ABOUT 157 papers will be presented during the second international conference on Cordillera Studies to be held on July 12 to 14 at the Camp John Hay Trade and Cultural Center.
Organized by the University of the Philippines-Baguio’s Cordillera Studies Center, the papers will tackle topics that revolve around the conference theme, “Indigenous Studies in the Philippines: Issues and Prospects.”
The paper presentations have been organized into 40 panels categorized into primary topics where at least four papers will be presented in each panel. These topics range from “Representations of the Native in Literature,” to “Trans-Disciplinary Nature Conservation with Indigenous Communities,” and “Governance and Autonomy.”
Studies on specific localities in the Cordillera have been assigned specific panels. Some of these are, “The Indigenous Studying the Indigenous: Focus on Sagada,” “Ifugao Arhaeology,” and “Ibaloy Identity.”
Conference chair and Cordillera Studies Center director Dr. Leah Abayao said this event would be a venue for the presentation and discussion of comparative indigenous studies.
“It will highlight recent research and various theoretical approaches and methodologies,” she said.
“The international aspect of the conference aims to foster collaborative work among academics, local and national government agencies, civil society, and communities in the Cordillera, Northern Luzon and the Philippines,” Abayao said.
Scholars of indigenous studies have been invited as plenary speakers. These include Dr. Deirdre McKay of Keele University in England and Dr. Albert Bacdayan, a native of Sagada, Mt. Province and former chairperson of the Department of Anthropology at the University of Kentucky.
Former UP Professor of Law and current Supreme Court associate justice Mario Victor (Marvic) Leonen will also deliver a plenary lecture.
Some government agencies have given their endorsements for participation in the conference.
These are the Commission on Higher Education, the Department of Science and Technology, the National Commission on Indigenous Peoples, the Department of the Interior and Local Government, the Department of Education and the Philippine Commission on Women.
Interested participants may register online by visiting their website.
Subsidized registration fee is at Php4000 to cover a conference bag, book, lunches and light snacks.
For inquiries and further details please contact Nicholai Fanged through telephone number +63 74 442-5794 or you may write him at the conference email address iccs2.upbaguio@up.edu.ph.
Updates on the conference program, official endorsements and the complete list of paper presentations will be uploaded on the conference website. Roland Rabang)