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On Becoming Filipino American. Carlos Bulosan and the Manong Generation. Political cartoon from Judge The caption reads: the Filipino’s first bath. President McKinley stands in the pool of civilization in front of the white house.
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On Becoming Filipino American Carlos Bulosan and the Manong Generation
Political cartoon from Judge The caption reads: the Filipino’s first bath. President McKinley stands in the pool of civilization in front of the white house. In the background, Puerto Rico and Cuba have just had their bath.
Key Themes & Questions • How do immigrants from Asia and Latin America complicate the black/white racial divide? • How do issues of citizenship and immigration challenge ideas of race and gender? • How do ethnic immigrants negotiate a space for themselves in American culture and society?
Migration & Manongs • 1902-1934 - Philippines under direct U.S. military control • Filipinos could travel to the U.S. as “nationals” with a U.S. passport • Familiar with US culture/history because of US modernizing projects in islands • First major wave of Filipino migration: • Laborers – Hawaiian plantations, Alaskan canneries, west coast agriculture • Now known as the “manong” generation – “manong” is Ilocano term of respect for your male elder • July 22, 1930 – Carlos Bulosan arrives in Seattle
Discussion Question • In the first story, why does the narrator say that his brother’s letter is what drove him away from his village and sent him “half-way round the world” (65)? What could the letter symbolize to the narrator and his family?