University of Hawaiʻi Press launches new journal on Filipino-American history

Photo from University of Hawaii News

In a stride towards recognition and celebration of Filipino-American history and culture, the University of Hawaiʻi Press has published a journal to commemorate Filipino American History Month.

The recently launched publication, titled the “Filipino American National Historical Society (FANHS) Journal,” is dedicated to the identification, collection, preservation, and dissemination of the diverse Filipino-American history in the United States.

Spearheaded by Patricia Espiritu Halagao, professor at the University of Hawaiʻ, and Terese Guinsatao Monberg, associate professor at Michigan State University, FANHS represents “an interdisciplinary, peer-reviewed annual journal” that serves as a vital platform for presenting research conducted by community-based historians, academic scholars, and personal accounts of the Filipino-American experience.

The journal also plays an important role as the go-to source of information for community organizations and educational institutions seeking knowledge about history.

This is sponsored by the Filipino American National Historical Society, recognized as the oldest existing national Filipino-American organization in the US, and the organization that initiated the history month in Oct. 1992, preceding its official recognition by the US Congress in 2009.

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“It’s fitting that the FANHS Journal is published in Hawaiʻi given that Filipinos make up the largest Asian American ethnic group in the state,” said Halagao in a press release. “I hope new readers will appreciate the depth and diversity of Filipino-American history.”

As Filipino American History Month is celebrated throughout October, the launch adds a new chapter to the narrative of Filipino-American history. It marks a significant milestone in the ongoing journey to acknowledge the contributions and history of Filipino Americans.