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PS 301 Perspectives in Philippine Studies Examining Vicente Rafael’s Contracting Colonialism Outline

Michael J. Fast 1. Background on author

1.1. Born in Manila 1.2. Ateneo Grad 1.3. Did rest of studies at Cornell University 1.4. This book is based upon his PhD Dissertation 1.5. Has taught History and Communications at Ateneo and throughout the US (specifically at

Cornell, U of Hawaii, U of California San Diego, and U of Washington.

2. Significance ng work sa PS 2.1. "Rafael's historical study seems to me the most powerful sourcebook for postcolonial

retranslation that we have" (Robinson 1997, 159). 2.2. Used in most PS programs as essential reading (Guillermo 2010, 4). 2.3. Cited 19.3/year from 1990-2009 -- based on stats from Google Scholar -- (Guillermo 2010,

5). 2.4. Success partially due to its connection to two other fields of study: religious

conversion/translation and postcolonialism (Guillermo 2010, 13).

3. Thesis/Purpose: 3.1. "It is the purpose of this book to examine the emergence of Tagalog colonial society

between the late sixteenth and the early eighteenth centuries from the perspective of conversion and translation." - x

3.1.1. "... impact of evangelization on the categories of native social life, especially in regard to masters and slaves." xi

3.1.2. "... institution of of a new vocabulary for the social comprehension of death." xi 3.1.3. "... questions of translation and conversion open up a path for reconsidering the

emergence of nationalist consciousness at the very limits -- both linguistic and historical -- of colonial rule." Xi

4. Outline of the Book 4.1. Preface: Fishing Out the Past

4.1.1. Connection between 3 Spanish words: 4.1.1.1. Conquest

4.1.1.1.1. forcible occupation of a territory 4.1.1.1.2. the act of winning someone's voluntary submission and attaining his

love and affection 4.1.1.2. Conversion

4.1.1.2.1. changing a thing into something else 4.1.1.2.2. "crossing over into the domain ... of someone else and claiming it as

one's own" ix 4.1.1.3. Translation

4.1.1.3.1. This becomes the key idea in the book 4.1.1.3.2. "To express in one language what has been written or previously

expressed in another." quoted on ix 4.1.1.3.3. "... the reduction of native signs into a structure comprehensible in

Spanish terms ..." 106 4.2. Part 1: Translation as Key to Conquest (Chs 1-2)

4.2.1. Ch 1: The Politics of Translation 4.2.1.1. Spanish conquest and how translation was essential to that conquest

4.2.2. Ch 2: Tomas Pinpin and the Shock of Castilian

Examining Vicente Rafael’s Contracting Colonialism 2 4.2.2.1. Tagalog translation of Spanish (Castilian) to help shape (ward off the negative

effects of) that conquest 4.3. Part 2: Mistranslations of Confession (Chs 3-4)

4.3.1. Ch 3: Conversion and the Demands of Confession 4.3.1.1. Confession as a reformulation of past in narrative of sin and repentance (97)

4.3.2. Ch 4: Untranslatability and the Terms of Reciprocity 4.3.2.1. Confession as a transaction / barter

4.4. Part 3: Successfully Translating Submission (& Death) (Chs 5-6) 4.4.1. Ch 5: Translating Submission

4.4.1.1. Submission to others is reshaped with the introduction of Spanish ideas 4.4.2. Ch 6: Paradise and the Reinvention of Death

4.4.2.1. Submission to God is reshaped by a new Tagalog understanding of death 4.5. Afterward: Translation and the Colonial Legacy

5. Ideas and Discussions

5.1. Ideas Related to Translation: 5.1.1. Rafael calls both Spanish and Tagalog activities "mistranslations." Is that valid? Can

they both be effective anyway? Does each of these adequately reflect any real translational situation? Does this idea of "mistranslation" actually reflect Tagalog coping with the problems inherent in the Spanish ideas of translation? Who ultimately controls translation? Is assimilation necessary?

5.1.2. Does Rafael's idea of Tagalog translation truly reflect translation? Are we willing to accept it?

5.1.2.1. Empirical vs Philosophical Approaches to Translation 5.1.2.2. What were Spanish theories of translation? 5.1.2.3. Does “Tagalog Translation” reflect more translation or praxis

5.1.2.3.1. Language School vs LAMP learning methods 5.1.3. What is the basis for evaluating translational effectiveness? At what point does it

break down? 5.1.3.1. How much is praxis involved?

5.2. Ideas Related to Conversion: 5.2.1. Is there only one meaning to "conversion"? Would the analysis be better approached

by introducing the term "proselyte" and comparing it with "convert"? 5.2.1.1. Andrew F. Walls Proselyte and Convert

5.3. Ideas Related to Submission 5.3.1. “Magandang Camatayan”

5.4. Other Ideas: 5.4.1. Poststructuralism vis-à-vis Baybayin multiplicity of meaning 5.4.2. What if the book was written backwards? Ie. Rather than the current pattern of

Spanish – Tagalog it was reversed to Tagalog – Spanish. Would that more accurately reflect Rafael’s idea that Tagalogs were “shocked” by the arrival and presence of the Spanish?

5.4.3. This evaluation is based upon Rafael's understanding of Spanish intentions and church history.

5.4.3.1. It almost seems as if he has reversed the typical understanding of Filpino-Spanish relations. In Rafael, the Spanish are altruistic but mistaken while the Tagalogs are opportunistic and economically oriented.

6. References:

6.1.1. Guillermo, Ramon. 2009. Translation and Revolution: A Study of Jose Rizal's Guillermo Tell. Quezon City: ADMU Press.

Examining Vicente Rafael’s Contracting Colonialism 3 6.1.2. __________. 2010. "Citing a Southeast Asian Classic: Citation Analysis of Vicente

Rafael's Contracting Colonialism." Paper presented at "Engaging the Classics in Malay and Southeast Asian Studies," 17-18 June 2010, National University of Singapore.

6.1.3. Rafael, Vicente L. 1988. Contracting Colonialism: Translation and Christian Conversion in Tagalog Society Under Early Spanish Rule. Quezon City: ADMU Press.

6.1.4. Robinson, Douglas. 1997."Retranslation and the Problem of Foreignism, Tejaswini Niranja," in TradTerm 4(2), 2nd semestre 1997, 149-165.

6.1.5. Walls, Andrew F. 1996. The Translation Principle in Christian History. In The Missionary Movement in Christian History. Maryknoll: Orbis: 26-42.

6.1.6. __________. 2004. Converts or Proselytes? The Crisis over Conversion in the Early Church. International Bulletin Of Missionary Research, Vol. 28, No. 1: 2-6.