Between Empires

In 1898, both Cuba and the Philippines achieved their independence from Spain and then immediately became targets of US expansionism. This book presents a comparative analysis of late-nineteenth-century literature and history in Cuba and the Philippines, focusing on the writings of José Martí and José Rizal to reveal shared anti-imperial struggles.

"Between Empires is an outstanding example of intellectual history about the Cuban José Martí and the Filipino José Rizal. Although others have studied points of contact between Martí and Rizal, Hagimoto's study is significant because of the extensive nature of his examination of continuities between the two writers under the theoretical umbrella of intercolonial alliance. It constitutes an important model for other ways of viewing postcoloniality in the Caribbean and Latin America beyond the models of Marxist revolution, and it makes a notable contribution to the growing and fascinating bibliography of Asian-Latin American cultural relations." - David William Foster, Regents' Professor of Spanish and Women and Gender Studies, Arizona State University, USA

"Koichi Hagimoto's comparative, post-colonial study reveals a fascinating intercolonial alliance against Spain and the United States between two countries under the yoke of the Spanish Empire: Cuba and the Philippines. Focusing on their respective iconic forefathers, Hagimoto shows us that, even though José Martí fought for independence while José Rizal was a reformist, their novels, manifestos, and chronicles show a collective consciousness of resistance many years before the emergence of a 'Third World' consciousness and anti-imperial collaboration that culminated in the 1955 Bandung Conference of non-aligned nations. As Hagimoto acutely points out, their prophetic views on the United States'relationship with the rest of the world, as this new empire saw their respective countries as targets of its expansionism, are still relevant today." - Ignacio López-Calvo, Professor of Latin American Literature, University of California, Merced, USA

Koichi Hagimoto is an Assistant Professor of Spanish at Wellesley College.