Readings in Philippine History - Prelims 1

Meaning of history to historical criticisms

History

Derived from the Greek work Historia

Historia

meaning "inquiry" or "knowledge" acquired by investigation.

Aristotle

He views history as the systematic accounting of a set of natural phenomena arranged in chronological order

Historia

Spanish of history

Histoire

French term for "history"

Kasaysayan

Filipino term for "history"

Historians

Individuals who study and write about history and understand the present by examining what went before

Historiography

The practice of writing historyand the study of historical writing and methodology.

Historical Method

1. Preliminary research

2. Formulate hypothesis

3. Gather evidence to support hypothesis

4. Formulate a thesis statement

5. Write a historical account

What do you call these steps?

Factual and Speculative History

Theories constructed by historians in investigating history.

Factual history

Presents the plain and basic information. Answers what, when, where, who.

Speculative history

Cause and effect of an event. Answers why and how

Indios

A term used during the Spanish colonial period to refer to the native people of the Philippines, often carrying connotations of inferiority in the colonial context.

Principalia

Illustrados

Filibustero

A word prohibited to be mentioned as it meant “rebel”.

January 20, 1872

Cavite Mutiny occurred on this date, leading to significant repercussions against Filipino revolutionaries.

Traditional historiography

Type of historiography that gather documentation from libraries for evidence.

Modern historiography

Type of historiography that uses archaeology and geography.

Incompleteness of records

Limitation of historical knowledge

Being able to study only what survived

Another limitation of historical knowledge

Versimilitude

historian’s aim

Truth, authenticity, plausibility

Meaning of versimilitude

Subjective process of re-creation

Documents and relics are scattered and not together allowing critical thinking and careful analysis for interpretation.

Historical Method

process of examining and analyzing records of the past

Historiography

Imaginative reconstruction from data

Historical Analysis

element of historical method that allows you to select the subject, collect sources, examine, and extract credible particulars

Interpretative

Historian’s ability to reconstruct historical events

Modern historiography

collaboration with other scientists in different fields to write history

Historical data

data from artifacts or sources

Historical Sources

objects/testimonies from the past to create depiction

Historical sources

provides evidence about existence

Historical Interpretation

A result of a depiction and is usually an argument about an event.

Relics

sources that are objects

Testimonies

Oral or written artifacts

Dynamic/Genetic

the becoming

Static

The being

Interpretative

explaining why and how things are interrelated

Descriptive

Explains what, when, who in history

Written and Non-written Sources

2 categories of sources

Written sources

narrative/literary, diplomatic/judicial, social documents

Non-written sources

Material evidence and oral evidence

Narrative/literary

chronicles/tracts in narrative form or written form

Diplomatic/Judicial

Records in existing legal situation and was once treated as the purest source. Must be sealed and authenticated.

Social documents

information of economical, political, social, or legal significance

Material evidence

archaeological evidence

Material evidence

can tell the whys of life and culture and is a visual representation of the past

Oral evidence

tales, sagas, folk songs, rituals, interviews

diary

an example of an ego document

Hagiography

study of the life of saints

Scientific tract

It is composed to inform contemporaries or succeeding generations

Social documents

These are records kept by bureaucracies

Eschatocol

Third part of diplomatic source. The attestation for those responsible for the document

Primary and Secondary

2 general kinds of historical sources

Primary sources

Original and not interpretative sources, that are usually first-hand accounts of events and close or during the period it happened.

Secondary sources

Sources that are made long after an event and has valuable interpretations

Secondary source

analyzes and interprets primary sources

Historical criticism

examines the origins of text and underlying circumstances

1. Determine authenticity

2. Weigh testimony to truth

2 parts of historical criticism

External and internal criticism

2 types of criticism

External criticism

type of criticism that examines the authenticity of the source

Internal criticism

type of criticism that examines the historicity of facts, character of sources, and knowledge of author

Test of authenticity

includes paleography and diplomatics, anachronistic styles, and anachronistic references to events

Forgery

considered as hoax or misinterpretation from the genuine document

Isographies

a dictionary of biography that gives examples of handwriting

Sigillography

historical seal that has been subject of special study of experts

sensus literalis historicus

this means that the historical texts are primitive and historical context in the primitive sense

higher criticism

This criticism deals with a more important matters than the external form.

19th to 20th century

This refers to the time/century when Historical criticism was properly formed

19th century

the time/century when historical typewriting was invented

Middle Ages

refers to the era wherein historical forgery was not known