DELIVERED by the University of the Philippines Diliman’s selected leading academic staff from its Department of History is this lecture series entitled “Talastasan sa Kasaysayan, Isang Siglo at Isang Dekadang Pagsusulong ng Kasaysayang Pilipino,” in commemoration of its 110th anniversary (1910-2020).

Amid the pandemic, the presentations were live-streamed to an audience and moderated by assistant professor Francisco Jayme Guiang, who ensured a smooth program flow. Among those in attendance were Maria Bernadette Abrera (dean, College of Social Sciences and Philosophy), Neil Martial Santillan (chairman, Department of History) and Ma. Luisa Camagay (professor emeritus).

Priding itself on its academic rigor, the only Cebuana and an assistant professor in the faculty of the History Department is Rhodalyn Obias-Wani, who has been with UP Diliman since 2007. Her piece: “Death and Propaganda: Negotiating Grief under Spanish Colonial Rule 1889-1895.”

“I hope that the takeaway is that even old topics in history can also be approached in different ways and need not be confined by just traditional modes of doing history for investigating new ways; That we can open up possibilities for wider and deeper discussions.”

Held on a separate date, another faculty member, Jely Galang from Tarlac, also discussed “Policing the Chinese: Tenientes Mayores de Chinos and Chinese Criminals in the Late-Nineteenth Century Philippines.” A third and final upcoming presentation will be delivered by Ros Costelo from Leyte on “Colonial Public Works, Sanitation, Order and Social Control in the Late Eighteenth to Nineteenth Century Manila.”

The final event will take place Wednesday, June 24, 6 p.m., via the UPD History Department Facebook page.

Congratulations on your 110th anniversary, UP Diliman’s Department of History!