The Cebuano Studies Center (CSC) of the University of San Carlos is set to mark its 50th anniversary with a significant national roundtable that will bring together leaders of local studies centers (LSCs) from across the Philippines. The two-day event, titled “Revisiting Local Studies: A Roundtable on History, Networks, and Futures,” will take place on November 26–27, 2025 at the USC Talamban Campus and is expected to serve as one of the most comprehensive discussions on the state of local studies in the country to date.
Founded in 1975, the CSC is recognized as the country’s pioneering local studies center. Over the past five decades, it has become a cornerstone in collecting, preserving, and interpreting Cebuano literature, history, and cultural heritage. Organizers say the upcoming roundtable will not only commemorate this legacy but also address the broader questions faced by regional research institutions in the digital era.
The event will open with welcome remarks from USC President Fr. Francisco Antonio T. Estepa, SVD followed by a Guest of Honor address from National Historical Commission of the Philippines Chair Dr. Regalado Trota José Jr. National Artist for Literature Dr. Resil Mojares, the CSC’s founding director, is expected to deliver the keynote address and lay out the historical trajectory that shaped both the CSC and the wider landscape of local studies in the Philippines.
On the second day, Dr. Patricio Abinales of the University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa will deliver a special lecture that situates Philippine local studies within larger regional and global conversations, offering participants a broader analytical framework for understanding the role of local knowledge institutions today.
Roundtable discussions will focus on the evolution of LSCs over the past several decades, the unique challenges they face, and new opportunities for collaboration. Participating centers, representing Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao, are expected to share their approaches to community engagement, digitization, archival preservation, and sustaining regional research in contexts where resources often remain limited. The organizers emphasize that although the centers vary widely in history, size, and mandates, they share a common goal of strengthening cultural memory and regional scholarship.
CSC director Dr. Hope Sabanpan-Yu will present updates on the Center’s current initiatives, including archival developments, publications, and partnerships that seek to extend the reach of Cebuano cultural materials to new audiences.
One of the gathering’s key objectives is the creation of a national working directory of local studies centers, intended to address the longstanding challenge of mapping and connecting institutions engaged in regional research. The roundtable will culminate in a collaborative panel, where participants will discuss a proposal for a national network and prepare a joint statement outlining shared priorities and strategies for future cooperation.
As the CSC prepares to enter its next fifty years, the event is expected to reinforce the Center’s leadership in regional cultural work and contribute to building stronger, more coordinated pathways for local studies across the archipelago.