INTERVIEW: Mapping a life on time—the making of a historian

<html><p>In 2018, I first encountered <em>The Sulu Zone </em>and <em>Iranun &amp; Balangingi</em>—two important books by James Francis Warren that opened my eyes to the rich, roiling history of the seafaring cultures of the Sulu Sea. His groundbreaking work laid out a way of looking at the past that was neither stoic nor static—a historiography that truly widened horizons.</p><p>At the launch of his newest book, <em>Valentina Mendoza and the Great Ilocos Flood of 1867, </em>I spoke with Dr. Warren about his long and fruitful career as a scholar. In the thoughtful, hour-long conversation that followed, he dissected for me how the events of his own life shaped his work as a historian. He also went in-depth about his process and his way of thinking about research, whether it was about the polities of the Sulu Sea or the dire climate disasters that hit the Philippines over and over. Along the way, he also told me about many strange and wonderful encounters—among them, a Bajau spirit medium, a soccer-playing military operative, and a terrible flood that stranded him in Manila. Such is the colorful career of a man who made history his lifelong calling.</p><p><em>Special thanks to the Ateneo de Manila University Press. </em></p><p></p><p>My book <em>Silk, Silver, Spices, Slaves</em> is now available on <u><a href="https://shopee.ph/SILK-SILVER-SPICES-SLAVES-by-Lio-Mangubat-i.125283795.43033620371" target="_blank">Shopee</a></u> and <u><a href="https://www.lazada.com.ph/products/pdp-i15586603473-s133491767104.html" target="_blank">Lazada</a></u> for only P395.</p><p>Support the podcast: <a href="https://patreon.com/thecolonialdept" target="_blank">patreon.com/thecolonialdept</a></p><p>Follow us on IG:<a href="https://www.instagram.com/thecolonialdept/" target="_blank"> </a><u><a href="https://www.instagram.com/thecolonialdept/" target="_blank">@thecolonialdept</a></u></p><p>Follow us on TikTok:<a href="https://www.tiktok.com/@thecolonialdept" target="_blank"> </a><u><a href="https://www.tiktok.com/@thecolonialdept" target="_blank">@thecolonialdept</a></u></p><p>Email us: <u><a href="mailto:thecolonialdept@gmail.com" target="_blank">thecolonialdept@gmail.com</a></u></p><p></p><p><em>The Colonial Dept. Interview is a series where I talk to researchers and authors shining a light on our past.</em></p></html>