History and Historiography

READINGS IN PHILIPPINE HISTORY

(G HIST 1)

Instructor: Maria Divina M. Beti, MPA

Dept. of Social Sciences
College of Arts & Sciences
 Intended Learning Outcomes
At the end of the lesson, the students are able to:
1. Articulate in detailed and specific terms the meaning,
philosophy, and methodology of history. And philosophy in
assessing and analyzing existing historical narratives.
2. Apply the knowledge in historical methodology and
philosophy in assessing and analyzing existing historical narratives.
3. Examine and assess critically the value of historical evidences
and sources.
 HISTORY
- from the Greek word “historia” which means knowledge
acquired through inquiry or investigation;
- the study of past events and the causes of such events
Example:
When did Magellan first arrive in the Philippines?
Who was the leader of the Katipunan?
Who was the first President of the Republic of the Philippines?
When is the Philippine Independence?
 HISTORIOGRAPHY

- is the history of history

- the writing of history based on the critical examination

of sources, the selection of particulars from the authentic
materials, and the synthesis of particulars into a narrative
that will stand the test of critical methods
1.How was a certain historical text written?
2.Who wrote it?
3.What was the context of its publication?
4.What particular historical method was employed?
5.What were the sources used?

Thus, Historiography
lets the students have
a better understanding
of history.
Students do not only get to learn
historical facts, but they are also
provided with the understanding
of the facts’ and the historian’s
contexts.
The methods used by the historian and the
theory and perspective, which guided him,
will also be analyzed.

Historiography is important for someone

who studies history because it teaches the
students to be critical in the lessons of
history presented to them.
Importance of History:
1.States use history to unite a nation.
2.It can be used as a tool to legitimize regimes and forge a
sense of collective identity through collective memory.
3.Lessons from the past can be used to make sense of the
present.
4.Learning of past mistakes 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.
Approaches to the study of History
POSITIVISM
- is the school of thought that emerged between the 18th and 19th
century.
-This thought 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.
-“no document, no history” --- historians were required to show
written primary documents in order to write a particular historical
narrative.
-Positivist historians are also expected to be objective and impartial not
just in their arguments but also on their conduct of historical research.
Post-colonialism
-is the school of thought that emerged in the early 20th
century when formerly colonized nations grappled with
the idea of creating their identities and understanding
their societies against the shadows of their colonial post.
Historical Sources:

• Primary Sources - are those sources produced at

the same time as the event, period, or subject
being studied.
Ex. novels, poems, movies, photographs,
newspaper, essay, speeches, census records,
biographies, maps, statistics, eyewitness accounts
Historical Sources:

• Secondary Sources - are those sources, which

were produced by an author who used primary
sources to produce the material. They are
historical sources which added a historical subject
Ex. books, dictionaries, encyclopedias, articles,
manuscripts, second-hand sources
Scrutinizing historical sources:

* External Criticism-the practice of verifying the

authenticity of evidence by examining its physical
characteristics, consistency with the historical
characteristic of the time when it was produced; and the
materials used for the evidence.
Ex. criticism on the document: quality of the paper,
type of the ink, language and words used in the material
Scrutinizing historical sources:

* Internal Criticism-the examination of the truthfulness

of the evidence. It looks at the content of the source and
examines the circumstances of its production. It looks at
the truthfulness and factuality of the evidence by looking
at the author of the source, its content, the agenda behind
its creation, the knowledge which informed it, and its
intended purpose.
- 5 Primary Sources from different
historical periods

- Evaluate these documents’ content

in terms of historical value and examine
the context of their production
“A Brief Summary of
the First Voyage
Around the World by
Magellan”

- written by Antonio
Pigafetta
Antonio Pigafetta
(1480-1534)
 The KKK
and the Kartilya ng Katipunan
Proclamation of the
Philippine Independence
A Glance at Selected
Philippine Political
Caricature in Alfred
McCoy’s Philippine
Cartoons: Political
Caricature of the
American Era ( 1900-
1941)
Revisiting Corazon Aquino’s
Speech Before the US
Congress