Reading the Boxer Codex Against the Grain

Inaanyahan po ang lahat na dumalo sa lektura ni Dr. Luis Castellvi Laukamp ng University of Manchester na may pamagat na “Reading the Boxer Codex Against the Grain”. Ito ay gaganapin sa ika-23 ng Pebrero, 2024 mula 10:00 hanggang 11:00 n.u. sa Silid Balatik, Pavilion 2, Palma Hall.

Abstract:
“After the composition of the Boxer Codex, as the sixteenth century ended, there would be no more major conquests for the Spanish empire. From this perspective, the chronicle reads like a swan song of a metropolis afraid to lose its overseas territories in the Pacific. While representing the Visayans as an object of imperial desire, the Boxer Codex attests to the vitality of a native Philippine society that would not easily submit to conquest. Underneath the imperial jargon lies a description of a Visayan society that, while certainly not openly anti-imperial, is vital, vibrant, and rich enough to encourage all sorts of alternative readings. Indeed, the pressures exerted by Visayan resistance on Spanish elite discourse compel it to label natives as barbarians and characterize their attempts to maintain their way of life as inspired by the devil. However, one can interpret official history as indicative of the contradictions that reflect the consciousness of the subaltern. Given the lack of alternative sources, we are forced to resort to the Spanish accounts, but that does not mean accepting them literally. Following the example of Guha, one of the pioneers of Subaltern Studies, this paper will read the Boxer Codex against the grain.”

Source: UP Departamento ng Kasaysayan Facebook