The book has been reviewed in Planning Perspectives. Read the review here.

Tom Sykes’s Imagining Manila: Literature, Empire, and Orientalism explores the literary and cultural representations of Manila within the context of Western imperialism and Orientalism. Published in 2021, the book expands upon the foundational ideas of Edward Said’s Orientalism, applying them to the historical and contemporary depictions of Manila in Anglo-American literature. Through his concept of “Manilaism,” Sykes offers a thoughtful critique of how the city has been discursively constructed as a site of exoticism, dysfunction, and colonial otherness.

Imagining Manila interrogates how Western literary and cultural outputs—from 18th-century travelogues to contemporary journalism—have perpetuated reductive stereotypes of Manila. These portrayals, Sykes argues, serve as tools of imperial dominance, shaping global perceptions of the city and justifying various forms of colonial and neo-colonial control. This book is both a critical intervention in postcolonial studies and a vital contribution to Philippine cultural and literary history.

The book’s primary theoretical contribution is its articulation of “Manilaism,” a term Sykes coins to describe the specific mode of Orientalist discourse applied to Manila. Drawing heavily from Said, Sykes frames Manilaism as an imaginative geography through which the city is textualized as a space of inferiority, moral laxity and exploitation. However, Sykes departs from Said’s predominantly textualist approach by incorporating materialist critiques, grounding literary representations in their socio-economic and historical contexts (p. 4). This interdisciplinary methodology strengthens his analysis, making the book accessible and relevant to scholars of literature, history, and Philippine studies alike.

The enduring power of Manilaism lies in its adaptability. As Sykes demonstrates, the stereotypes about Manila—whether as a “seething cauldron of evil” or a dystopian urban sprawl—are constantly reconfigured to align with the shifting needs of colonial and global capitalist powers. These narratives do not merely reflect perceptions of Manila; they actively shape policy, reinforce economic inequalities, and perpetuate cultural hierarchies, ensuring the city’s subordinate position with the global system.

Sykes structures the book into seven chapters, each exploring a different dimension of Manilaism. The early chapters trace the roots of this discourse to the 19th century, when British and American travel writers portrayed Manila as a corrupted, backward space under Spanish rule. Sykes links these depictions to the broader Anglo-Saxonist ideology of the era, which framed Latin and Catholic nations as inferior to Protestant and industrialized Anglo-America.

The portrayal of Manila as a failed city intensifies in the chapters discussing American colonialism, where this narrative becomes central to justifying U.S. imperial expansion. Sykes examines how novels, travelogues, and journalistic accounts during this period, framed Manila as a site in need of moral and infrastructural rescue.

In later chapters, Sykes shifts focus to the post-independence period and examines the persistence of Manilaism in contemporary Western media. For example, portrayals of Manila under Rodrigo Duterte’s administration was a chaotic, crime-ridden dystopia. Sykes highlights how such representations often draw on enduring Orientalist tropes and selectively focus on Duterte’s controversial drug war while neglecting the broader historical and structural factors, such as Western-imposed neo-liberal economic policies, that have contributed to the Philippines’ socio-political challenges. By scrutinizing works like Jonathan Miller’s Duterte Harry (p. 94), he calls attention to how liberal critiques often fail to acknowledge Western complicity in creating the conditions they now condemn, perpetuating reductive narratives that obscure Manila’s deeper complexities.

One of the most compelling aspects of Imagining Manila is its exploration of counter-hegemonic voices. Sykes dedicates the final chapters to Filipino and foreign writers who challenge or resist the stereotypes perpetuated by Manilaism. Works by Jessica Hagedorn, Nick Joaquin, and Gina Apostol, among others, are examined for their nuanced portrayals of Manila as a site of complexity, humanity, and resilience.

These counter-narratives, Sykes argues, are crucial for dismantling the discursive hegemony of Manilaism. By foregrounding local agency and rejecting colonial frameworks, they offer a richer, more authentic understanding of the city and its people. However, Sykes also acknowledges the limitations of these interventions, noting that they often remain overshadowed by dominant Western narratives in global media and literary markets.

Imagining Manila is an ambitious and deeply researched work that fills a significant gap in postcolonial and Philippine studies. Sykes’s concept of Manilaism provides a valuable lens for analyzing the intersections of literature, empire, and urban studies, making the book a critical resource for scholars in these fields. Its interdisciplinary approach, which combines literary criticism with historical and sociological analysis, ensures that the book resonates across academic disciplines, but its dense theoretical prose may be challenging for readers unfamiliar with postcolonial theory, particularly those outside academia.

Despite its strengths, the book’s focus on Anglo-American texts raises questions about the inclusivity and applicability of Manilaism to Filipino and other non-Western perspectives. Sykes acknowledges this tension and calls for further dialogue to unpack Manila’s multifaceted narratives, particularly through the inclusion of counter hegemonic voices that foreground local agency and reject colonial frameworks. However, he notes that these interventions often remain overshadowed by dominant Western narratives, highlighting the continued hegemony of global media and literary markets.

In an era where global media perpetuates sensationalized and oversimplified portrayals of cities like Manila, Imagining Manila offers a much-needed reclamation of its narrative. For scholars, activists, and writers interested in critically engaging with imperialist discourses, the book is an invaluable resource. It challenges readers to reflect on how literature and media shape perceptions of the Global South, reminding us of the enduring power of storytelling to shape perceptions, challenge norms, and open new avenues for understanding our world.

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Sykes, Tom. (2021). Imagining Manila: Literature, Empire and Orientalism. I.B. Tauris.