De La Salle University Southeast Asia Research Center and Hub

ANNOUNCEMENT: SHIFT TO ONLINE LECTURE

In view of recent university advisories, the public lecture:

“BEYOND THE NATION-STATE: TOWARDS A TRANS-ENVIRONMENTAL HISTORY OF RISK AND DISASTER IN THE PHILIPPINES”
by Prof. Dr. Greg Bankoff

scheduled on 26 March 2026 (Thursday), 2:30–4:00 PM will now be conducted online via Zoom.

Registration remains required.
The Zoom link will be sent exclusively to registered participants.

If you wish to join, you may still register through the same link:
🔗 https://forms.gle/FuNvuUMVbJsix7uY9

We look forward to your participation. Thank you.

Abstract
The history of the Philippines has largely been framed within the boundaries of the nation-state, shaping both how its past has been interpreted and the societies with which it is most often compared. A trans-environmental perspective, however, situates the archipelago within broader geographies of environmental risk that transcend political borders. Located in the path of the powerful typhoons that form over the Western North Pacific and along the seismic and volcanic “Ring of Fire” stretching from Indonesia to Japan, the Philippines occupies a landscape defined by recurrent natural hazards. These environmental conditions link the archipelago to other hazard-prone societies whose histories have likewise been shaped by cycles of destruction, displacement, and recovery. This talk argues for a trans-environmental history that foregrounds shared regimes of risk rather than geopolitical boundaries as the basis for comparison. By placing the Philippines within wider hazard zones, it explores how repeated exposure to typhoons, earthquakes, and volcanic eruptions has structured patterns of adaptation, resilience, and social response over time, revealing disaster as a fundamental historical condition shaping Filipino experience.

FYI

CALL FOR ABSTRACTS
2nd Annual Online Graduate Student International Colloquium on Southeast Asian Scholarship

May 28, 2026

The Department of History at the Chinese University of Hong Kong is pleased to announce its 2nd Annual Online Graduate Student International Colloquium (Round Table Discussion Format).

The organizing committee invites MA, MPhil, PhD students, and recent graduates [from 2024 to present] across the world in round table discussions focusing on the theme “Continuities, Disruptions, and Gaps in Philippine Historical Studies.” These discussions aim to foster a dynamic, conversational space where participants can collectively interrogate how Philippine histories are shaped, challenged, and reconfigured across various fields and methodologies.

We seek abstracts that critically engage with enduring historical narratives and long‑standing scholarly traditions, as well as those that highlight moments of rupture—shifts in historiography, new methodological interventions, or emerging digital and public history approaches. We also invite contributions that confront the silences, omissions, and marginalized perspectives in Philippine historical research.

Participants may engage the theme through the following areas of interest:
- Digital Humanities, Accessible Research, and Public History
- Subaltern Lives, Marginalized Narratives, and Disability in History
- Science, Medicine, and Knowledge Production in Philippine History
- Historical Methods, Interdisciplinary and Comparative Approaches
- Urban History, Built Environments, and Spatial Histories

To enrich comparative discussions, scholars engaged in Southeast Asia research that focus on the above-mentioned themes are also highly encouraged to participate.
The round table discussions will be done online via ZOOM. Accepted participants will be organized into 5 panels, with 7 to 10 minute presentations for each panel member. This will be followed by a round table discussion among the participants. Questions from the audience are highly encouraged.

Interested participants must submit a 100 to 150-word abstract via this link https://easychair.org/conferences/?conf=agsic2seasia or the QR code on the poster below. Submissions should be done on or before April 13, 2026. All proposed abstracts will be subject to blind peer review.

For questions about the 2nd Graduate Colloquium please email [email protected]

Earlier today, the De La Salle University Southeast Asia Research Center and Hub (DLSU-SEARCH), in partnership with the Department of International Studies and the Southeast Asian Studies Organization (DLSU-SEASON), successfully hosted the lecture:

“Voicing Harmony: ASEAN Rhetoric Amid Asymmetries”

We extend our sincere thanks to Allan Benedict C. Solacito, Lecturer and Coordinator of the DLSU Southeast Asian Studies Program, for sharing his insights on ASEAN rhetoric, regional dynamics, and the challenges of asymmetry in Southeast Asia.

