Fourteen undergraduate history majors at UP Diliman (UPD) made history themselves by presenting their research at Defying Gravity, the first colloquium for undergraduate history majors.
In a correspondence with UPDate Online, Ma. Mercedes G. Planta, PhD, professor at the UPD Department of History (DHist) and the colloquium organizer, explained that the event was a platform for the undergraduate senior history majors to “present their original to a formal, scholarly audience.”
“This event was conceived sometime in 2021, a recommendation to comply with the current standardization to fit the universal standards of quality assurance for education,” Planta added.
DHist Chair Raul V. Pagunsan said the colloquium highlighted the importance of sharing research with a wider public. Meanwhile, Dean Ruth R. Lusterio-Rico of the UPD College of Social Sciences and Philosophy (CSSP) noted that the event was “not an easy task” but was crucial because it underscored the value of research.
The research papers presented were grouped into four panels, each with invited discussants.
The first panel focused on the Philippines under the United States. The papers presented were The 1915 Panama-Pacific International Exposition and the Colonial Exhibition of Philippine Education by Benelyn P. Ferrer and Imperial Dean: Worcester, the Department of the Interior, and Philippine Natural Resources, 1901-1913 by Jonathan F. Garza Jr.
Discussants for Panel 1 were Jonathan V. Baldoza, a PhD candidate at the Princeton University Department of History, and Ma. Florinoa Orillos-Juan, PhD, associate professor at the De La Salle Department of History.
Panel 2’s topic was the Philippines under Japan. The papers presented were Beyond Frontlines: The People Behind the Huk Movement, 1942-1950s by Gabriel L. Javier, Shaping Perceptions: The Tribune’s Role in the Greater East Asia Co-Prosperity Sphere, 1942-1945 by Dorothy Joy V. Santos, and After 50 Years: Issues of Comfort Women in the Philippines, 1991-2024 by Mark Russell D. Muros.
Discussants in Panel 2 were Karl Ian U. Cheng Chua, PhD, assistant professor at the UPD Asian Center, and Ma. Teresa Trinidad Pineda-Tinio, PhD, senior vice president for academic affairs at the Far Eastern University.
Panel 3 explored Post-War Philippines, featuring four research papers: Joma Sison and the Rejectionist, 1986-2017 by Sean Heinrich Flores, Crossroads at the Outlier: The Philippine Government and the Sabah Claim, 1977-2024 by Rafael Miguel B. Maningas, From Oppressor to Benefactor? An Overview of Japan-Philippines Relations, 1950s-2020s by Antonio Amideo C. Zaldivar, and Recovery or Dependency? Truman’s Famine Emergency Committee in the Post War Philippines by Desiree Mae D. Atienza.
Discussants for the third panel were Director Ramon C. Guillermo of the UPD Center for International Studies, Kar-Yen Leong, PhD, associate professor at the National Chung Cheng University Cognitive Science PhD Program, and Emmanuel Jayson V. Bolata, assistant professor at the DHist.
The last panel covered religion and the religious. The papers presented were Kumbento, Eskwelahan, at Kalsada: Ang PAghubog ng mga Madreng Militante, 1960s-1990s bny Adrienne Vi Marie R. Siquete, Sa Ngalan ng Nasyonalismo at Ebanghelyo: Ang Kilusang Pilipinisasyon ng mga Relihiyosong Orden ng 1957 by John Emmanuel F. Dinio, For the Church and Filipinos: The Academic Life of Jesuit Historian Fr. John N. Schumacher, NJ (1951-2000) by John Michael Silerio, Reviving Tradition: The Continuation of Holy Week Processions in San Mateo, Rizal Post-1945 by David Jonathan S. Jazmines, and Towards a New Beginning: The Iglesia Filipina Indepiente Under Isabelo delos Reyes JR. 1940s-1970s by Krymerth L. Pagapong.
Discussants were Manuel Victor J. Sapitula, PhD, professor at the Saint Vincent School of Theology Department of Theology, Francis M. Navarro, PhD, director of the University Archives at the Ateneo de Manila University, and Danilo Francisco M. Reyes of the UPD Department of English and Comparative Literature and the UPD Departamento ng Filipino at Panitikan ng Pilipinas.
Described as “a forum for critical scholarly discussion with feedback from prominent historians and experts in the field,” Defying Gravity also had the privilege of having former DHist chair and historian Milagros C. Guerrero, PhD as keynote speaker.
Defying Gravity was held on April 7 at the CSSP Pilar Herrera Hall.