Readings in
Philippine
History
Module 1
Introduction to
History
0 Meaning of 0 Historical
1
0
History
History and
3
0
Sources
Philippine
Historiogrph
2
the Historians
4 y
“WHO CONTROLS THE
PRESENT, CONTROLS THE
PAST
WHO CONTROLS THE PAST,
CONTROLS THE FUTURE”
—GEORGE ORWELL
LEARNING
OUTCOMES:
understand the meaning of
history as an academic
discipline;
evaluate primary sources for
their credibility, authenticity,
and provenance; and
appreciate the relevance of
history and its application to
life, as individual or
members of the humanity.
What is
history?
Historia….
-knowledge
acquired
through
inquiry or
investigation
Historia….
-account of the past
of a person or a
group of people
through written
documentaries and
History can refer
to…..
01 02
everything that a kind of research
had happened in or inquiry
the past
3 Dimensions of History
2nd 3rd
1st
as an inquiry… concerned with
focus past
falls in the sciences-
on seeks to explain
social sciences
human past events and
seeks to answer
processes against a
questions through particular historical
activities systematic and background or
methodical collection of context
data and evidence,
interpreted by historians answering
to arrive at rational questions (why/s?)
History in Ancient Greek civilization
became concerned with human
activities
-recording the past through
historical sources
(Herodotus - the Father of
History)
-he describe the deeds of men
in the past for posterity or
future use and finding out and
explaining the reasons behind
Thucydides - the Father of
Scientific History
-systematic and impartial collection
of evidence as an essential
prerequisite in writing history
-the only reliable sources of history
were testimonies of eyewitnesses
-in his History of Peloponnesian
War, his method was oral history
Focus of history?
-limited geographic space
-recent historical period (within living
memory)
-idea of history was limited to the
history of a particular society in a
specific period
-remote past is unknowable
As Greek civilization expanded and
developed…
-developed notion that the world goes far beyond Greek
society and realized that history is vast
-developed a new historical method-compilation of
various works and records kept by different people at
different places and times
-place in written records-record keeping starts on
medieval period
-written accounts plausible explanation why modern
history gives primacy to written documents
Issues and Questions
Since the earliest historical works were derived
from written sources, then it is expected that
only the past of those in the higher level of the
social ladder that included monarchs, military
heroes, clergyman, scholars, nobilities, and
saints were figured in history…
Issues and Questions
By the 19th century, positivism, as a school of
thought emerged and dominate various
scientific discipline.
Positivism-The philosophy that a particular knowledge
can only be true if it can be observed in a sensorial
manner.
-for an idea to be real, it must be verified with
sensory experience, observable by the senses and be
the subject of experimentation
Question
Can you can consider all non-written
historical records a historical fact
based on the mantra of “no
document, no history?
Historical truth is NOT something
that can be experimented on in
science laboratories.
The past is NOT something that can
be contained in test tubes, observed,
and from such sensorial observation,
interpreted.
In simple term, no document can
Question
If we hold “no document, no history”
as true, then, what about the
peasants or indigenous groups who
did not give much thought about
being registered to government
records or not reflected in written
sources?
Historians started using other kinds
of historical sources, which may not
be written but were just as valid.
What are the examples of non-
written historical sources?
-oral traditions (epics and songs,
artifacts, architecture and memory)
Who aid in the
investigation of history or
help trace historical
evolutions or past
connections not in
written format?
Archeologists
Anthropologists
Oral historians
Linguists
...is history?
for
… should
...study history?
history be?
Historiography- is the study of
history as a historical discipline
-history of history-object of study is
history itself
-for understanding of the facts and the
historian contexts
-historian’s methods employed, theory
and perspectives are analyzed
Examples of historiographical
questions:
How was a specific historical text written?
Who wrote it?
What was the context of its publication?
What was the particular historical method
employed?
History ….
helps us to know more about
the roots of our current culture.
Think helps us to learn about who we are.
Discuss
makes us learn from our
Decide mistakes in the past and never
repeat the same mistakes in the
present and future.
bridges the gap between
the present and the past
explains the causes of
things and events
projects the future
interpreting condition of a
given space and time
promotes nationalism and
patriotism
- Funtecha
people can have something to look back
on as reference should they be faced
WHY with similar challenges in the present
and the future.
historians
guide for the following generations
record
equipped with the lessons of past
history? human actions, future generations
would be more able and empowered to
control their destiny.
