Study Guide in Hist 1 1st Sem AY.

2022-
2023

Introduction: Meaning, Method, Use and Views of History

Objectives:
1. To define history;
2. To describe the uses or importance of history;
3. To identify the sources of history;
4. To explain the major views or philosophies in the study of history;
5. To differentiate the various approaches in the study of Philippine history;
6. To give reasons for interpreting Philippine history from the Filipino point of view; and
7. To justify the need to study history in order to understand one's national identity.

I. History Defined
A. Traditional Definitions
1. History is the record of the past.
2. History is a record of the human past from the time written records
began to appear.
a. These definitions are weak because they view history as based
merely on written records.
b. History is actuality; hence it must study the past as it
happened. This demands that the historian abandon the
present. The practical value of studying and using the past to
understand the present is lost. History is studied, written, and
taught for its own sake.
c. Interviews or oral history and oral traditions, and cultural
artifacts are not considered.
d. This notion of "no written record, no history" has confined
history to the literate and articulate and has resulted in the
production of historiographies from upper-class male
perspectives.
B. Modern Definition
1. History is the reconstruction of the past based on written records, oral
history, cultural artifacts and folk traditions.
2. It is the imaginative reconstruction of the past, the study of events
concerning people in the past.
3. Aside from recording, a historian should do two other important
tasks:
a. To interpret facts in orderly and intelligible manner, and
b. To discover patterns and trends which govern the behavior of
people and of nations, and to make generalizations of these.
4. Therefore, history is the interpretative and imaginative study of
surviving records of the past, either written or unwritten, in order to
determine the meaning and scope of human existence.
II. Uses or Importance of History
A. Bridging the gap between the present and the past

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The present being the result of the past, the Philippines and the Filipinos are
what they are today because of what happened in times past. The nature and
extent of contemporary problems in the country can best be understood in
the light of their historical roots. Thus, knowing the past improves the
understanding of the present.

B. Explaining causes of things and events

No other discipline can provide explanations for causes of events and
developments. For example, there is no way to explain why the "stateside
mentality" among Filipinos is very strong. The question is "what was in the
past that brought about this mentality?"

C. Projecting the future

Events and developments in the future may be envisioned using lessons of
history as bases. Circumstances in the past have been observed to contribute
to the unfolding of a significant event. Taking stock of similarities or parallels
between the past and the present also leads to consideration of likely
possibilities or scenarios in the future. History allows us to speculate
intelligently about the future. Present and future intelligent action springs
from sound knowledge of the past.

D. Interpreting conditions of a given space and time

History is the only branch of knowledge that can provide information and
corresponding interpretation of periods of history. The coming of the United
States to the Philippines may be explained by going back to the events before
1898 and finding out what factors contributed to the rise of the United States
as an imperialist power.

E. Promoting Nationalism and Patriotism

History is the best area of human knowledge that can help in promoting
nationalism and patriotism. It inspires and develops a sense of national pride
and a sense of devotion to country by recording the exploits and struggles of
our ancestors to win freedom and independence. History affirms the fact that
Filipinos possess many positive traits and a very rich culture.

F. Teaching healing and peace

III. Sources of History

A. Written and Nonwritten Sources

To reconstruct history, historians must study written and nonwritten records
or sources. To study prehistory, or history before the development of writing,
historians must rely on silent remains, such as fossils, ruins and artifacts.
Archaeology is the science of finding and studying these physical remains.
Aside from artifacts, nonwritten sources also include graphic and visual

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materials, folklore/oral literature and oral history through interviews (video

and voice recordings).

Written sources can be classified into three: archival, library and ephemeral
sources.

Archival source: documents such as letters, official papers, maps, sketchs, drawings,
photographs, or recorded materials being kept for their historical interest
Library source: sources found in the library.
Ephemeral source: short-lived or single-use sources; example: collectible items that were
originally designed to be short-lived such as ticket stubs, stamps, movie/theatre/concert
passes, receipts for goods and services, medical prescriptions, billboards, activity/program
pamphlets, commercial ads, etc.

B. Primary and Secondary Sources

Primary sources are those written or created by people who participated in
or observed the events they describe while secondary sources are written
and/or produced after an event with the aid of primary sources. Historians
prefer primary sources, because the people who observed or took part in
events usually tell a more accurate story. Historians carefully check the
accuracy of every source to make sure they get a true view of the past. In
some cases, careful study of historical evidence leads to changes in our view
of the past.

IV. Major Views or Philosophies in the Study of History

History is not only about what happened; it is also about how we think about what
happened or how we perceive about what happened. Views or philosophies of history are
ways of interpreting and explaining historical developments and the interplay of
personages, places, times and events.

