The Colonial Dept. Podcast
1) S6E1: The Dudes and Dandies of Colonial Manila
Cravats. Top hats. Barongs. Striped pants. Wide, wide waistbands. Well-dressed men are on the prowl in Luneta, turning heads and inciting whispers. Let’s meet these fashionable fops, shall we? Follow ...Show More
2) S8E4: Edison’s Cameras, Manila’s Trenches
Yes, Edison as in Thomas Edison, the light bulb guy. At the turn of his century, the tech wizard of Menlo Park produced thousands of movies as a showcase for his company’s vitascopes. Among those movi...Show More
3) S8E3: Nobody Expects the Philippine Inquisition!
When you pulled up to the dock, they were there waiting for you, those holy men of God.But beyond inspecting ships that docked in the ports of Manila and Cavite for blasphemers and banned items, the I...Show More
4) S8E2: Riding a Tram in 1911 Manila
What kind of city was waiting for Dutch scholar Gerret Pieter Rouffaer when he got to Manila?After more than a decade of occupation, the Americans had given the colonial capital some thorough nips and...Show More
5) INTERVIEW: Exploring the food history of the Philippines
“There’s a message to it: It’s our responsibility to keep Filipino food popular!”At the launch for her book What Recipes Don’t Tell: Philippine Food History in Fifty Words, author and historian Felice...Show More
6) S8E1: The Philippine Sour-chipelago
Sourness, according to Doreen Fernandez, “is a favored Philippine flavor.” Just how sour is sour? “Sour enough to savor, to make the lips pucker and the eyes squint slightly, and yet not too sour—just...Show More
7) An important announcement about the future of The Colonial Dept.
Before we start Season 8, I have an important announcement about this little podcast. For more info, check out this Instagram post.
8) INTERVIEW: Twin timelines, entangled histories
“What does it take for a culture that has caused a lot of pain and suffering to have any chance at redemption… or any sense of justice?”Tom Sykes’ riotous new book—a collision of a neon-powered 1980s ...Show More
9) INTERVIEW: Sungka as a wargame?
What a folk game can tell us about how a datu waged war. An interview with Micah Perez of the UP Diliman Department of History. The Colonial Dept. Interview is a bonus show where I talk to researchers...Show More
10) Extra Credit: The supersized storms that hit the Philippines
From the archives of Philippine history, meteorologist Fr. Manuel Selga makes a historical list of some deadly typhoons. (Listen to S7E13 before listening to this one!)