History in the Medieval Period
-ceased to be a record of man’s deeds
-started to be a record of how man became
instrumental in the fulfillment of the divine
plan
-no longer written to enable man to control
his destiny because God already
predetermined his destiny
-part of endeavor to discover and expound
As history developed as a scientific
discipline…
Historicism
-ceased to be a record of man’s deeds
-started to be a record of how man became
instrumental in the fulfillment of the divine plan
-no longer written to enable man to control his
destiny because God already predetermined his
destiny
-part of endeavor to discover and expound
divine plan
Historicism
-The belief that history should be studied
only for its own sake.
-assigning a pragmatic reason for the
study of the past, like political training
and historical analyses of social problems,
renders a sense of partiality or bias on
what should be historically studied and
how
Leopold Von Ranke, the leading positivist
historian, argued that the task of the
historian is neither to guard certain values
nor to judge certain pasts. Instead, to bring
the past back to life.
Ranke declared that the aim of history is “
merely to show how things actually
were”. Its reimagination of the past
because it tends to be viewed in light of
the recent problems.
R. G. Collingwood, British Historian
Question
What is positivism, and how is it
applied in history?
HISTORY and the
HISTORIAN
What is a Historian ?
Historian-a primary
responsible for the production
of historical knowledge
through continuous research
and rethinking of history.
Who qualifies as a historian?
someone who continuously pursues
historical knowledge
keep up with changes and
developments in historical knowledge
in light of new evidence
answers questions about the past
through gathering and interpreting
historical evidence
Task of Historians
-convert historical sources to historical
knowledge
-determine what is historical fact
-decides what part of the past makes it to the
canon of history
-interpret, give meaning and organize historical
facts into timeline, establish causes and write
history
Historical Interpretation
-making sense of given primary
sources and historical documents
through content and contextual
analyses
Is objective historical
knowledge possible?
How should historians deal
with their personal biases and
subjectivity?
Despite the inherent subjectivity
of the historian, historical
knowledge can still be scientific
by adhering to rigorous historical
methodology and through
collaboration with peers in the
discipline.
01 02 03
NEPTUNE VENUS
Neptune is the It has a beautiful
farthest planet name and is the
from the Sun and second planet
the fourth-largest from the Sun. It’s
by diameter in quite hot, even
our Solar System hotter than
Mercury
Historical
Sources
Primary sources-historical
sources that were produced and
created in the same period as the
historical subject being studied.
Other examples:
Government records
Archival Documents
Census
memorabilia
Secondary sources-were produced by
an author who relied on primary
sources to write the material.
Example:
In 1958, Agoncillio published his
work “Revolt of the Masses” but
Philippine revolution happened in
last years of nineteenth century.
Produced at different time by a
person whose not an eye witness.
Criticism of Primary
Resources
External Criticism-practice of
verifying evidence’s
Quality of Paper authenticity by examining its
physical characteristics,
consistency with historical
character of the time it was
Language and
words
supposedly produce, and
source materials.
Printing and Copying
techniques
Internal Criticism-examination of
the content of a particular
document.
Example:
Context-specific materials
(primary source)
Infamous cases of
Deception
in the Philippines
#1 Code of Kalantiaw
1433 – written by Datu
Kalantiaw; set of codes
(epic “Maragtas”).
1968- American historian
William Scott debunked
codes authenticity.
Anachronism and lack of evidence
Inconsistencies and inaccuracies in simple
historical details
No credible resources describe pre-Hispanic
Philippine history societies as barbaric
Ancient Filipino does not use “hour” as unit
measure of time
#2 Marcos’ Declaration as WW II Soldier
As early as 1945 -Marcos
claimed to lead a guerilla unit
called “Ang Mga Maharlika”
2016 – National Historical
Commission (NHCP) said his
medal were fake.
WW II Historian Dr. Ricardo T.
Jose debunked Marcos’ claims.
Corroboration
Dr. Jose found the claims as implausible
saying that if it was valid Marcos would have
received the highest award.
No single mention of MacArthur pinning
Marcos the Distinguished Service Cross.
Guerilla unit called “ Ang Mga Maharlika”
was never recognized by the U.S.
government.
The End.
