Republic of the Philippines

DR. EMILIO B. ESPINOSA, SR. MEMORIAL

STATE COLLEGE OF AGRICULTURE AND TECHNOLOGY
College of Industrial Technology
Cabitan, Mandaon, Masbate www.debesmscat.edu.ph.

Subject: GE2- Readings in Philippine History

Course: BSIT FIRST YEAR STUDENTS
Course Description: Philippine history viewed from the lens of selected primary sources in different periods,
analysis and interpretations.
Topic: Introduction to History: Definition, Issues, Sources and Methodology
 Definition and Subject Matter
 Questions and issues in History
 History and the Historian
 Historical Sources
Week: #2-3
Hours: 6 hours
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I. LEARNING OBJECTIVES:
 Define the term history. II. CON
 Identify several questions and issues in history. TEN
 Differentiate history and historian. T
 Explain and assess the value of historical sources. HISTORY
 Evaluate one’s outputs -known as
the study of
the past.
-was derived from a greek word “historia” which means “knowledge acquired through inquiry or
investigation”.
- Historia became known as the account of the past of a person or a group of people through written
documents and historical evidences in the adapted term of classical Latin.
- it was also focused on writing about wars, revolutions, and other important breakthroughs.

What counts as a history?

Traditional historians lived with the mantra of “no document, no history”. It means that unless a
written document can prove a certain historical event, then it cannot be considered as a historical fact.

Does the absence of written documents about them mean that they were people of no history or past? Did
they even exist?
It was recognized by historians who started using other kinds of historical sources, which may not be in
written form but were just as valid.
Examples:
Oral traditions in forms of epics and songs, artifacts, architecture, and memory.
History thus became more inclusive and started collaborating with other disciplines as its auxiliary disciplines.

Questions and Issues in History

What is Why study And history

history? history? Why for whom? ?
study histo Why study

These questions can be answered by historiography.

H I S T O R I O G R A P H Y
-it is the history of history.
History vs Historiography

- it is the study of the past, the events - it is the history itself (i.e., How the was
that had happened in the past, and the a certain historical text written? Who
Various roles of History in the past
1. To unite a nation.
2. As a tool to legitimize regimes and forge a sense of collective identity.
3. To make sense of the present
4. Learning past mistake can help people to not repeat them.
5. Being reminded of a great past can inspire people to keep their good practices to move forward.
Positivism (18th-19thcentury)
- a school of thought that requires empirical and observable evidence before one can claim that a
particular knowledge is true.
- it also entails an objective means of arriving at a conclusion.
- Historians were required to show written primary documents in order to write a particular historical
narrative. They are also expected to be objective and impatia not just in their arguments but also on their
conduct of historical research.
Postcolonialism (early 20th century)
- a school of thought that looks at two things in writing history: first is to tell the history of their nation
that will highlight their identity free from that of colonial discourse and knowledge, and second is to criticize
the methods, effects, and idea of colonialism.
- it is a reaction and an alternative to the colonial history that colonial powers created and taught to
their subjects.
One of the problems confronted by history is the accusation that the history is always written by victors.
For instance the, the history of the Second World War in the Philippines always depicts the United States as the
hero and the Imperial Japanese Army as the oppressors.

Historians Duties
1. A person of his own who is influenced by his own context, environment, ideology, education, and
influences, among others. His interpretation of historical facts is affected by his context and
circumstances.
2. Not only to seek historical evidences and facts but also to interpret these facts. They give meaning to
these fats and organize them into a timeline, establish cause, and write history.
Annales School of History (France)
- challenged the cannons of history.
- this school of thought did away with the common historical subjects that were almost always related to
the conduct of states and monarchs.
- advocated that the people and classes who were not reflected in the history of society in the grand
manner be provided with space in the records of mankind.
- Annales thinkers married history with other disciplines like geography, anthropology, archaeology, and
linguistics.
Historian’s most important research tools are historical sources. It can be classified between;
Primary Sources
- sources produced at the same time as the event, period, or subject being studied.
Example:
A historian wishes to study the Commonwealth Constitution Convention of 1935, his primary sources
can include the minutes of the convention, newspaper clippings, Philippine Commission reports of the US
Commissioners, records of the convention, the draft of the Constitution, photographs of the events,
eyewitness accounts of convention delegates and their memories.
Secondary Sources
- produced by an author who used primary sources to produce the material.
Example:
On the subject of the Philippine Revolution of 1896, students can read Teodoro Agoncillo’s Revolt of
the Masses; The Story of Bonifacio and the Katipunan published originally in 1956.
Historian should be able to conduct an external and internal criticism of the source, especially primary sources
which can age in centuries to avoid historical deceptions and lies.
External criticism
- the practice of verifying the authenticity of evidence by examining its physical characteristics;
consistency with the historical characteristics of the time when it was produced; and the materials used for
evidence.
Internal criticism
- the examination of the truthfulness of the evidence. It looks at the truthfulness of the evidence by
looking at the author of the source, its context, the agenda behind its creation, the knowledge which informed it,
and its intended purpose among others.
Philippine Historiography
Ancient Filipinos narrated their history through communal songs and epics that they passed orally from a
generation to another.
Spaniards came, their chronicles started recording their observation through written accounts.
Filipino historian Zeus Salazar introduced the new guiding philosophy for writing and teaching history:
pantayong pananaw (for us-from us perspective). It highlights the importance of facilitating an internal
conversation and discourse among Filipinos about our own history, using the language that is understood by
everyone.
References
1. Reading in Philippine History by: John Lee P. Candelaria, et.al., pg. 1-9
2. Carr, E. (1991). What is History.London, United Kingdom:Penguin.

Task to be done
SELF-ASSESSMENT
Direction: Explain the following questions in at least 100 words. (5 pts each)
1. What is history? Why study history?
2. Differentiate primary and secondary sources of history.
3. What are the roles of historians?