"The poems that appear in Invitation of the Imperialist span a vast period of Mabanglo’s writing and many have been published elsewhere. Although some poems were written over a decade ago, they continue to be highly relevant, serving as critiques of imperialism, the Philippine-U.S. (neo)colonial relationship, postcoloniality, nationalism, patriarchy, and issues relating to identity. The poems in this collection are organized around various central themes. The first section of the book addresses colonization and its effects: the Philippine-American and the Philippine-Japanese colonial encounters. The second section is concerned with the Philippine condition of (post)coloniality. The third section deals with Filipina/os in diasporic postcolonial spaces and is divided into two subsections: Filipina overseas contract workers (OCWs) and the postcolonial scholar/poet in diaspora." —from the Introduction

Text in Tagalog and English