1762: The Cultural Sacking of Manila during the British Occupation and the Restoration Project of its Archives

1762: British occupation of Manila. In this talk, Professor Lee will speak about the cultural looting caused by the British invasion of 1762 and will present a project to digitally repatriate books and manuscripts seized from the archives of the Convent of San Pablo. Using the original index of the archives and subsequent records related to the sale and dispersal of its contents, the project envisions a virtual reconstruction of the library's materials. Beyond the digital reconstruction of the archival corpus, the "return" of the library to its original site, the project reconceptualizes the original systems of knowledge production, modes of access and use of the library. The project serves as an entry point into the study of Spanish colonialism in the Pacific and the experience of affected communities, especially in the Philippines. Using digital technologies, the regenerated library will include spaces for transcribing, translating, and annotating materials.