This lecture forms part of the ASEAN Moment: DLSU Lecture Series 2026, our contribution to ongoing conversations in light of the Philippines’ ASEAN Chairmanship.

Thank you to all participants who joined us earlier today.

ANNOUNCEMENT: SHIFT TO ONLINE LECTURE
In light of De La Salle University’s memo on restricted campus access on 23 March 2026, the following public lecture will be conducted online.
Registration remains required. If you wish to join, you may still register through the same link: 🔗 https://forms.gle/3HD8mDRiQCKxYDUg7
Registered participants will be sent the Zoom access link via email.

We look forward to your participation. Thank you.

PUBLIC LECTURE INVITATION
The De La Salle University Southeast Asia Research Center and Hub (DLSU-SEARCH), Department of International Studies, and Southeast Asian Studies Organization (DLSU-SEASON) cordially invite you to a public lecture:

VOICING HARMONY: ASEAN RHETORIC AMID ASYMMETRIES
Speaker: Allan Benedict C. Solacito
Lecturer and Coordinator of the Southeast Asian Studies Program, DLSU-Department of International Studies

Date: 23 March 2026 (Monday)
Time: 11:00-12:30
(Venue: ASEAN Corner, Learning Commons, 14th Floor, Henry Sy Sr. Hall, De La Salle University)- Update: the event will now be conducted online via Zoom. Registered participants will be sent the access link.

This lecture is open to the public but pre-registration is strictly required.

Registration Link: https://forms.gle/3HD8mDRiQCKxYDUg7

Abstract:
According to James Boyd White (1985), ‘constitutive rhetoric’ is the activity and art of constituting a character, community, and culture in language. Maurice Charland (1987) extends this by saying that language does not merely persuade but produces effects by generating ‘conditions of possibility’. Charland argues that through interpellation, discourse ‘hails’ individuals into specific subject positions creating the underlying environment that allows certain thoughts, actions, or roles to emerge. Words like consensus, cooperation, non-interference, unity, and harmony among others are the ideographs that constitute ASEAN. Established in 1967, the association has continually enacted and embodied these principles which structure the shared regional identity and define the conditions of possibility for both the organization and its eleven member states. However, regional asymmetries and great power insecurities expose that this constitutive rhetoric is often transformed into eulogistic coverings and/or symbolic misrepresentations for decision paralysis and inaction. Cases such as the South China Sea disputes and Myanmar's crisis expose "rhetoric-reality gaps" (Valockova 2025). Timor-Leste’s accession enacts and embodies this constitutive rhetoric but reveals performative limits (Solacito & Lim 2026). Therefore, as ASEAN hails normative discourses, they mystify enforcement failures which dilutes ASEAN centrality. Thus, while constitutive rhetoric sustains ASEAN’s symbolic harmony, it demands demystification through concrete actions.

About the Speaker:
Allan Benedict C. Solacito is a Lecturer and the Coordinator of the Southeast Asian Studies Program at the Department of International Studies, De La Salle University-Manila. In 2024, he received his Master of Arts degree in Asian Political Economy at the National Tsing Hua University. He graduated Cum Laude with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Speech Communication at the University of the Philippines - Diliman. Prior to entering academia, he worked as a junior economist in the Philippine government and think tanks in Taiwan. He writes about political and policy rhetoric, political economy, q***r studies, and religion in public life within Southeast Asia.

ANNOUNCEMENT: SHIFT TO ONLINE LECTURE

In view of recent university advisories, the public lecture:

“BEYOND THE NATION-STATE: TOWARDS A TRANS-ENVIRONMENTAL HISTORY OF RISK AND DISASTER IN THE PHILIPPINES”

by Prof. Dr. Greg Bankoff

scheduled on 26 March 2026 (Thursday), 2:30–4:00 PM will now be conducted online via Zoom.

