Citizenship and Postcolonialism: Interdisciplinary Reflections on Filipino Americans and their Pursuit of the American Dream.

This essay examines Filipino intellectual Carlos Bulosan's 1946 autobiographical novel *America Is in the Heart* within the framework of the American dream and traces its themes through twenty-first century qualitative interviews with Filipino American citizens. It highlights how Bulosan's experiences as a postcolonial immigrant during the Great Depression—marked by racial oppression, labor struggles, and a sense of rootlessness—contrast with the generally more patriotic and grateful attitudes toward U.S. citizenship found among contemporary Filipino Americans, particularly those on the East Coast who immigrated post-1965 often via U.S. Navy recruitment. The study emphasizes the enduring role of faith and religiosity in shaping Filipino Americans' understandings of citizenship and belonging, revealing a complex negotiation of identity influenced by historical colonial ties between the United States and the Philippines. By integrating literary analysis with social scientific research, the essay contributes to postcolonial studies and diaspora scholarship, advocating for greater attention to religion's role in immigrant experiences and the varied contexts of reception that shape Filipino American notions of the American dream.