The Afterlife of the American Empire

On April 14th, 2022, Pilipinx scholars from around the U.S. met virtually to examine the role of the American Empire in the Philippines, including the Philippine American War (1899 – 1902); the role of education in colonization; the institutionalization of white supremacy; and how American imperialism continues to shape the experiences of Filipinos in the Philippines and in the United States today. The event was hosted by the Cal Pilipinx American Alumni Chapter (PAAC) in partnership with the Cal Alumni Association, UC Berkeley’s Division of Equity & Inclusion, The Asian Pacific American Student Development Office, The Asian American Research Center, UC Riverside’s Center for Ideas and Society, and UC Davis’s Bulosan Center for Filipino Studies.

Moderator Neferti X. Tadiar, professor of Women’s, Gender & Sexuality Studies at Barnard College of Columbia University, hosted a conversation with Ricky Punzalan, an associate professor at the University of Michigan School of Information. The panel additionally featured two UC Berkeley alumni, Nerissa S. Balce, Ph.D. ’02, an associate professor of Asian American Studies at SUNY Stony Brook, and Dylan Rodríguez, Ph.D. ’01, a media and cultural studies professor and co-director of the Center for Ideas and Society at UC Riverside. 

Afterlife of the American Empire Panelists

Prior to the event, Rodríguez spoke with Berkeley News, emphasizing the need to dismantle America’s false narratives around the Philippine-American War and the decolonization of research.

Watch a recording of the event

Alumni: To learn more about getting involved with the Pilipinx community at Cal, check out PAAC on Facebook and follow them on Instagram at @calpilipinxalumni.