A. Cyclical View
 "History repeats itself."
 All human events occur in cycles.
 Its famous exponents were Herodotus and Spengler.
 This view was popular from the time of Herodotus (5th century BCE).

B. Providential View
 History is determined by God.
 It consists of recording the death struggle between good and evil.
 Man is relegated to the role of a pawn in a game of high stakes.
 It became widespread during the Middle Ages (AD 350-1450), and its foremost
exponent was St. Augustine (AD 354-430).

C. Progressive or Linear View

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 This view regards mankind as responsible for the advancement of civilization. It

places complete faith in human abilities rather than in divine intervention.
 Mankind is getting better and better.
 Marx was one of the exponents of this view.
 This view holds that each new generation builds upon the achievements of the
preceding; the new generation must be better because it has more with which to
start.

D. Relativist View
 History classifies and groups together facts about the past in terms of current needs
or contemporary concerns.
 "History creates its own subject."
 Each new situation implies a reinterpretation of the past. Thus, the relationship of
the present to the past is in a constant state of change. This implies the subjective
nature of historical knowledge.
 History does not deal with causal analysis ("cause and effect relationships) but on
discourse.
 This view states that one does not have a fixed theory or position against which
historical data could be measured.

V. Various Views or Approaches to the Study of Philippine History

A. Bipartite View (twofold periodization of Philippine history)

This view was manifested by the Spanish while they were describing the events in the
Philippines during the period of Spanish colonialism in the country;
Philippine history was divided into two periods; this can be seen in the Spanish chronicles
(cronicas) about the events in the Philippines;
The first part/period was “before the coming of the Spaniards”; the Spanish colonizers saw
this period as a time of darkness or era of savagery because they believed that our ancestors
(the early Filipinos) had no civilization;
The second period was “the coming of the Spanish colonizers and the Hispanization of the
Philippines” or the Spanish colonial period; this era was said to be the period of civilization
because of the spread of Christianity.

1. Clerico-Imperialist View
 History is of God's grand design.
 This approach or view emerged with the coming of the Spaniards.
 Catholicism is the instrument of God to redeem the native inhabitants from the
clutches of Satan.
 No interpretation is needed because everything is willed by God.
 Examples: Pigafetta, Loarca, Plasencia, Concepcion, Zuñiga (Spanish chroniclers who
were all medievalistic in outlook and greatly influenced by St. Augustine's
providential theory of history.)

2. Assimilationist View

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 The rise of secularism and nationalism and the new ideologies of Enlightenment
brought about this view.
 God was now secularized and used in defense of the Filipinos' rights as human
beings who should be treated with dignity and respect.
 If everything was created by God, was not the Filipino the equal of the Spaniard?
 It therefore preached equality between Filipinos and Spaniards.
 This view was assimilationist because it aimed at uniting the people to prepare them
for membership in the Spanish community of nations.

3. Democratic-Imperialist View
 Dominated by the idea of the superiority of American culture, this view reduced
majority of the Filipinos to a silent backdrop and passive recepient of the blessings of
American civilization.
 The school was inspired by the introduction of democracy and the secular idea of
America's "Manifest Destiny."
 Its object was to rewrite Philippine history from the time the United States' divinely-
inspired intervention and the "manifest" superiority of America's "benevolent"
occupation of our country.
 America's "Manifest Destiny" was based on the conviction of Americans that their
civilization was superior and that all others in Asia, Africa and South America were
inferior.
 The United States believed that its singular "destiny" was to undertake the
advancement of mankind and so it brought its civilization to other parts of the world.
 Its mission could be efficiently carried out through physical expansion; the Americans
could then "educate, civilize and train the Filipinos in the art of democratic
government."
 The exponents were American writers themselves.

Manifest Destiny: the doctrine or belief prevalent in the 19th century that the United States
had the God-given right to expand into and possess the whole of the North American
continent; historical expansionist doctrine.

4. Nationalist-Realist (Transition) View

 History was viewed as a reconstruction of the past as reflected in records, written,
collected, analyzed and synthesized by historians.
 This approach approximated the ideal of "history as art"; History is art because it
involved creative and imaginative reconstruction of the past.
 The mere presentation of facts does not constitute history but a chronicle; thus, the
facts have to be interpreted and recreated to make a historical narrative.
 Biography, politics, society, culture and institutions were studied with the singular
nationalistic orientation of instilling pride in being a Filipino by emphasizing native
greatness and accomplishments.
 While their nationalism was genuine enough, members of this school nevertheless
displayed colonial mentality by recognizing Spanish and American influences that
benefitted the Filipinos.

