Southeast Asian Academia: Jose Rizal
If I had to pick something quintessentially Filipino and the very definition of Dark Academia classic text, it would have to be Jose Rizal’s Noli Me Tangere and El Filibusterismo. These are my Southeast Asian book recommends for anyone looking to diversify their reading.
Born on June 19 1861 during the Spanish colonization era of the Philippines, Jose Rizal was from an affluent middle class family. He studied in Europe where he met with other Philippine students looking to reform the state of the Philippines during Spain’s exploitation of the country. Jose Rizal’s novels, often translated into English as “Touch Me Not” and “The Reign of Greed” were novels about the corruption and injustices experienced by colonized Filipinos. However, despite Rizal’s political opinions (he still believed the Philippines needed Spain), his novels influenced the Philippine Revolution. He was arrested and executed for writing these books. While his goals were never for independence, his writings influenced the country yet again decades later when America was arguing for or against annexing the Philippines. Hpoetry was presented before congress as proof Filipinos weren’t “barbarians.” 🙃🙄
These are dark books, depicting the violence of colonization. And yet, I am left feeling like Rizal still had hope for reform in the country he loved so much. And I feel these books fit into dark academia. While these books are now essential reading for Filipino kids in Philippine schools and are read in Tagalog, these books were originally written in Spanish, the official language at the time it was written. Not only are these books classics, you get a sense of just how the amalgamation of European and Southeast Asian culture was in late-colonial Philippines and how it affects the country today. While I am *not a fan* of how my country lost parts of its pre-colonial culture, the clothes of the era when he lived and wrote continues to be an influence on our national clothes.
I think Jose Rizal is also an inspiration not only for Filipinos but for those who seek dark academia to inspire their studies. Jose Rizal was a student in many institutions in Europe and was fluent in many languages. I feel like this needs to be said because many nationals from Africa, the Middle East and pan-Asia traveled to Europe as artists or for work and education for centuries but people always argue that immigration is *new* when history says otherwise. Western education lacks this world view from the point of view of the colonized. So I highly recommend Jose Rizals books if you are looking for classical texts from outside of Europe.
