The Bago and the Matandá: Representations of the Colonizer in Spanish Narratives about the Philippines in the Late Nineteenth Century

Abstract

This article sets out to explore two of the most prominent recurring figures in Spanish literary production about the Philippines at the end of the nineteenth century: the so-called bago, a Spaniard who is “new” to the islands, meaning that they just arrived in the Philippines, and the bago’s counterpart, the matanda, a Spaniard who has spent a considerable amount of time in the colony. The bipartite trope is studied in nine texts by Spanish authors, written between 1876 and 1894. By composing scenes of encounter between these two figures, the authors seek to illuminate an idea of ambivalence present in this colonial context: as they try to identify the Philippines as part of the Spanish nation, they also feel the need to highlight the differences between the newcomer and the Spanish emigrant who has adapted to a very high degree to Filipino practices and customs. In light of this colonizer subject who is almost the same, but not quite, the authors develop a struggle of recognition vs. distinction, while creating several discourses to justify the convenience—or inconvenience—of this process of acclimatization.