RPH Lecture 1: Introduction to Readings
in Philippine History
History, Past, Historiography
Keith Jenkins: Historiography is about the
writing of historians of the past. Past is the
object or content of what they are writing.
History is the ensemble of relations; the
product of interconnecting the past written by
historians which fulfills the goal of
historiography.
Past – things that happened; cannot be
recovered
History – Representation of our past; not
perfect and lacks objectivity; always
subjective; an argument therefore cannot be
true or false
Historians – those who are trying to recover
the past; Texts are tentative and not entirely
accurate; Have the tendency to overinterpret
Historiography – it’s how historians write
about the past
Primary and Secondary Sources
Primary: remnants of our past; materials
should be from the time period you are
studying about
th
E.g. Noli Me Tangere, El Fili (19 century)
*Know temporal and spatial elements
- Time
- Area
- Have the right perspective
Limitations that control the historical
knowledge claims of historians
1. Epistemological fragility (limits to
what can be known)
- there is a limit on what we know
about our past
- we do not know everything
- only know important things/details
2. Methodologically flawed (no
definitive ways to write history)
- no standard way of writing history
3. Ideologically flawed (history is never
for itself, it is always for someone)
- Ex. Most histories written were
about men; at present women are
now using their voice to assert
equality with men
- could be biased if you have the
power
“Whoever controls the present, controls the
past. Whoever controls the past, controls the
future.”
History is a shifting, problematic discourse,
ostensibly about an aspect of the world, the
past, that is produced by a group of present-
minded workers (historians) who go about
their work in mutually recognizable ways
that are epistemologically, methodologically,
ideologically and practically positioned and
whose products, once in circulation, are
subject to a series of uses and abused that are
logically infinite but which in actuality
generally correspond to a range of power
bases that exist at any given moment and
which structure and distribute the meanings
of histories along a dominantmarginal
spectrum.
Types of historical questions
1. Contextualization
- spatial and temporal elements
2. Comparison
- compare 1 event to similar events
3. Causation
4. Continuity and Change
Can we know through history whose better propaganda. The quack, the charlatan, the
between the past and the present? jingo…can flourish only where the audience
- Advantage of historians: they have the is deprived of independent access to
hindsight; know more about the context than information.
the people who actually lived the events
How can history be useful to you, and the
The Practice of History larger community you live in?
1. Sources: Primary and Secondary - Gives us the opportunity or
Written sources chance to do better.
primary: diaries, birth certificate, - History helps us understand
photos (personal stuff) People and Societies
2. Internal and external criticism - History helps us understand
- internal: you look at the content change and how the society we
itself; what info do you get from these live came to be
sources - History provides identity
- external: - History contributes to moral
3. Oral History understanding
- Not that reliable
- Not sure if interviewee
remembers everything
- May be too old to remember
everything
Why is history important?
Lee L. Wills: History instills a sense of
citizenship, and reminds you of questions to
ask especially about evidence
Eric Alterman: It locates us and helps us
understand how we got here and why things
are the way they are
Alan Mikhail: A study of the past shows us
that the only way to understand the present is
to embrace the messiness of politics, culture,
and economics. There are never easy answers
to pressing questions about the world and
public life.
David Blight: Without historical knowledge,
you are not ready for life
Walter Lippman: Men who have lost their
grip upon relevant facts of their environment
are the inevitable victims of agitation and