Koichi Hagimoto

I am currently working on a book manuscript, entitled Between the Empires: Martí, Rizal and the Idea of Global Resistance.  The book presents a comparative analysis of late 19th-century anti-imperial literature in Cuba and the Philippines.  As two of the last Spanish colonies, immediately converted into targets of U.S. expansionism after 1898, these countries shared similar colonial experiences as well as anti-imperial struggles. My study focuses on the most prominent authors of the two contexts: José Martí (1853-1895) and José Rizal (1861-1896). Through literary analysis and historical study, I argue that their writings laid the groundwork for what I call a “global resistance,” which highlights a particular moment when Cubans and Filipinos became conscious of the commonality of their struggle against shared enemies in the late 19th century.

In addition, my academic interests are centered on the emerging field of trans-pacific studies, which seeks to examine the cultural and literary relationship between Latin America and Asia.  I am actively involved in scholarly conferences throughout the United States as well as in Cuba, Mexico, Colombia and Spain.  My recent publications include “A Trans-Pacific Voyage: The Representation of Asia in José Joaquín Fernández de Lizardi’s El Periquillo Sarniento in Hispania (2012) and “Performing Race and Nation: Comparative Analysis of Anti-Imperial Manifestos in José Martí and José Rizal” in Orientalismos (2010).

I take enormous pleasure in teaching courses related to Spanish language as well as Latin American literature and culture.  As a learner of Spanish myself, I am keenly aware of the challenges many students would face, but I also know that any student could succeed under proper instruction and support.  My teaching philosophy revolves around three concrete goals: to facilitate the intellectual development of each individual student, to create a sense of community in the class, and to help students find connections between the classroom and the real world.  At Wellesley College, I enjoy teaching courses on Elementary and Intermediate Spanish, Literary Genres of Spain and Latin America, Caribbean Literature and Culture, the Making of Modern Latin American Culture, and a seminar entitled Asia in Latin America: Literary and Cultural Connections.  In 2012, I was awarded the Anna and Samuel Pinanski Teaching Prize (the citation can be read here).