Rewind, Fast Forward, Record, Delete? Liberating Ourselves from the Past 500 Years

Authors

Ambeth R. Ocampo, Ateneo de Manila UniversityFollow

Abstract

Significant differences emerge upon comparing the 1921 Carnaval de Magallanes conference and the 2021 Contacts and Continuities conference: A century ago, the Magellan expedition was celebrated; today it is merely commemorated, using Magellan as a springboard for a wider discussion. A century ago, the “discovery” of the Philippines was credited to Magellan; today, Magellan is rightly cast as an explorer, not the discoverer, of the Philippines. Furthermore, Magellan now shares the glory of the first circumnavigation of the globe with Sebastian Elcano. The seven papers from a century ago had Spain and Mexico as reference points; today, research and discussion have expanded to Asian-Iberian connections, bringing in a view from Portugal and Japan long absent from our historiography. A century ago, the focus was not Magellan’s one fatal contact but the age of exploration; today, we not only acknowledge many contacts but push further from contacts into continuities over the last 500 years. The present conference has led to three points for reflection: First, the various papers in this conference suggest that, instead of looking at one monolithic or hegemonic Philippine History, we should be looking toward a plurality of Philippine histories. Second, the anti-colonial bias in the way Philippine history is taught is a hindrance to an open-minded nationalism that we need in a global world. Overemphasizing physical and military resistance to colonial rule, in a narrative of victimhood, leaves little room for reading aspects of culture—literature, art, architecture, fashion, food, religion, et cetera—as expressions of resistance rather than adaptation. Third, history is not the past. It is not objective. Philippine history is written in the present, using confused and confusing traces of the past through primary sources. Thus, the meanings we give that past affect our present and our future.

Recommended Citation

Ocampo, Ambeth R. (2025) "Rewind, Fast Forward, Record, Delete? Liberating Ourselves from the Past 500 Years," Perspectives in the Arts and Humanities Asia: Vol. 12: No. 1, Article 3.
Available at: https://archium.ateneo.edu/paha/vol12/iss1/3