China and the Philippines: A Connected History for our Fracturing World

This talk is based on the speaker's 2024 book, China and the Philippines: A Connected History, c. 1900-1950, which brings to life an array of understudied, but influential characters, such as Filipino jazz musicians, Chinese swimmers-turned-diplomats, expert Filipino marksmen, leading Chinese educators, Philippine-Chinese bankers, Philippine Carnival Queens, and many others. Through archival research in multiple languages, the book and this talk bring to life a forgotten world of contact and perseverance that offers important lessons for our current era of conflict and uncertainty. Phillip B. Guingona is an assistant professor of history and director of the International and Global Studies and Asian Studies programs at Nazareth University. His research has thus far explored the entangled histories of Asia in the early twentieth century with a specific focus on China and the Philippines, and new projects examine the histories of communications technologies, data collection, and data subversion. His first book, China and the Philippines, was published with Cambridge University Press in 2024. His new project, Denying Data, will explore data subversion in world history.