Reading Philippine History

History

•A branch of Social Science that deals with the systematic study of the significant past, records and explains events concerning people and human nature.

•Focus: people are the center of historical study.

•Only significant and recorded events are considered part of history.

Historia

Greek word of History

History

“learning, inquiry, investigation.”

History is a western concecpt

•it excludes oral traditions, unlike the Filipino concept Kasaysayan.

Historiography

•The study of history itself (the writing of history).

•Who is the historian?

•Motives of the writer

•Sources used

•Theories applied

•Context when written

Elements of History

Historian

Place

Period

Sources

Historian

person writing the history.

Place

Location where history was written.

Period

Context/time when written.

Sources

Basis of claims (Documents, oral accounts, artifacts).

Nature of History as a Discipline

•No exclusive subject matter – covers all events and people of the past.

•Synthesizes knowledge – borrows from Sociology, Anthropology, Economics, etc.

•Illuminates gaps – explains relationships among events.

•Constantly changing – can be revised when new evidence appears.

•Seeks truth – aims to establish facts from available data.

No exclusive subject matter

– covers all events and people of the past.

Synthesizes knowledge

– borrows from Sociology, Anthropology, Economics, etc.

Illuminates gaps

– explains relationships among events.

Constantly changing

– can be revised when new evidence appears.

Seeks truth

– aims to establish facts from available data.

E. Kent Rogers

•To know our cultural roots – explains values, institutions, practices.

•Ex: Filipino preference for fair skin → colonial influence.

•To learn about human nature & mistakes of the past – study of trends and patterns helps avoid repeating failures and encourages repeating successes.

• In short: History connects past, present, and future.

Archaeology

– studies artifacts (pottery, jewelry, tools).

Anthropology

– studies humans, ancestors, culture.

Sociology/Economics/Politics

– help in analyzing causes/effects of historical events.

Types of Sources

-Primary Sources
-Secondary Sources
-Tertiary Sources

Primary Sources

– firsthand evidence, direct from the period studied.

•Examples: baptismal registers, coins, newspapers from the period, speeches, photos. letters, diaries, journals, books.

Secondary Sources

– interpretations/analysis of primary sources.

•Ex: Teodoro Agoncillo’s Malolos: The Crisis of the Republic.

Tertiary Sources 

– compilations of primary & secondary.

•Ex: textbooks, encyclopedias, dictionaries.

Categories of Historical Sources

Archival materials

Government documents

Serials

Books

Visual/Audio Materials

Archival materials

– letters, diaries, financial/legal docs.

Government documents

– laws, treaties, debates.

Serials

Newspaper, magazines, journals

Books

Can be primary (Rizal’s letters) or secondary (Rizal’s biography).

Visual/Audio Materials

– maps, photographs, films, oral histories

Historical Criticism

Purpose: validate authenticity & credibility of sources.

External Criticism

-authenticity of the document

•Authorship – who wrote it?

•Date & place – when/where written?

•Textual errors – intentional or unintentional edits.

•Language used – words must match time period.

Internal Criticism

-credibility of content

•Analyze literal & real meaning.

•Ask: Did the writer have firsthand knowledge? Any bias?

•Check consistency with other sources.

History vs Kasaysayan

Kasaysayan is seen as a way to preserve the culture and identity of a people. This was done orally. Examples of these are Epics, Myths, and Genealogies.

History study of past events and to learn from there past mistakes.

Sa Aking Mga Kabata

– doubtful Rizal authorship:

•No manuscript in Rizal’s handwriting.

•Published only in 1906 (after Rizal’s death).

•Word “kalayaan” not used during Rizal’s childhood.

Code of Kalantiaw

– proven a hoax by William Henry Scott.

•No evidence, only suspicious Pavón manuscripts.

•No folklore mentions of Kalantiaw.