Registration remains required.

The Zoom link will be sent exclusively to registered participants.

If you wish to join, you may still register through the same link:
🔗 https://forms.gle/FuNvuUMVbJsix7uY9

We look forward to your participation. Thank you.

This lecture is open to the public but pre-registration is strictly required. Registration link: https://forms.gle/FuNvuUMVbJsix7uY9

Abstract
The history of the Philippines has largely been framed within the boundaries of the nation-state, shaping both how its past has been interpreted and the societies with which it is most often compared. A trans-environmental perspective, however, situates the archipelago within broader geographies of environmental risk that transcend political borders. Located in the path of the powerful typhoons that form over the Western North Pacific and along the seismic and volcanic “Ring of Fire” stretching from Indonesia to Japan, the Philippines occupies a landscape defined by recurrent natural hazards. These environmental conditions link the archipelago to other hazard-prone societies whose histories have likewise been shaped by cycles of destruction, displacement, and recovery. This talk argues for a trans-environmental history that foregrounds shared regimes of risk rather than geopolitical boundaries as the basis for comparison. By placing the Philippines within wider hazard zones, it explores how repeated exposure to typhoons, earthquakes, and volcanic eruptions has structured patterns of adaptation, resilience, and social response over time, revealing disaster as a fundamental historical condition shaping Filipino experience.

PUBLIC LECTURE INVITATION
The De La Salle University Southeast Asia Research Center and Hub (DLSU-SEARCH), Department of International Studies, and Southeast Asian Studies Organization (DLSU-SEASON) cordially invite you to a public lecture:

VOICING HARMONY: ASEAN RHETORIC AMID ASYMMETRIES
Speaker: Allan Benedict C. Solacito
Lecturer and Coordinator of the Southeast Asian Studies Program, DLSU-Department of International Studies

Date: 23 March 2026 (Monday)
Time: 11:00-12:30
(Venue: ASEAN Corner, Learning Commons, 14th Floor, Henry Sy Sr. Hall, De La Salle University)- Update: the event will now be conducted online via Zoom. Registered participants will be sent the access link.

This lecture is open to the public but pre-registration is strictly required.

Registration Link: https://forms.gle/3HD8mDRiQCKxYDUg7

Abstract:
According to James Boyd White (1985), ‘constitutive rhetoric’ is the activity and art of constituting a character, community, and culture in language. Maurice Charland (1987) extends this by saying that language does not merely persuade but produces effects by generating ‘conditions of possibility’. Charland argues that through interpellation, discourse ‘hails’ individuals into specific subject positions creating the underlying environment that allows certain thoughts, actions, or roles to emerge. Words like consensus, cooperation, non-interference, unity, and harmony among others are the ideographs that constitute ASEAN. Established in 1967, the association has continually enacted and embodied these principles which structure the shared regional identity and define the conditions of possibility for both the organization and its eleven member states. However, regional asymmetries and great power insecurities expose that this constitutive rhetoric is often transformed into eulogistic coverings and/or symbolic misrepresentations for decision paralysis and inaction. Cases such as the South China Sea disputes and Myanmar's crisis expose "rhetoric-reality gaps" (Valockova 2025). Timor-Leste’s accession enacts and embodies this constitutive rhetoric but reveals performative limits (Solacito & Lim 2026). Therefore, as ASEAN hails normative discourses, they mystify enforcement failures which dilutes ASEAN centrality. Thus, while constitutive rhetoric sustains ASEAN’s symbolic harmony, it demands demystification through concrete actions.

About the Speaker:
Allan Benedict C. Solacito is a Lecturer and the Coordinator of the Southeast Asian Studies Program at the Department of International Studies, De La Salle University-Manila. In 2024, he received his Master of Arts degree in Asian Political Economy at the National Tsing Hua University. He graduated Cum Laude with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Speech Communication at the University of the Philippines - Diliman. Prior to entering academia, he worked as a junior economist in the Philippine government and think tanks in Taiwan. He writes about political and policy rhetoric, political economy, q***r studies, and religion in public life within Southeast Asia.

