Cultural Heritage Intersection: An International Conference on the Shared Histories and Cultural Heritage of Japan and the Philippines
Organized by Grupo Kalinangan, Inc.
November 6-7, 2020
The international online conference was held with the theme 文化遺産の交差点:日本 とフィリピン (Bunka isan no kōsaten: Nihon to Firipin). The conference included various topics about the shared history, culture and heritage of Japan and the Philippines that flourished during pre-colonial, colonial, modern and contemporary times. At the same time, this conference sought to identify and explore possible solutions to major challenges faced by cultural heritage communities in Japan and the Philippines because of the COVID pandemic.
A number of local and foreign anthropologists, historians, architects and experts in cultural properties who have studied about the Japanese influences in Philippine cultural heritage, as well as historical events that shaped the Filipino milieu, were invited to conduct lectures and talks in this online conference. This event was funded by the Japan Foundation Manila, with counterpart contribution from Grupo Kalinangan Inc. It was also supported by the National Historical Commission of the Philippines, Asia Society Philippines, Yummy Tokyo and other partner cultural NGOs.
In the light of the travel and mass gathering restrictions brought by the COVID-19 pandemic, the international online conference was held as a webinar using Zoom. The proceedings of the two-day online conference was published as an eBook.
The speakers and schedule were as follows:
DAY 1, November 6, 9:00 am – 5:00 pm
WELCOME REMARKS by Dr. Rene R. Escalante (Chairman, National Historical Commission of the Philippines)
OPENING KEYNOTE: “History of the Studies and Researches of Philippine Archaeology and Philippine Prehistory by the Japanese” by Prof. Kazuhiko Tanaka, Ph.D. (Professor, Tsurumi University, Yokohama, Japan)
LECTURE 1: “Changing Representations of Japanese in Children’s Print Media” by Prof. Karl Ian Uy Cheng Chua, Ph.D. (Professor, Ateneo de Manila University, Manila)
LECTURE 2: “Teaching the Filipino Language in Japan” by Prof. Naonori Nagaya, Ph.D. (Professor, Department of Linguistics, The University of Tokyo 東京大学)
LECTURE 3: “Japanese Influences in Philippine Architecture Before World War II” by Prof. Caryn Virginia Paredes-Santillan, Ph.D. (Professor, University of Santo Tomas, Manila)
LECTURE 4: “Shigeru Nakashima and the Nakashima Shoten: The Story of a Very Popular Pharmacy in Manila Before World War II” by Prof. Augusto V. de Viana, Ph.D. (Professor, University of Santo Tomas, Manila)
DAY 2, November 7, 9:00 am – 4:45 pm
LECTURE 5: “DOOR to ASIA: Bridging Cultures and Opportunities through Better Communication Design” by Mikiharu Yabe (Co-founder, DOOR to ASIA, Tohoku)
LECTURE 6: “The History of Japanese Migration in the Philippines 1900-1941: Insights into its Cultural Dynamics and Related Processes” by Prof. Cynthia Luz P. Rivera (Former Research Director, UST Research Center for Intercultural Studies, Manila)
LECTURE 7: “The Nara Document of Authenticity and the Japan Experience in Post-Disaster Recovery for Heritage Sites” by Rohit Jigyasu, Ph.D (Project Manager, ICCROM, Rome, Italy)
ROUNDTABLE DISCUSSIONS: QUO VADIS / どこに行こうか / Saan Ka Pupunta (Addressing the Challenges faced by the Cultural Sector in the time of COVID-19 Pandemic) with Prof. Eric B. Zerrudo, Ph.D. (Director, UST-CCCPET) and Suzuki “Ben” Tsutomu (Director, Japan Foundation Manila)
CLOSING KEYNOTE: “From Hizen to Boljoon: The Trade in Japanese Ceramics in 17th Century Philippines” by Prof. Jose Eleazar R. Bersales, Ph.D. (Director, USC Museum, Cebu City)
