23.2 | Meet Me at the Manila Carnival: Becoming Miss Philippines (1909-1926)

HERstory: Southeast Asia

We’re continuing our deep dive into the Manila Carnival, a two-week festival held during the early American colonial period which culminated in the crowning of the queen and her court at an elaborate formal ball. For 31 years, young women from across the country vied for the title, navigating racial prejudice and standards of beauty, and becoming an integral part of the nation-building process.

Last time, we talked about the origins of the Manila Carnival and how we found our first queen, in so many senses of the word, in Pura Garcia Villanueva Kalaw. Listen to that episode first if you haven’t. Now, in part 2 we’ll follow the Carnival as it comes into its own. This is Part Two: Becoming Miss Philippines, 1909 to 1926.

If you want to join the PATREON, you can give as little as $1 to get a copy of the show notes with all the references, a shout out at the end of the next episode, and access to bonus episodes. We have:

1. An interview with Haldi Patra on the Minangkabau matriarchal society;
2. Ma Ying Taphan and the Krom Klone;
3. Nyai Gede Pinateh, the Harbour Master of Gresik;
4. Queen Suriyothai and the War Elephants;
5. Paz Marquez Benitez and Dead Stars;
6. The Rise and Fall of the Acehnese Queens, 1641 to 1699;
7. The Portrait of Dara Rasami; and
8. The Women of No. 14 Lebuh Leith

Thank you to our patrons: Aqilah, Karen, Kheiro, Xiaomei BY Milish, Jennifer, Christina, Raul, Raymond, Matt, Shereen, Charli, and Yati.

Next time, in the third installment of Meet Me at the Manila Carnival, we’ll talk about the End of an Era, 1927-1939, the final years of the pageant before the outbreak of the Second World War.