The Philippine Embassy in Berne invited Dr. Ricardo T. Jose, Professor of History and Director of Third World Studies Center at the University of the Philippines, Diliman, for a lecture series in Switzerland on 21-24 November 2017.
Prof. Dr. Ricardo Jose (4th from the left) with some students and organizers from the Franklin University in Lugano
The lecture series, which took place at Franklin University in Lugano, University of Basel and the Philippine Embassy in Bern on 21, 22 and 24 November, respectively, highlighted the formation of the Filipino identity, as shaped by the Philippine indigenous traditions and colonial experience. It also touched on the geostrategic and cultural importance of the Philippines as a bridge between the East and the West, and its sixty years of friendship and cooperation with Switzerland, which have seen a lot of positive developments in the political, economic and cultural relations, as well as in the increase in people-to-people exchanges.
One notable aspect of Philippine-Swiss relations, according to Dr. Jose, was the desire of then Philippine Commonwealth Government to make the Philippines a “Pacific Switzerland”, inspired by Switzerland’s neutrality and in part, by the then Philippine government to find a solution to its defense needs.
Lecture at the University of Basel, Department of Anthropology
Lecture at the Sentro Rizal, Philippine Embassy in Berne
The lecture series was part of the celebratory activities for the 60th anniversary of the diplomatic relations between the Philippines and Switzerland, and was made possible in cooperation with the Philippine National Commission for Culture and the Arts (NCCA), Franklin University and Culture Ticino Network, and Basel University’s Department of Anthropology. END
