, plainly states, “You can’t just forget the three-and-a-half century Spanish influence in the Philippines.”

See below for to learn more about the Hispanic identity of the Philippines, Filipinos, and Filipino-Americans:

Books

Bulosan, Carlos. America Is in the Heart: A Personal History. Vol. 2014 edition, University of Washington Press, 2014. EBSCOhost, https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&AuthType=sso&db=e700xna&AN=1052322&site=ehost-live

Francia, Luis. A History of the Philippines: From Indios Bravos to Filipinos. Overlook Press, 2014. https://setonhall.on.worldcat.org/oclc/878963486 Request through ILL or Suggest for Purchase!

Guillermo, Artemio R. Historical Dictionary of the Philippines. Vol. 3rd ed, Scarecrow Press, 2012. EBSCOhost, https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&AuthType=sso&db=e089mna&AN=413501&site=ehost-live&custid=s8475574&ebv=EB&ppid=pp_100

Ocampo, Anthony Christian. The Latinos of Asia: How Filipino Americans Break the Rules of Race. Stanford University Press, 2016. EBSCOhost, https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&AuthType=sso&db=e000bna&AN=1115879&site=ehost-live

Rizal, José. El Filibusterismo: Continuacion Del Noli Me Tangere. Boekdrukkerij F. Meyer-Van Loo, 1896. Project Gutenberg, http://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/30903

Rizal José. Noli Me Tangere. Project Gutenberg, http://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/20228

Articles

Videos

Dr. Wyatt Murphy on Open Educational Resources

To help foster a constructive conversation about Open Educational Resources (OER), University Libraries asked Dr. Wyatt Murphy, Professor in the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry at Seton Hall, his thoughts about how OER can help students and faculty.  

University Libraries have been at the forefront of promoting Open Educational Resources (OER) on campus. Can you share your thoughts on how OER can help students and faculty as an alternative to the traditional publisher textbook model?

As a student, when you are talking about a $250 textbook that is being used all over and it’s been homogenized, there’s not much there, it’s disposable. A question student should ask: is this book good enough for me to keep, am I going to get value out of this?

But if the OER textbook book costs nothing, and if it’s equivalent to the publisher’s textbook, there’s more value to an open source book. Students can keep it; they can mark it up any way they want digitally. In an open source textbook, the quality and creativity is often greater than a standard textbook, and that’s going to just expand.

With OER textbooks the thing I like best is: I might not want to write a whole book, but I might want to write a chapter because I have a different way of looking at things, you know (I’ve been teaching for almost 40 years) and I found that this is a better way to teach this. The conversations we’ve had over in Chemistry where, we’re bouncing around ideas about how to do things, we kind of have to find books that fit it. We can put a book together but it’s assembling other people’s stuff.

I think that a lot of people look at open sources, and think “Well, it’s free. It can’t be good.” My experience is “It’s free and it’s great!” I’ve used this book Chemistry: Atoms First 2e now it’ll be two years by end of the summer 2020. When you walk into class and when you put in your syllabus that the book is free, the students are going to love you, you know, you’re a hero. And the thing is, I don’t feel like I’m compromising my choice.

To learn more about Open Educational Resources, please visit our OER Research Guide.

Online Discussion: 2020 Election—The Impact of the Latino Vote

How deeply can the Latino population of the United States affect the 2020 Presidential election?

On Wednesday September 30 from 6p-7p Seton Hall University scholars explored trends, voting patterns and the current events cycle to analyze the impact the Latino vote will have in the 2020 Presidential election.

All were welcome to join the online discussion, featuring:

    • Dr. Matthew Hale (Moderator) Associate Professor, Dept. of Political Science and Public Affairs, Seton Hall University
    • Dr. Patrick Fisher Associate Professor, Political Science, Seton Hall University
    • Maria del Cid-Kosso BA’15, Director, Office of Policy & Legislative Services, NJ Dept. of Health
    • Jonathan Castañeda BA ’11/MPA ’14, Municipal Administrator, Town of West New York

The event was held through Microsoft Teams and you can find a recording here.

ICPSR Data Fair September 21-25

Join ICPSR Data Fair running September 21-25

The Seton Hall Community is invited to the Inter-University Consortium for Political and Social Research’s Data Fair, “Data In Real Life.” With all the unexpected twists and turns of 2020, the ICPSR Data Fair will provide a data lens on timely topics such as the elections, Black Lives Matter, the Census, higher education, immigration, COVID 19, and more. The Data Fair is September 21-25, 2020 and is entirely virtual and free to all. Learn more and register here.

