INTERVIEW: Twin timelines, entangled histories
From The Colonial Department by Lio Mangubat
February 7, 2026 · 38 min · Season 7 · Episode 27
About this episode
The episode features an interview with Tom Sykes discussing his book that intertwines the histories of 1980s Manila and a 1570s barangay.
“What does it take for a culture that has caused a lot of pain and suffering to have any chance at redemption… or any sense of justice?” Tom Sykes’ riotous new book—a collision of a neon-powered 1980s Manila and a disaster-stricken barangay in the 1570s—attempts to answer the question… with many seedy side quests in between. How did he attempt to write his wild, genre-bending vision of the Philippines? And how does Back to the Future figure into it? The Colonial Dept. Interview is a bonus show where I talk to researchers and authors who are shining a light on our past.
People in this episode
Host: Lio Mangubat
Guest: Tom Sykes
Topics covered
- cultural redemption
- historical narratives
- Philippines history
- genre-bending literature
- interviews with authors
Keywords
- redemption
- justice
- Philippines
- 1980s
- 1570s
- literature
- interview
Mentioned in this episode
Books & works: Back to the Future
Places: Manila, barangay
More episodes of The Colonial Department
- S8E5: Rajio Taisō; Or, How to Get Fit in a Time of War · May 29, 2026 · 16 min
- INTERVIEW: Restoring historical markers with Project Panandito · May 23, 2026 · 51 min
- S8E4: Edison’s Cameras, Manila’s Trenches · May 9, 2026 · 16 min
- S8E3: Nobody Expects the Philippine Inquisition! · April 25, 2026 · 18 min
- S8E2: Riding a Tram in 1911 Manila · April 10, 2026 · 18 min
- INTERVIEW: Exploring the food history of the Philippines · April 4, 2026 · 38 min
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