Let’s take a look at the other side of the Galleon Trade. In this week's episode of Extra Credit, we track the exchange between the Philippines and Minnan—as well as the Chinese who made it happen. (Listen to S5E13 before listening to this one!)

From 1762 to 1764, the British invaded and occupied Manila. When they left and returned the capital to Spain, the Castilians turned their wrath on the Chinese community, calling them traitors, apostates, and collaborators. But what was the real score?  Follow us on IG: @thecolonialdeptFollow us on TikTok: @thecolonialdept Email us: [email protected] References: Flannery, Kristie Patrice (2016). “Battlefield Diplomacy and Empire-building in the Early Modern Pacific World.”...

In California, sympathetic judges allow a Filipino man to marry a white woman—at least until a new state law arrives. In this week's episode of Extra Credit, we check out the Roldan v. Los Angeles County case. (Listen to S5E12 before listening to this one!)

In the early decades of the 20th century, scores of young Filipino men began migrating to the United States to work. In their spare time, they dressed in their best suits and nattiest shoes, then hit the clubs. But when these dance-hall romances blossomed into marriages with white women, the law stepped in to stop them. Central to the plaintiffs’ legal arguments was a dazzling trick question of pure pseudoscience: Was the Filipino a Mongolian… or a Malay?  Follow us on IG:...

After publishing Noli Me Tangere, Jose Rizal gets red-tagged… er, German-tagged by the Spanish authorities! In this week's episode of Extra Credit, we check out the accusations against Rizal, and how he responded to them. (Listen to S5E11 before listening to this one!)

Sea snakes and scientists, popes and Pacific islands all star in this wide-ranging episode. As Germany and Spain threaten to go to war over a chain of islands, the Spaniards feared that the diplomatic ruckus kicked up by the Caroline Crisis would also swallow up their colony next door: the Philippines! Follow us on IG: @thecolonialdept Follow us on TikTok: @thecolonialdept Email us: [email protected] P.S. My voiceover partner-in-crime, Anya, is on extended leave, so I’ll be...

During negotiations with the besieging British, an English officer loses his head to Philippine lancers! In this week's episode of Extra Credit, we zero in on this unexpected episode during the 1762 Battle of Manila. (Listen to S5E10 before listening to this one!)

When the conquistadors arrive in the Philippines, the takers of gold come face to face with the takers of heads. Follow us on IG: @thecolonialdept Follow us on TikTok: @thecolonialdept Email us: [email protected] References: Tan, Narciso C. (2021). Púgot: Head Taking, Ritual Cannibalism, and Human Sacrifice in the Philippines. Vibal Foundation. De Raedt, Jules (2010). “The Talanganay Myth Analyzed.” The Cordillera Review: Journal of Philippine Culture and Society, 2(1). Zaragoza,...

During World War II, the Japanese-backed currency became a laughingstock in Manila!  In this week's episode of Extra Credit, we take a look at wartime currency. (Listen to S5E9 before listening to this one!)

Sisid rice. “Star” meat. Loads and loads of kamote. Inside Japanese-occupied Manila, residents of the capital city must do what they can to fend off starvation. Follow us on IG: @thecolonialdept Follow us on TikTok: @thecolonialdept Email us: [email protected] References: Doeppers, Daniel (2016). Feeding Manila in Peace and War, 1850-1945. Ateneo de Manila University Press. Jose, Ricardo T. (1998). The Japanese Occupation. In Kasaysayan: The Story of the Filipino People. Asia...

Abducted from their homes, these slaves are plunged into their new life!  In this week's episode of Extra Credit, we discuss the lives of the slaves in Sulu. (Listen to S5E8 before listening to this one!)

The panicked cries of a watchman, the desperate tolling of church bells, the cloud of masts appearing on the horizon. In the coastal towns of colonial Philippines, these can only mean one thing: the slavers have arrived. Follow us on IG: @thecolonialdeptFollow us on TikTok: @thecolonialdeptEmail us: [email protected] References: Warren, James Francis (2021). The Sulu Zone, 1768-1898: The Dynamics of External Trade, Slavery, and Ethnicity in the Transformation of a Southeast Asian...

