English

This paper is a postcolonial reading of Nick Joaquin's The Mass of St. Sylvestre. It explores the implicit references to historical events that have had a decisive impact on the history of the Philippines. It argues that historical events hidden in the story point to the destructive effect of American colonialism in the Philippines.

Nick Joaquin (Nicomedes Márquez Joaquín, 1917-2004) is widely known for his interest in the Spanish colonial period and its culture in the Philippines. He employed the "Walled City" or Intramuros (Old Manila) as the setting for The Mass of St. Sylvestre (1946) and many other stories. Intramuros not only has an important role in Joaquin's short story as a physical place, but also conveys identity elements and cultural meanings. This cathedral city has a glorious but neglected past and Joaquin, by retelling the stories from this magnificent past, recalls the link between Filipino identity and the formation of culture during the period of Spanish colonialism. His approach to the issue of identity corresponds to what Stuart Hall classifies as the "Enlightenment Subject" (1996, p. 597). This paper attempts to explore the role that place and the experience of landscape play as markers of cultural identity in The Mass of St. Sylvestre.

Orientalism (1978) is one of the greatest intellectual works of the last century in which Edward W. Said (1935-2003) challenges Western culture on account of its erroneous beliefs about the East. Orientalism, as Said describes, is not merely an academic field of study, but a way of thinking and a collection of beliefs which work together as a powerful tool to justify the colonial ideology. However, what Said suggests is not an anti-Western theory. In Orientalism, he interacts with a number of his contemporary intellectuals. This paper is a brief review of the influence of contemporary philosophers, thinkers and Western theories on Said's interpretation of Orientalism. The paper also attempts to discuss that how Said's Orientalism is related to the above-mentioned theories such as Gramsci's cultural hegemony, Foucault's notion of power/knowledge, Derrida's deconstruction, and Bakhtin's polyphony. Although this topic has been of interest to other researchers, further studies will contribute to the richness of the subject and can be used by students and scholars.

She also serves as the editor for Binisaya of Bukambibig, a multilingual journal of spoken word and performance poetry. Her literary works have been published in national and international publications. Her first poetry collection Lawas: Women's Stories, Women's Bodies was published in 2016. She is the podcast producer and editor of Basabalak Kanunay, a program dedicated to contemporary Cebuano poetry.

This research explores the postcolonial themes in Nick Joaquin’s literary works to understand their significance in Asia Pacific literature. The purpose is to analyze how Joaquin articulates Filipino identity, resistance, and cultural memory within the context of postcolonial theory. The methodology involves a close textual analysis of key works, focusing on themes of hybridity, cultural sovereignty, and the critique of colonial power structures. The results highlight Joaquin’s use of language, symbolism, and folklore to reclaim indigenous narratives and resist colonial legacies. The study finds that Joaquin’s works offer a nuanced perspective on the postcolonial condition of the Philippines, reflecting broader socio-cultural transformations and persistent colonial influences. The conclusion underscores Joaquin’s contributions to postcolonial discourse and their relevance to understanding the cultural and political landscapes of other Asia Pacific nations. This research demonstrates the importance of integrating literary analysis into postcolonial studies to enrich our comprehension of regional identities and histories, thereby fostering a deeper appreciation of the diverse narratives that shape the Asia Pacific region.