Book about Sto. Niño de Cebu launched

Julius Bautista of the National University of Singapore launched his book titled “Figuring Catholicism: An Ethno history of the Santo Niño de Cebu” last Aug. 6 at the Cebu Museum art gallery.

The book is published by Ateneo Press and is part of the dissertation of Bautista for his doctorate in anthropology at the University of Sydney.

“We have an excellent research material here and this is going to be very important not only for the scholars but also for the Cebuanos,” said Dr. Hope Yu, director of the University of San Carlos Cebuano Studies Center in her welcome remarks at the book launching.

The book is about a statue of Christ as a boy worshipped by millions of Filipinos.

His study provides an innovative and challenging reading of the cultural beliefs and practices inspired by the Philippines’ most influential religious icon, the Santo Niño de Cebu.

“Bautista’s study provides an innovative and challenging reading of the cultural beliefs and practices inspired by the Santo Niño de Cebu,” said Sally Ann Ness, a faculty member in the Department of Anthropology, University of California, Riverside.

She said Bautista shines new light upon the nature of Catholicism inside Asia’s largest Christian nation.

During the book launching, Bautista explained the contents of the book. He said, “I hope you will not see the book as an attempt to dethrone the Santo Niño somehow.” /STC masscom student Jewel Villaflores