The first pact signed between the US and the Sulu kingdom! In this week's episode of Extra Credit, we discuss Charles Wilkes’ sitdown with the sultan. (Listen to S5E7 before listening to this one!)

The “scientifics” of the so-called Ex Ex summit Mt. Banahaw in 1842, as part of their quest to survey the Philippine archipelago! What does this American scientific expedition find in our islands? Follow us on IG: @thecolonialdeptFollow us on TikTok: @thecolonialdeptEmail us: [email protected] References Wilkes, Charles (1845). Narrative of the United States Exploring Expedition. During the years 1838, 1839, 1840, 1841, 1842. Lea and Blanchard. Walsh, Jane (March 2004). “From the...

The search is on for the legendary mines of the north! In this week's episode of Extra Credit, we discuss the early Spanish expeditions to what is now Benguet. (Listen to S5E6 before listening to this one!)

Through extortion, occupation, and “tribute”, the Spanish conquistadors in the Philippines get to work looting and plundering that most precious of all metals: gold.  Follow us on IG: @thecolonialdeptFollow us on TikTok: @thecolonialdeptEmail us: [email protected] References: Sitoy, T. Valentino, Jr. (1985). A History of Christianity in the Philippines: The Initial Encounter, Vol. 1. New Day Publishers. Newson, Linda A. (2011). Conquest & Pestilence in the Early Spanish...

Clashes over cowboy country! In this week's episode of Extra Credit, we discuss the conflict that raged over this Mindanao province during World War II. (Listen to S5E5 before listening to this one!)

The Bataan Death March is rightly remembered as one of the worst atrocities in the Philippine theater of World War II. But it wasn’t the only death march. Follow us on IG: @thecolonialdeptFollow us on TikTok: @thecolonialdeptEmail us: [email protected] References: Frederick Marion Fullerton Collection (AFC/2001/001/15785), Veterans History Project, American Folklife Center, Library of Congress. Edgerton, Ronald K. (2009). People of the Middle Ground: A Century of Conflict and...

Witness the rise of the incubated duck egg! In this week's episode of Extra Credit, we present a short history of that signature Pinoy dish. (Listen to S5E4 before listening to this one!)

In the 1890s, a wealthy Filipino family sits down to eat a “full Filipino breakfast.” Let’s run down the history of everything on their menu, shall we? Follow us on IG: @thecolonialdept Follow us on TikTok: @thecolonialdept Email us: [email protected] References: Doeppers, Daniel (2016). Feeding Manila in Peace and War, 1850-1945. Ateneo de Manila University Press. Legarda, Benito J. (1999). After the Galleons: Foreign Trade, Economic Change, and Entrepreneurship in the...

Need labor, lumber, and loads of rice? The Spanish in Manila looked to Pampanga. In this week's episode of Extra Credit, we check in on one of colonial Philippines’ most important provinces. (Listen to S5E3 before listening to this one!)

Kapampangan warriors! Japanese mercs! Spanish soldiers! Portuguese promises! Let’s set sail with the grand fleet of Governor-General Juan de Silva as they face down the Dutch. Follow us on IG: @thecolonialdept Follow us on TikTok: @thecolonialdept Email us: [email protected] References: Borschberg, Peter (2010). “Luso-Spanish Naval Intervention.” In The Singapore and Malaka Straits: Violence, Security and Diplomacy in the 17th Century. National University of Singapore Press,...

What was life like for this Sulu royal after her rebellion? In this week's episode of Extra Credit, we check in with Princess Tarhata’s life and legacy. (Listen to S5E2 before listening to this one!)

From princess to flapper to schoolteacher to rebel, this is the extraordinary story of Tarhata Kiram. Follow us on IG: @thecolonialdept Follow us on TikTok: @thecolonialdept Email us: [email protected] Charbonneau, Oliver (2021). Civilizational Imperatives: Americans, Moros, and the Colonial World. Ateneo de Manila University Press. Leetaru, Kaleev (2004-2011). “Woman’s Building/Bevier Hall/English Building.” UIHistories Project: A History of the University of Illinois....