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 The exponents were Isagani Medina, Conrado Benitez, Nicolas Zafra and Gregorio
Zaide.

B. Tripartite View/ Nationalist View (Threefold periodization of Philippine history)

The nationalist view was the product of a crisis situation created by the Reform Movement,
Philippine Revolution and the American invasion that eventually led to the Philippine-
American War. The failure of the Propaganda Movement to seek reforms for the Philippines
from Spain, the outbreak of the Philippine Revolution from Spain and the subsequent war
with the US strengthened the Filipinos' nationalistic resolve to win their freedom from
colonial yoke. Thus, even the Assimilationists abandoned their goal of making the
Philippines part of Spain and became truly a nationalist when they clamored for
independence. This view or approach aimed to influence the destiny of the Filipino nation
by pushing for independence either for the individual or for the nation.

 The main idea is to study Philippine history from the Filipino point of view.
 The history of the inarticulate (peasants, workers, cultural minorities, women) is
included.
 It is a logical reaction to foreign-dominated and ilustrado-centered theme of
Philippine history.
 It emphasizes the importance of history in nation-building.

1. Propaganda (the Filipino propagandists in the Philippines and in Spain/Europe)

It was formed as a response of the Propagandists to the bipartite (colonial) view of Spanish
writers and in order to have a Filipino point of view about our past.
The narrative was divided into pre-colonial, colonial and post-colonial periods.

2. Katipunan
 The tripartite view was also employed by the Katipuneros (members of the secret
society "Kataas-taasan Kagalanggalangang Katipunan ng mga Anak ng Bayan" or KKK
ANB).
 The narrative was divided into "Liwanag," "Dilim," and "Muling Liwanag."
 This view is manifested by the three questions that should be answered by those
who wished to join the society: 1. What was the condition of Katagalugan (the
Philippines) before the coming of the Spaniards? 2. What is Motherland's condition
today? 3. What will be Her condition in the future?

3. Contemporary Nationalist School

3.1. Teodoro Agoncillo (Nov. 9, 1912-Jan. 14, 1985)

 continued the tripartite view of Philippine History in the Academe (University of the
Philippines)

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 Although Gregorio F. Zaide (May 25, 1907-Oct. 31, 1985) also wrote a lot of books on
Philippine History during the contemporary period, his view of Philippine history
recognizes the positive impacts of Spanish and American colonialism/ imperialism to
the Filipinos; thus Zaide is under the Nationalist-Realist (Transition) View.

3.2. Leftist-Socialist or Marxist View

 Using analysis, the advocates stress that history is a science, capable of being
controlled, influenced and predicted.
 The view is a universalistic extension of the class conflict theme and it regards
history as the history of economic classes, their rise, fall and dominance and
exploitation.
 Example: Amado Guerrero's (Jose Ma. Sison's) Philippine Society and Revolution.

3.3. Peoples' History

 This view criticizes the "colonialist" and "elitist" views in the study and writing of
Philippine History;
 According to Renato Constantino (Mar. 10, 1919-Sept. 15,1999);
 Constantino's view of Philippine History is best exemplified in his book titled The
Philippines: A Past Revisited and his articles "Veneration Without Understanding"
and "The Miseducation of the Filipinos";
 Constantino argues that "...the principal focus [of Philippine History] must be on the
anonymous masses of individuals and on the social forces generated by their
collective lives and struggles. For history, though it is commonly defined as the story
of man, is not the story of man the individual, but man the collective, that is,
associated man. Without society there can be no history and there are no societies
without men."

3.3. History from Below (Kasaysayan mula sa Ibaba)

 This view is exemplified by Reynaldo C. Ileto's book titled Pasyon and Revolution:
Popular Movements in the Philippines, 1840-1910;
 According to Reynaldo Ileto, in order to create a "history from below," it is necessary
to use sources that also come from "below" not only in the reconstruction of events
in history but also to understand how people view their past;
 According to him, it is paramount to first understand the structure of a popular belief
and the way it responds to a particular event or phenomena especially if it is
connected to social change;
 To understand the causes of phenomena in Philippine history, particularly
milllenarian movements and uprisings in the 19th and 20th century, it is important
to first study the way of thinking (worldview) of the generation/culture to which the
leaders and followers (or actors) of the events belong;
 Based on this view, the Catholic Filipinos, particularly the poor and uneducated, saw
their history in the prism of the pasyon (Passion of Jesus or the life and sufferings of
Jesus Christ between the night of the Last Supper and his death including the agony
in Gethsemane), the past as the lost Eden and the attainment of which necessitates
everyone to take up the pasyon of the Inang Bayan (the Philippines or the
"Katagalugan");

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 According to Historian Milagros Guerrero (her book review of Ileto), "[Ileto] sees the
pasyon as the ideological source of Tagalog peasant movement and the Philippine
Revolution. He explicates that the various phases in the life of Jesus Christ have
counterparts in the odyssey of the Filipinos to freedom. Christ hismself was the role
model of rebels like Apolinario dela Cruz (Hermano Pule), Andres Bonifacio, and
Felipe Salvador (Apong Ipe)."

