Historiography Lecture Notes

Vocabulary flashcards summarizing key concepts from the lecture on historiography and early Philippine historical writing.

Historiography

The study of the development of history as a discipline and of the writing of historical accounts.

Philippine Historiography

The field of historical writing about the Philippines, formally initiated during Spanish colonization.

Spanish Colonizers' Two-Period Narrative

A colonial framework that split Philippine history into a pre-Hispanic ‘period of darkness’ and a post-Spanish ‘period of enlightenment.’

Spanish Chroniclers

Early writers under Spanish rule who documented Philippine events and emphasized Spain’s civilizing mission.

Period of Darkness / Backwardness

The label Spanish accounts applied to pre-colonial Philippine society, depicting it as uncivilized and barbaric.

Period of Advancement / Enlightenment

The era Spanish writers claimed began with their arrival, portraying Spanish rule as bringing progress and liberation.

Primacy of Colonization

The colonial idea that Spanish conquest was essential to ‘liberate’ Filipinos from their supposed barbaric state.