There are excellent programs for faculty who may want to supplement their syllabi with programs across many disciplines such as:

For more information about ICPSR data and Seton Hall’s subscription, please contact Prof Lisa DeLuca Seton Hall’s ICPSR Representative at University Libraries.

ICPSR

The Inter-University Consortium for Political and Social Research (ICPSR) is an organization of member institutions based out of the University of Michigan working together to acquire and preserve social science data, to provide open and equitable access to these data, and to promote effective data use.

The ICPSR data archive and holdings encompass a range of disciplines, including political science, sociology, demography, economics, history, education, gerontology, criminal justice, public health, foreign policy, health and medical care, education, child care research, law, and substance abuse.  Seton Hall faculty and students have access to over 15,000 studies and 5.6 million variables through the University Libraries’ subscription.

Data Services Group

University Libraries launched its Data Services Group in Fall 2019.  Librarians and a Data Support Specialist are available to provide training in data management, specific tools like Stata, SPSS and R, Survey Research Methods for Qualtrics and Data Management for Seton Hall University students, faculty, staff, and administrators.  For further information, please view the Data Services website.  Part of the Data Service mission is to provide access to data sources including ICPSR.

 

Latinx Law Students Commemorate Centennial of 19th Amendment with Heritage Month Panel Event 

In the spirit of the “Mi Voz” initiative developed by the Unanue Institute, the Seton Hall University Hispanic Heritage Committee, and the Seton Hall Archives, we seek to spend this month creating connections, exploring resources, celebrating voices, and opening doors. We are pleased to kick off Hispanic Heritage Month with the first of a series of student guest blog posts written by members of  the Seton Hall Latin American, Latina/o/x, and Hispanic community.

The Seton Hall Latin American Law Student Association (LALSA)’s 5th Annual Sangria Social will occur Monday, Sept. 21st 4-6pm via Zoom.  Register to attend.

In celebration of Latinx Heritage Month and in commemoration of the centennial of the 19th Amendment’s, LALSA invites current students, alumni, friends, faculty, and allies to Women of Color in Political Movements: Celebrating an Under-Recognized Power 100 Years Later. Join us as we learn from and engage with our distinguished panelists for a discussion about the impact that women of color have made in political movements, the history behind Equal Rights Amendment, and the future of gender equality in politics and beyond. 

We are humbled by the opportunity to learn from the following panelists:  

  1. Professor Michael Coenen — Professor of Law at Seton Hall Law, and U.S. Constitutional Law Scholar  
  2. Professor Cathleen D. Cahill — Associate Professor of History at Penn State University 
  3. Kerlyn Espinal — New Jersey Department of Education – Deputy Assistant Commissioner of Cultural and Historic Commissions  
  4. Amelia Adams — Chair of 21 in ‘21 and New York Equity Advocates Advisory Board Member 
  5. Maria Del Cid-Kosso — Director of Legislative Services, Office of the Commissioner, New Jersey Department of Health 
  6. Assemblywoman Maritza Davila — New York State Assembly District 53 

Register for the event at this to receive program details and login information. 

Who We Are:  

The Latin American Law Students Association (LALSA) at Seton Hall University School of Law is a non-profit organization committed to the following goals: Fostering individual achievements; Providing necessary services to the law school community; Addressing legal issues of the minority community. 

Our mission is to educate the law school community on the benefits of diversity and create awareness of the challenges that Latino communities currently face.

LALSA achieves its goals by providing academic, professional and social support for all students by recognizing the achievements of Latino students and alumni, so that lessons may be learned, mentorship relationships created, and friendships established among the current LALSA members. 

Suggested Readings:  

One of our distinguished panelists, Dr. Cathleen D. Cahill, is an author and Professor of History at Penn State University. Her newest publication, Recasting the Vote: How Women of Color Transformed the Suffrage Movement, will be published in November. LALSA is recommending this book for purchase by the SHU Libraries.

If you would like to make your own Latinx/Hispanic Heritage book suggestions this month, you can do so by filling out the Latinx Book Survey.  

If you’re interested in learning more, we have also collected the following amazing recommendations from our panelists: 

The following are titles SHU Libraries does not yet own. You can Suggest a Latinx Book Purchase or Request a Copy through Interlibrary Loan.

TV Show
One Day At A Time (Available on Netflix) not available for purchase by libraries due to licensing restrictions

Hispanic Heritage Month is September 15th to October 15th. For more information about the Seton Hall University Hispanic Heritage Month events and participants, visit the homepage.

University Libraries Launch Special Projects to Celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month

The University Libraries invites the Seton Hall University community to contribute to several projects in celebration of Hispanic Heritage Month. Hispanic Heritage Month is observed from September 15 to October 15 by celebrating the histories, cultures, and contributions of Hispanic and Latino/a/x peoples.