3.4. Pantayong Pananaw

 It is part of the broader Bagong Kasaysayan (BAKAS);
 It is one of the factors that unite the elements of BAKAS;
 BAKAS is the union of the idea of “salaysay na may saysay” (narrative/account that is
significant), “pag-uulat sa sarili” (relating/telling a story to oneself or fellow
Filipinos), cronica (Spanish historia in the form of a chronicle), positivism of the 19 th
century (“no written record/documentary evidence, no history”) and “history as
interpretation” with the application of Pantayong Pananaw;
 Pantayong Pananaw was conceptualized by retired UP Professor Dr. Zeus Salazar;
 This view is deeply rooted in Philippine culture and history;
 It emphasizes the use of a unifying local language in telling “our” history;
 This is a discourse within the Filipino cultural sphere (kabuuang pangkalinangang
Pilipino) in which Filipino languages are being used:

History of View/Discourse Narrator/Writer Listener/Reader Language of Topic

History Discourse
SINAUNANG Pantayong Member of Member of Language of the History of the
KASAYSAYAN Pananaw Ethno-linguistic Ethno-linguistic ethno-linguistic Ethno-linguistic
(Ethno- group group group group
linguistic (e.g. Ilokano,
group’s point of Ilonggo,
view) Cebuano)
HISTORIA/ Pansilang Foreigners Foreigners Foreign Philippine
HISTORY Pananaw Languages History
(Foreigners’ (Spanish or
point of view) English)
Clerico-
Imperialist and
Democratic
Imperialist
Views
Pangkayong Foreigners Filipinos Foreign Philippine
Pananaw Languages or History
(Foreigners’ Filipino
point of view)
Clerico-
Imperialist and
Democratic
Imperialist
Views
Pangkaming Filipinos Foreigners and Foreign Philippine
Pananaw Filipinos Languages History
(Filipinos’ point (Spanish or
of view) English)

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Assimilationist,
Nationalist-
Realist
(Transition)
and
Contemporary
Nationalist
Views
BAGONG Pantayong Filipinos Filipinos Filipino and Philippine
KASAYSAYAN Pananaw local Philippine History
(Filipinos’ point languages
of view)
Pangkaming Filipinos Foreigners Foreign Philippine
Pananaw Language or History
(Filipinos’ point Filipino
of view)
Pansilang Filipinos Filipinos Filipino History of
Pananaw foreign
(Filipinos’ point civilizations or
of view) cultures
Pangkayong Filipinos Foreigners Foreign History of
Pananaw Languages or foreign
(Filipinos’ point Filipino civilizations or
of view) cultures

VI. Some Reasons for Interpreting Philippine History from a Filipino Point of View:

A. Foreign Interpretation is biased and prejudicial.

1. The judgment of Philippine history takes into account the former colonial
masters’ interest.
2. Filipino cultures and historical development are judged on the basis of
foreigners’ own cultural development and history.
3. Although objectivity cannot really be achieved in the writing of history, in all
considerations, a Filipino point of view of his/her history is better than that of the
former colonial masters or foreigners.

B. Filipinos have greater familiarity with understanding of their own culture and
history.
1. It can be argued that Filipinos know their history, culture and identity better than
foreign historians do.
2. Filipinos are more familiar with the historical roots of our problems.

C. Filipino point of view can help promote nationalism and patriotism.

1. History is a tool in understanding our national identity.
2. It can help in tracing the roots of the Filipino people.
3. It serves as a tool in identifying commonalities in our culture and experiences.
4. It points out the need for nationalism and patriotism in nation-building.

References:

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Cruz, Romeo V. "Approaches to Historical Studies." Historical Bulletin, XXVI, 1-4 (January-
December, 1982), pp.16-26.

Funtecha, Henry F. and Melanie J. Padilla. A Study Guide in Philippine History for Teachers &
Students. Iloilo City: Mindset Publishing, inc., 2000.

Larkin, John A., ed. Perspectives on Philippine Historiography: A Symposium. New Haven:
Yale University Southeast Asian Studies, 1979, pp.1-17.

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