Transformative Liminality: A Reading of Genevieve L. Asenjo’s “Pangungumusta mula sa Balaan Bukid”
Raymon D Ritumban(1*)
(1) Ateneo de Manila University
(*) Corresponding Author
Abstract
In 2021, Filipino writer Genevieve L. Asenjo published her short story collection titled Ang Itim na Orkidyas ng Isla Boracay. Hailed as “Best Book of Short Fiction in Filipino” during the 40th National Book Awards, it consists of narratives that delve into the entanglement of the Philippines, the United States of America, and South Korea. Specifically, in the story “Pangungumusta mula sa Balaan Bukid” (“Pangungumusta” from hereon), South Korea is imagined as a liminal space for the “migratory,” namely, the migrant workers and refugees. In postcolonial thought, a liminal space is perceived as a threshold, a doorway, or a portal where waiting happens, interactions are exchanged, and decisions are made; and as such, in The Location of Culture, theorist Homi K. Bhabha describes it as an “in-between” space of ambivalence, a “third space” where there is neither self nor other. While existing discussions on migrant workers and refugees tend to focus on identity and mobility, the novelty of this paper lies in its problematization of the transformative point of their interaction: What happens when an Overseas Filipino Worker (OFW) gets entangled with a Palestinian refugee in Seoul? How does their interaction offer new perspective on what a liminal space is? The primary method is a textual analysis of “Pangungumusta” through a postcolonial lens. The author argues that in such entanglement a liminal space becomes transformative; and so, it is that which “naghatid . . . sa isang uri ng kaluwalhatian” (ushered in a kind of glory; Asenjo, 2021: 69). This paper is composed of three primary sections: an introduction of Asenjo and her works, a presentation of the plot of “Pangungumusta” and commentary on its postmodern form, and a discussion of liminal space as imagined in the narrative, concluding that liminality is indeed transformative, that is, as the liminal space spatially brings the characters together, it at the same time spells out their ideological differences, which makes transformation possible.
Keywords
Full Text:
PDFReferences
Amnesty International. (2017, June 7). Israel’s Occupation: 50 Years of Dispossession. Amnesty International. Retrieved from https://www.amnesty.org/en/latest/campaigns/2017/06/israel-occupation-50-years-of-dispossession/
Asenjo, G. L. (2015). Translation as Space of Active Listening: On Michelle Tiu Tan’s Translation to English of My Short Story ‘Pangungumusta mula sa Balaan Bukid’ (‘Greetings from Sacred Mountain’). Krita Kultura, (25), 603–604.
Asenjo, G. L. (2021). Pangungumusta mula sa Balaan Bukid. In Ang Itim na Orkidyas ng Isla Boracay (pp. 54–70). Quezon City: University of the Philippines Press.
Bahrawi, N. (2011). Theorising Translation with Susan Bassnett. Asymptote Journal. Retrieved from https://www.asymptotejournal.com/interview/an-interview-with-susan-bassnett/
Battistella, G. (1995). Philippine Overseas Labour: From Export to Management. ASEAN Economic Bulletin, 12(2), 257–273.
Bhabha, H. K. (2004). The Location of Culture. New York: Routledge.
Critical Island. (2023). 2023 CIS_Hong Kong and The Woman Who Had Two Navels by Raymon Ritumban [Video]. YouTube. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nCLJWsljS8Y
Democracy Now. (2023a). Genocide”: Top U.N. Official Craig Mokhiber Resigns, Denounces Israeli Assault on Gaza [Video]. YouTube. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wiGp2mvFLY0
Democracy Now. (2023b). Palestinian Lives Matter Too: Jewish Scholar Judith Butler Condemns Israel’s “Genocide” in Gaza [Video]. YouTube. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CAbzV40T6yk
Galang, B. (2022, December 24). Hallyu in PH: What’s next? Retrieved from https://www.cnnphilippines.com/entertainment/2022/12/24/Future-of-Hallyu-wave-in-the-Philippines.html
Hutcheon, L. (1988). A Poetics of Postmodernism: History, Theory, Fiction. New York: Routledge.
Jobain, N., Magdy, S., & Lidman, M. (2023, December 25). Death toll from Israeli in central Gaza rises to 106, Palestinian officials say. PBS News Hour. Retrieved from https://www.pbs.org/newshour/amp/world/death-toll-from-israeli-airstrike-in-central-gaza-rises-to-106-palestinian-officials-say
Lee, C. W., Asis, M. M. B., Choi, S., & Park, S. I. (2017). Migratory Experiences of Filipinos in Korea and Their Return to the Philippines. (No. 2017–02). IOM MRTC Research Report Series.
Lee, E. (2023, May 5). Dashed Korean Dreams: The Plight of Migrant Workers. The Diplomat. Retrieved from https://thediplomat.com/2023/05/dashed-korean-dreams-the-plight-of-migrant-workers/
Lee, H. (2022, August 21). 887 undocumented foreign workers, brokers, employers caught in crackdown. The Korea Times. Retrieved from https://www.koreatimes.co.kr/www/nation/2023/11/113_334730.html
Ong, G. (2023, April 16). Koreans again lead Philippines top tourists. The Philippine Star. Retrieved from https://www.philstar.com/headlines/2023/04/16/2259167/koreans-again-lead-philippines-top-tourists
Park, J., Shin, H., & Choi, S.-H. (2022, October 31). Seoul crush hits storied Itaewon nightlife district on verge of renewal. Reuters. Retrieved from https://www.reuters.com/world/asia-pacific/seoul-crush-hits-storied-itaewon-nightlife-district-verge-renewal-2022-10-30/
Perry, M. (2014, July 18). Bethlehem: ’No matter how many olive trees they destroy, will will plant more! Ecologist Informed by Nature. Retrieved from https://theecologist.org/2014/jul/18/bethlehem-no-matter-how-many-olive-trees-they-destroy-will-will-plant-more
Reyes, M. L. T. (2023). Gendering Genre in Korean Films with Filipino Women Characters. Kritika Kultura, (40), 311–336.
Stead, R. (2018, December 27). Remembering Israel’s 2008 War on Gaza. Middle East Monitor. Retrieved from https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20181227-remembering-israels-2008-war-on-gaza/
Tan, M. T. (2015). Beyond Meaning: Translation as Negotiation of Space, Voice, and Language. Kritika Kultura, (25), 601–602.
Untalan, S. (2023, September 23). South Korea’s target expansion of Employment Permit System to benefit OFWS, says envoy. GMA News Online. Retrieved from https://www.gmanetwork.com/news/topstories/nation/883018/south-korea-s-target-expansion-of-employment-permit-system-to-benefit-ofws-says-envoy/story/#:~:text=News-,South%20Korea's%20target%20expansion%20of%20Employment,to%20benefit%20OFWs%2C%20says%20envoy&text=South%20Korea%20plans%20to%20expand,our%20EPS%2C%20Employment%20Permit%20System.
Vick, K. (2010, November 15). The War of the Olive Harvest: Palestinians vs. Settlers. Time. Retrieved from https://content.time.com/time/world/article/0,8599,2028009,00.html
Walet, M., Dicolen, E., & Calimag, J. (2021). Perceived Stressors of Filipinos in South Korea and the Development of an Appreciative Resilience-focused Wellness Program. Journal of Public Affairs and Development, 8, 97–113.DOI: https://doi.org/10.22146/poetika.v11i2.90263
Article Metrics
Abstract views : 1438 | views : 970Refbacks
- There are currently no refbacks.
Copyright (c) 2023 Poetika: Jurnal Ilmu Sastra
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.