In collaboration with the Joseph A. Unanue Latino Institute, the Library will be adding a select number of literary contributions by Hispanic and Latino/a/x authors. To participate in the literature selection process, please complete this survey.

Mi Voz, an e-repository, will collect personal essays, audio files and artwork from the Seton Hall University community. Contributors are asked to reflect on what being Hispanic or Latino/a/x in the United States means to them. The e-repository will be open to submissions until October 31, 2020 and contributors can submit their work here. The collection will ultimately be preserved in the archives’ digital preservation system.  “The Monsignor Field Archives and Special Collections Center is dedicated to building its collections to better represent the entire Seton Hall community, and collections like this will preserve the voices of today’s Hispanic and Latino/a/x students for future generations,” said Sarah Ponichtera, Assistant Dean for Special Collections and the Gallery.

The Walsh Gallery’s Nuestras Familias is a virtual photography gallery that will be premiering on October 1, 2020. The gallery will highlight members of the Seton Hall community and the families that support, encourage, and inspire them. Please send 300 DPI JPEG images along with the title of the image and the photographer credit to latinoinstitute@shu.edu by September 15, 2020.

Seton Hall University’s Hispanic Heritage Month Committee has united departments and student organizations for a month-long series of events and special project. This year’s theme, Navigating Latinidad, will look at what it means to identify as Hispanic and Latino/a/x and how that identity takes form in American society. By Navigating Latinidad, we can explore the labels chosen for us and their respective histories.

To learn more about the month’s activities, please visit: https://www.shu.edu/latino-institute/hispanic-heritage-month.cfm

Check back throughout the month to see blog posts and social media posts from student scholars and leaders about reading recommendations and ways to get involved in the SHU and greater Latinx and Hispanic communities.

 

Advanced Data Support for the SHU Community

Seton Hall University Libraries, in conjunction with the Department of Information Technology, is excited to announce a campus-wide license for Stata is now available for student and faculty use.

Professor Joseph Huddleston, Assistant Professor at the School of Diplomacy and International Relations, notes “I am so glad we can offer access to Stata to our students now. Stata is a standard analysis software in International Relations, Political Science, Economics, and other social sciences. It is a powerful tool, both for instruction in the classroom and for students’ own research projects.”

What is Stata?

The name Stata stands for a syllabic abbreviation of Statistics and Data.  Stata is a statistical software package that provides tools for data management, statistical methods and data visualization, much like SPSS. It is a powerful tool to create publication-quality graphs and tables.

Why Stata?

Stata offers both pull-down menus and command syntax. Stata commands are very intuitive and easy to use and learn. Stata has a powerful reproducible documentation and version control systems. These systems ensure that researchers will have the same results every time they run the commands. Stata offers a wide number of learning resources including short video on how to use Stata.

How to request and install Stata?

To request a copy of Stata/SE use the Software Request form from the IT Department.

For help with Stata: 

Please contact SHU Libraries Data Services: https://library.shu.edu/data-services

Data Services Group

University Libraries launched its Data Services Group in Fall 2019.  Librarians and a Data Support Specialist are available to provide training in data management, specific tools like Stata, SPSS and R, Survey Research Methods for Qualtrics and Data Management for Seton Hall University students, faculty, staff, and administrators.  For further information, please view the Data Services website.

Interested in learning more? Sign up for Stata class offered by SHU Libraries Data Services for the SHU community:

9/16, Wednesday class 1pm – 1:45pm, Introduction to Stata

9/22, Tuesday, class 4:15 – 5pm, Introduction to Stata

9/23, Wednesday, class, 10am – 10:45am, Introduction to Stata

Faculty Resources For Streaming Media

#SHU_Libraries offer several ways to stream film and video. The Seton Hall community can steam video using Academic Video Online. Academic Video Online provides a comprehensive video collection, delivering more than 66,000 titles spanning the widest range of subject areas including anthropology, business, counseling, film, health, history, music, and more.

The Library offers access to over 25,000 commercial films in digital format through Digital Campus. These films may be viewed in the classroom or through Blackboard and must be ordered by a faculty member.

Faculty members can also request films for the SHU community through Kanopy. Kanopy streams more than 26,000 films from the Criterion Collection, Great Courses, PBS, and hundreds of other producers. The films range from documentaries, indie and foreign films to classics and blockbuster movies. To start exploring our film and video collections please visit Accessing Films at SHU https://library.shu.edu/films/home.

Streaming Platforms

Please Contact Prof. Gerry Shea for further information.

Let us know what you think! Send us your comments–Feedback Form
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Access To The Library

As a health & safety measure during the current COVID-19 pandemic access to the Walsh Library building is restricted to SHU ID cardholders only  (i.e. current students, faculty, staff, administrators).

