Allen Baylosis
Allen is socio-academic activist and an artist who advocates for gender equality and the feminist movement. Pursuing performance studies and utilizing art as a weapon for social change, he has been part of several productions that tackle relevant social issues. Filipino diaspora, transnationalism, globalization, queer of color criticism, the performance of literature, performance curation, and spectatorship are among his research interests.
Title of Project
The Undeportable
Description of Project
On February 13, 2013, the US Senate Committee on the Judiciary held a hearing on "Comprehensive Immigration Reform", putting forward that the US immigration system should evaluate the legal citizenship process for immigrants and propose resolutions against intensifying discrimination, displacement, and deportation. Jose Antonio Vargas, a Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist who publicly announced his undocumented citizen status in 2011, was one of those who testified. He faced the irony of the legality of his appearance at the hearing. Accordingly, this paper investigates how the testimony of an outlaw can stage a narrative towards belonging and good citizenship. For analysis, I center on the idea of close performance reading using a video excerpt of Vargas' testimony—his articulation, gestures, and presence—in the senate hearing. In this recording, Vargas is on center stage as the narrator of his testimony on contributing his voice, writing, and works to the country. The testimony establishes the mise en scène of good citizenship and belongingness in the US, where Vargas’ participation in the hearing contradicts the law's demands for his illegal status. Conclusively, this paper considers how his testimony calls into question the legibility of being an "American" as well as the existing immigration policy.
Project Inspiration
“What do you want to do with me? What do you want to do with us? How do you define ‘American’?” - Jose Antonio Vargas; My aesthetic object
Areas of Academic Interest
Filipino diaspora studies, migration studies, rhetoric, performance studies