Fantasy, Affect, and Pan-Asianism: Mariano Ponce, the First Philippine Republic’s Foreign Emissary, 1898–1912

Abstract

This article examines Mariano Ponce’s Asianist thought and his work to promote a Pan-Asianist alliance, actively participating in the overthrow of Western imperialism and the revitalization of Asia. Ponce’s interest in Japan, Asia, and the Malays ran deeper than mere revolutionary and reformist instrument, however, as his lifelong scholarship shows. This article focuses on the neglected affective and material dimensions of “peripheral” Pan-Asianism in order to make it legible to the Northeast Asian-centric “center” of the discourse and to reframe the broader history of Pan-Asianism to include Southeast Asia and specifically the Philippines.

KEYWORDS: PAN-ASIANISM • JAPAN • MARIANO PONCE • PHILIPPINE REVOLUTION • AFFECT