We are excited to introduce ๐๐ซ. ๐๐ฎ๐ซ๐๐ฅ๐ข๐จ ๐๐จ๐ฅ๐ฏ๐๐ซ ๐๐ ๐๐๐จ๐ข๐ฅ๐ข as one of the ๐ฉ๐ฅ๐๐ง๐๐ซ๐ฒ ๐ฌ๐ฉ๐๐๐ค๐๐ซ๐ฌ for the upcoming ๐๐ฌ๐ญ ๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐ง๐ญ๐๐ซ๐ง๐๐ญ๐ข๐จ๐ง๐๐ฅ ๐๐จ๐ง๐๐๐ซ๐๐ง๐๐, scheduled for ๐๐๐ญ๐จ๐๐๐ซ ๐๐-๐๐, ๐๐๐๐, ๐๐ญ ๐ญ๐ก๐ ๐๐๐ญ๐๐ซ๐๐ซ๐จ๐ง๐ญ ๐๐ง๐ฌ๐ฎ๐ฅ๐๐ซ ๐๐จ๐ญ๐๐ฅ, ๐๐๐ฏ๐๐จ ๐๐ข๐ญ๐ฒ and via ๐๐จ๐จ๐ฆ.
Associate Professor Aurelio S. Agcaoili is a faculty member at the University of Hawaiโi at Manoa and for years oversaw the Ilokano Language, Literature, and Philippine Drama and Film Program within the Department of Hawaiian and Indo-Pacific Languages and Literatures.
He is a distinguished individual with a diverse educational background, holding degrees in philosophy, management, and Philippine and classical studies. He has an extensive academic career, previously teaching at the University of the Philippines Diliman and serving as an associate of the universityโs Institute of Creative Writing before moving to the United States. His academic accomplishments include completing his doctorate under a prestigious Presidential Scholarship and receiving recognition from two international honor societies for his exceptional academic performance.
Dr. Agcaoili is a multifaceted literary figure, receiving numerous awards for his work as a poet, novelist, and essayist in three languages. He has also shared his expertise as a visiting professor at various institutions in the Philippines and was honored with the United States Fulbright Scholarship in 2020. Additionally, he has contributed to the academic community as a visiting lecturer at St. Louis University in Baguio and founded the National Alliance for Knowledge, Empowerment, and Meaning (NAKEM).
In 2016, the author penned stories such as “Pagsasao: Our Languages for Our Children” and “Daradara Dagiti Balikas,” which featured English and Tagalog stories lauded by various scholars abroad. In 2019, his article “Saan a Maymaysat’ Aldaw: Education in Democracy, Social Justice, and Inclusion in Ilokano Life” was published in Budhi: A Journal of Ideas and Culture. The article argued that there exists a cognitive dissonance between the country’s formal education system (adal) and the Ilokano people’s pursuit of knowledge (sursuro).
In 2022, their article “The Androgynous Baglan: Interruption, Withdrawal, and Reclaiming” delved into the pursuit of decolonization as the initial step in the multifaceted and substantive liberation of colonized countries like the Philippines. It highlighted the invasive nature of colonization, which not only extends to the land but also infiltrates the minds, bodies, language, and cultural practices of the colonized people.
As a writer, he has been honored with numerous prestigious creative writing awards, including the Centennial Literary Prize for the Tagalog novel, the Cultural Center of the Philippines grant for poetry, the Commission on the Filipino Language prize for critical essay and poetry, the Carlos Palanca Awards for Ilokano fiction and English essays, the Belmonte Grant for the novel, and the Rizal Awards in Los Angeles for the English essay.
In addition to his literary and academic achievements, Dr. Agcaoili is a passionate advocate for language justice, cultural democracy, and liberatory education. Currently, he holds the distinguished chair position at the University of Hawaiiโs Department of Indo-Pacific Languages and Literatures.
๐๐จ๐ข๐ง ๐ฎ๐ฌ! Now is the perfect time to secure a spot at the 1st TINGUG International Conference in the Philippines, a CHED-endorsed conference via Zoom. E-certificates will be awarded at the end of the event. Donโt miss this opportunity to engage with our speakers, share knowledge, and exchange ideas with our peers.
For more info, visit our website by clicking the link below.
๐๐๐ฏ๐ ๐ญ๐ก๐ ๐๐๐ญ๐: ๐๐๐ญ๐จ๐๐๐ซ ๐๐-๐๐, ๐๐๐๐!