There is no physical access to the library for public visitors, community borrowers, Seton Hall University alumni, guests or visiting scholars, until further notice.

For those who wish to visit the Archives & Special Collections, please book your visit using their booking page.

For questions/concerns please contact:

Sebastian Derry
Assistant Dean for Public Services
sebastian.derry@shu.edu | 973-275-2058

 

Library Reopens

Welcome Back to Walsh Library!

We are excited to see you again and looking forward to providing you a safe place to study.  Our hours will be shorter this Fall.

Monday, August 17th — Sunday, August 23rd
Monday to Friday 8:30am – 4:30pm
Saturday & Sunday CLOSED

Monday, August 24th — Sunday, August 30th
Monday to Friday 8:30am – 7:30pm
Saturday & Sunday CLOSED

Monday, August 31st — Tuesday, November 24th
Monday – Friday 7:30am – 10:30pm
Saturday & Sunday 8:30am – 5:30pm
CLOSED LABOR DAY Monday, September 7th

Please see our complete hours here https://is.gd/U3ifHW

Research help is available! You can chat online with a librarian 10AM – 6PM Monday through Thursday, 10AM-4PM Friday, and 2PM – 6PM Sunday (starting 8/24)

Visit our Research Guides by Subject and Course for starting your research, and for help with working with data, please see our Research Data Services .

In accordance with SHU Policy and the SHU Pledge (https://www.shu.edu/health-intervention-communication/seton-hall-pledge.cfm), social distancing must be observed and masks must be worn at all times while in the Library.  Because we must socially distance, there are fewer seats in the Library.

Please do not move chairs/desks/furniture to sit closer to someone else. The furniture has been laid out to provide a safe space between others.

Library space is available only to SHU ID cardholders at this time.  Members of the public are not allowed, with the exception of those who have made prior arrangements with the Archives to consult Special Collections materials.

Group Study Rooms are closed and unavailable.

There is no food allowed in the Library now.  You may not eat in the building (to eat you have to take your mask off, and that’s against the rules… hence no food).  Drinks are allowed in covered containers only.

The Library will be carefully and thoroughly disinfected and cleaned every day. Sanitation wipes will be available throughout the library and we ask that you disinfect surfaces and computer keyboards and mice before use.

Starting Monday, August 17th we are offering curbside pick-up and home delivery by mail for library items.  Just place your item on hold in the catalog. When it is ready you will get an email asking how you would like to get your items.

It is fine for you to come to the 2nd floor Information Commons or to use a study carrel on the 3rd or 4th floors to “attend” a class remotely if you still need to be on campus.  We encourage using headphones/earbuds to hold down noise for fellow Pirates who need quiet to study.

Monday, August 17th — Sunday, August 23rd

  • Walsh Library is now open Monday — Friday 8:30am-4:30pm (closed Saturday & Sunday).
  • The Special Collections Reading Room is open Monday — Friday 9am-5:00pm. 
  • Masks and social distancing are observed throughout the library in accordance with the Seton Hall Pledge (https://www.shu.edu/health-intervention-communication/seton-hall-pledge.cfm).
  • Library space is available only to SHU ID cardholders at this time. Members of the public are not allowed, with the exception of those who have made prior arrangements with the Archives to consult Special Collections materials.
  • Monday, August 17th we are offering curbside pick-up and home delivery by mail for library items.

Monday, August 24th — Sunday, August 30th

  • Walsh Library is open Monday — Friday 8:30AM – 7:30PM (closed Saturday & Sunday).
  • The Special Collections Reading Room is open Monday — Friday 9am-5:00pm.
  • Masks and social distancing are observed throughout the library in accordance with the Seton Hall Pledge (https://www.shu.edu/health-intervention-communication/seton-hall-pledge.cfm).
  • Library space is available only to SHU ID cardholders at this time. Members of the public are not allowed, with the exception of those who have made prior arrangements with the Archives to consult Special Collections materials.

Monday, August 31st — Tuesday, November 24th

  • Walsh Library is open Monday — Friday 7:30AM – 10:30PM,  Saturdays & Sundays 8:30am – 5:30pm and CLOSED LABOR DAY Monday, September 7th.
  • The Special Collections Reading Room is open Monday — Friday 9am-5:00pm.
  • Masks and social distancing are observed throughout the library in accordance with the Seton Hall Pledge (https://www.shu.edu/health-intervention-communication/seton-hall-pledge.cfm).
  • Library space is available only to SHU ID cardholders at this time. Members of the public are not allowed, with the exception of those who have made prior arrangements with the Archives to consult Special Collections materials.
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