Embedding the Philippines into the Map

This conversation explores the decolonisation of Southeast Asian art history through the lens of the Philippines, a nation often marginalised within the field’s traditional framework. By examining the Mapping Philippine Material Culture project, which aggregates Philippine artefacts in global museum collections, it highlights the challenges and opportunities of decolonial approaches in the field. The Mapping project, led by Filipino scholars Maria Cristina Juan and Marian Pastor Roces, serves as a digital platform that seeks to recontextualise ethnographic objects and challenge colonial-era narratives. Through crowd-sourced knowledge production and participatory workshops, the project facilitates a critical engagement with indigenous voices, and community involvement in interpreting objects. The project also questions the notion of object provenance and ownership, advocating for shared cultural stewardship rather than the commodification of art. Ultimately, this work offers a model for decolonising Southeast Asian art history through inclusive practices of digital humanities

Citizen journalism · Colonialism · Commodification · Conversation · Decolonization · Ethnography · Indigenous · Materiality (auditing) · Stewardship (theology) · Asian American and Pacific Histories · Crafts, Textile, and Design · Philippine History and Culture