THE BALIKBAYAN PROJECT - IMAGINING THE POSSIBILITY OF THE RETURN HOME: A YOUTH PARTICIPATORY ACTION RESEARCH PROJECT CENTERING VOICES OF QUEER FILIPINX YOUTH, THEIR IMAHINASYON, AND QUEER KAGALAKAN

This dissertation study centers the voices and experiences of queer Filipinx youth as they engage in a youth participatory action research project (YPAR) that centers their intersectional identities as being queer and Filipinx. The study investigates the ways in which queer Filipinx youth utilize imahinasyon (imagination) to make sense of their identity. Through this YPAR inquiry, the youth engage in sessions that explore the gender-fluid history of the Philippines, an overview of pre-colonial Filipinx myths, some brief history of Filipinx historical figures, and an opportunity to expand the definitions of queerness and Filipinx-ness. This study explores the following question: In what ways do Filipinx queer youth grapple with the possibilities, dilemmas, and tensions of imahinasyon (imagination) to make sense of their pagkakakilanlan ng bakla (queer identities) and Filipinx identity while characterizing and defining their queer kagalakan (joy)? By collaborating and co-designing the programming with youth, my research showcases how they use “organic critical literacies” and imahinasyon to dream of a future that includes queer Filipinx people. My research first reworks the definition of imagination based on the discussions and dialogue between the queer Filipinx youth. Then, I construct and introduce imahinasyon as literacy, a framework that situates the strategies queer Filipinx youth used to transcend stories of the past and present to formulate a future that includes themselves in it. I provide examples from the Queer Kapamilya (Family) group sessions to highlight its significance in making sense of their identities. This framework contributes to the field of education and literacy because it centers imahinasyon as an important part of the exploration of self while pushing the youth to think of a world that includes themselves in it. Finally, it contributes to a gap in queer of color scholarship because it centers the stories and knowledge of queer Asian American Pacific Islanders, namely queer Filipinx people.

Author dc:creator

• Zarate, Anthony, Andre

Advisor dc:contributor.advisor

• Brockenbrough, Edward

• Education
• Feminist, Gender, and Sexuality Studies
• International and Area Studies

Language dc:language.iso

en

Repository record dc:identifier.uri

https://repository.upenn.edu/handle/20.500.14332/61030

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:repository.upenn.edu:20.500.14332/61030