Meaning and Importance of History

➢ History is dynamic. It moves from one stage to another. Events, both past
and present, create ripples that go beyond concrete and immediate time
frame.
➢ History is the study of change over time, and it covers all aspects of human
society. Political, social, economic, scientific, technological, medical, cultural,
intellectual, religious and military developments are all part of history.
➢ According to Gottschalk, 1969 the term of history has evolved from its
present connotation.
➢ History was taken from the Greek Word iotopia which means “to learn”.
➢ According to Barnes, 1963 history is concerned with the study of the human
past.
➢ The History is important because it allows one to make more sense of the
current world. One can look at past economic and cultural trends and be
able to offer reasonable predictions of what will happen next in today's
world. One can also understand why some rules exist in the modern world
also it is significant both to society and people for it helps us better
understand ourselves, our strengths, limitations and aspirations.

History and Philippine Historiography

➢ Historiography is the art of writing. It also refers to the theory and history
of historical writing.
➢ The term Historiography is rooted from the Greek word historia which
means “past and graphier” which means to “write”.
➢ The writing history can be traced thousands a of years ago, Historiography,
the scientific way of writing history gained prominence only in the early
1900s. Recent developments in Historiography broadened the bases of
history.
➢ Zeus Salazar and the advocates of the pantayong pananaw gave new
direction to the study of history.
➢ Using Filipino medium, they define history as “Ang kasaysayan ay isang
salaysay tungkol sa nakalipas na may saysay sa isang grupo ng tao”.
➢ The study of Philippine history is redirected to what the people believe to be
important to them. This is the reason for the study of oral traditions, culture
and local history which are privileged in the discourse of the pantayong
pananaw.

The Development of Philippine Historiography

➢ Historical consciousness is innate among the Filipinos. As reflected in a

popular Filipino saying “Ang hindi marunong lumingon sa kanyang nakaraan
ay hindi makakarating sa kanyang paroroonan”.
➢ Filipino historians became followers of a very rigid tradition in writing
history a tradition based on positivism.
➢ Positivism holds that historical knowlege and interpretation ought to be
based upon verifiable data gathered after examination of documents
through internal and external criticism.
 ➢ A new historical approach, known as New Historicism emerged it seeks the
interpretation of facts from all perspective, including those that do not
concern history before.
➢ Lesli Bauzon, in his article entitled “Perspectives on Contemporary Philippine
Historiography” emphasized the need to develop a methodology for
interpretative historical analysis within the context of Philippine society. He
argued that what the social scientist are using was based on Western
models which do not fit the Philippine setting.
➢ Filipino historians are constrained to view Philippine history on the
perspective of the Filipinos.

1.1 The Writing of History during the Spanish Period

➢ The development of Philippine historiography can be traced back to the

Spanish period. The early friars with their zeal to propagate Christianity
studied the cultures of the early Filipinos and faithfully recorded their
valuable observations. Although the writings of the early friars were
missionary history, their recorded observations on the life of the early
Filipinos are indispensable in the understanding of the Philippine past. Since
the early historians were Spanish friars, their accounts were focused on
the Spanish history of the Philippines, specifically their missionary experience
in the country.

1.2 Secular Historians during the Spanish Period

➢ The writing of history during the Spanish period was not confined to the
hands of the friars. As a proof, many secular historians had shown great
interest in the Philippine affairs which they recorded. The secular historians
during the Spanish period can be divided into the following: Spanish officials
in the Islands; foreign residents and writers" and the Filipino Ilustrado.

1.3 Filipino Historians during the Spanish Philippines

➢ The opening of Manila to international trade has brought economic

development to the country and this development paved the way for the
birth of the middle class. The economic prosperity that was achieved gave
Filipino historians the opportunity to study in Europe and work for Philippine
reforms. The Filipino ilustrados like Jose Rizal, Marcelo del Pilar, Graciano
Lopez Jaena, Pedro Paterno, Antonio Luna, Mariano Ponce, and Isabelo de
os Reyes, among others, can be considered as the first Filipino nationalist-
historians who defended the Philippines and the Filipinos from a very biased
portrayal by foreign historians.
1.4 The Writing of History during the American Period

➢ On June 2, 1898, General Emilio Aguinaldo declared the independence

of the Philippines. The short-lived Philippine Republic ended with the
capture of Aguinaldo in Palanan, Isabela on March 23, 1901. In this
year, the American government decided to terminate the military
government and replaced it with a civil government under the
leadership of William Howard Taft.

1.5 Historical Writings during the Third Republic

➢ After the Philippines regained its independence in 1946, the newly established
Philippine Republic had to confront several problems. Aside from the
rehabilitation of the country, the newly established government had to face
the problems concerning national unity and national identity. In this light, the
country was in need of history that will reflect the characters of the people
and will serve as a unifying factor of the country.