ANNOUNCEMENT: EVENT CANCELLATION

The De La Salle University Southeast Asia Research Center and Hub (SEARCH) and the Department of History regret to inform you that the public lecture titled:

“Colonial Democracy in Southeast Asia: The Philippines as a Case Study”
by Dr. Shelton Woods
scheduled on 18 March 2026 (Wednesday), 9:15–10:45 AM at Pardo Hall, Henry Sy Sr. Hall, De La Salle University

has been cancelled due to the shift to a work-from-home modality this week.

We sincerely apologize for any inconvenience this may cause and appreciate your understanding.

Further updates regarding a possible rescheduling will be announced in due course.

Thank you.

PUBLIC LECTURE INVITATION (This event has been cancelled)

The De La Salle University Southeast Asia Research Center and Hub (SEARCH) and the Department of History invite you to a public lecture:

Colonial Democracy in Southeast Asia: The Philippines as a Case Study

Speaker: Dr. Shelton Woods
Associate Dean, Honors College and Distinguished Professor of Southeast Asian History
Boise State University, Idaho, USA

Date: 18 March 2026 (Wednesday)
Time: 9:15-10:45 AM
Venue: Pardo Hall, 5th Floor, Henry Sy Sr. Building, De La Salle University

This lecture is open to the public but pre-registration is strictly required.

Registration Link:
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdsUFkSKjMAASanoK-2zHtr9bgB8YiXf0pCDVrFD00m0f2qxg/viewform

Registration Deadline: March 16, 2025
________________________________________
About the Speaker:

Dr. Shelton Woods was born in Manila and spent his first eighteen years in Baguio City. As a child and teenager, his closest friends were members of the Kankanaey and Ibaloi peoples, though their common language of communication was Ilocano.
At eighteen he moved to the United States to play collegiate basketball. He earned his MA in Modern Chinese History and his PhD in Southeast Asian and Japanese History from UCLA. He has served as a distinguished professor and dean at Boise State University for the past twenty-five years, and during the summers he teaches at Oxford University.
Dr. Woods is the author of seven books and over a hundred scholarly articles.
More information about Dr. Woods and his latest book can be found at: sheltonwoods.com

Will you free my Palestine?

Visit the Valentine’s Booth at the Cory Aquino Democratic Space (CADS) at DLSU on 12-13 February and show your support for local Palestinian businesses.

Drop by on February 13, 11:00 AM - 4:00 PM for poetry reading, flag waving, love notes to Palestine, and special freebies.

This booth is made possible by the Palestine Collective, a research team of the Southeast Asia Research Center and Hub (DLSU-SEARCH).

We invite everyone to pass by, participate, and stand in solidarity.

Register now through- http://tinyurl.com/nov19palestine

Please join us at the lecture by H.E. Dr. Varsen Aghabekian Shahin, Minister of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates, State of Palestine, entitled “The Ceasefire in Gaza & The Situation in the West Bank” at the Roof Deck, Henry Sy Sr. Hall, De La Salle University on November 19, 2025 from 5:00 - 5:30 PM for the Lecture and 5:30 - 6:00 PM for the Q&A

To register, click the following link- http://tinyurl.com/nov19palestine

Registration for in-person attendance is on a first-come, first-served basis (first 35 participants). The registration will close on Monday, November 17 at 12 noon.

In commemoration of Palestine's Independence Day on November 15, this event is jointly organized by the Palestine Collective and the De La Salle University Southeast Asia Research Center and Hub (DLSU-SEARCH).

About Palestine Collective
The Palestine Collective aims to catalyze conversations about the Palestinian cause, particularly in relation to displaced peoples. We collaborate with local and transnational organizations to produce research, develop pedagogy, and organize advocacies to build solidarity and advance social justice.