Yearning in Carlos Bulosan: Toward a Queer Working Class Consciousness

Filipino author Carlos Bulosan (1911-1956) is a significant figure within the history of the Filipino Diaspora. As a member of the first wave of Filipino migrant workers (the Manong generation), Bulosan not only documents the struggles of Filipino migrant workers, but also explores their collective potential to mobilize for social justice. Today the Filipino Diaspora of Overseas Filipino Workers (OFWs) is nearly 12 million. The experiences of women and lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender OFWs require an analysis of gender and sexuality in relation to the racial-national subordination of the Filipino people. This paper explores the possibility of reading Bulosan’s work through the intersection of queer consciousness and class consciousness in ways that could make Bulosan relevant for contemporary social justice issues within the Filipino Diaspora.