Chapter 1: MEANING AND RELEVANCE OF HISTORY
READINGS IN PHILIPPINE HISTORY (1210)
BSN1B - PROF. Dinah L. Nival - 1st Sem 2022
History
- is the study of the past, the events that
happened, and the causes of such
events.
- derived from the Greek word historia
– which means “knowledge acquired
through inquiry or investigation.”
- It has existed for around 2,400 years
and is as old as Mathematics and
Philosophy.
- Historia (Latin) the account of the
past of a person or of a group of
people through written documents
and historical evidence.
- Is focused on wars, revolution, and
other breakthroughs.
Traditional Historians
- Lived with a mantra - “ No
document no history”
Historiography
- Is the history of history. (How was it
written? Who wrote it? What was the
context of publication? What historical
method was employed? What sources
were used?)
History - Culture - Literature
- These three are intertwined with each
other.
- Language is part of culture
Historical sources
- Valid sources are not limited to written
documents such as government
records, chroniclers’ accounts or
personal letters.
- Some pass their history through word
of mouth.
Historical sources which may not be in
written form but were just as valid were
recognized by historians:
1. Oral traditions in forms of epics and
songs
2. Artifacts
3. Architecture and memory
History became more inclusive and started
collaborating with other disciplines as its
auxiliary disciplines.
Archaeologists
- Artifacts
Linguists
- Language
Scientists
- Analyzation of past genetic and DNA
Roles of History
- States use it to unite a nation.
- A tool to legitimize regimes and forge
a sense of collective identity through
collective memory
- To learn from past mistakes
- To inspire people to keep moving
forward.
POSITIVISM
- A school of thought that emerged
between the 18th and 19th century.
- Requires empirical and observable
evidence.
- Adheres to the mantra “no document,
no history”.
- Positivist Historians are expected to be
objective and impartial in their
arguments and conduct of historical
research.
POSTCOLONIALISM
- A school of thought that emerged in
the early 20th century.
Postcolonial History
- is a reaction and an alternative to the
colonial history that colonial powers
created and taught to their subject.
- It looks at two things in writing history:
1. to tell the history of their nation that
will highlight their identity free from
that colonial discourse and
knowledge.
2. to criticize the methods, effects and
ideas of colonialism.
HISTORY AND HISTORIAN
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Chapter 1: MEANING AND RELEVANCE OF HISTORY
READINGS IN PHILIPPINE HISTORY (1210)
BSN1B - PROF. Dinah L. Nival - 1st Sem 2022

Any history that has been taught and If a historian chooses to use an oral
written is always intended for a certain account as hisdata in studying the ethnic
group. history of the Ifugaos in the Cordillera
during the American Occupation, he has to
E.g. validate the claims of his informants by
When the Ilustrados (Jose Rizal, Isabelo comparing and corroborating it with
delos Santos & Pedro Paterno) wrote written sources. Therefore the historian can
history, they intended it for the Spaniards balance biases by relying on evidence that
so that they would realize that Filipinos are back up his claim.
people of their own intellect and culture.
THE ANNALES SCHOOL OF HISTORY
When American historians depicted the - is a school of history born in France
Filipino people as uncivilized in their that challenged the canons of history.
publication, they intended that narrative (common historical subjects related
for their fellow Americans to justify their to conduct of states and monarchs)
colonization of the islands. E.g.,
The history of peasantry
The history of medicine
Historian
The history of environment
- Seek historical evidence and facts
- They advocated that history from
- give meaning to facts and organize
below – that the people and classes
them into a timeline, establish causes
who were not reflected in the history of
and write history.
the society in the grand manner be
- a person of his own influenced by his
provided with space in the records of
own context, environment, ideology,
mankind.
education, and influences.
- Annales scholars married history with
- interpretation of the historical fact is
other disciplines like; Geography,
affected by the historians context and
Anthropology, Archaeology, and
circumstances.
Linguistics.
- subjectivity will inevitably influence the
process
- of his historical research; the
methodology that he will use, the facts
that he shall select and deemed
relevant, his interpretation, and even
the form of his writings.
IN ONE WAY OR ANOTHER,
HISTORY IS ALWAYS SUBJECTIVE

Historical methodology
Comprises certain techniques and rules
that historians follow in order to properly
utilize sources and historical evidence in
writing history.

E.g.

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CHAPTER 1: DISTINCTION OF PRIMARY AND SECONDARY SOURCES
READINGS IN PHILIPPINE HISTORY (1210)
BSN1B - PROF. Dinah L. Nival - 1st Sem 2022
HISTORICAL SOURCES
Can be classified between primary and
secondary sources.
The classification of sources between
these two categories depends on the
historical subject being studied.
Primary sources
- are those sources produced at the
same time as the event, period, or
subject being studied.
- E.g. Archival documents, artifacts,
memorabilia, census, letters,
government records.
If a historian wishes to study the
Commonwealth Constitution Convention
of 1935, his primary sources can include :
- Minutes of the Convention
- Newspaper clippings
- Philippine Constitution reports of the
U.S. Commissioners
- Records of the convention
- The draft of the constitution
- Photographs of the event
- Eyewitness accounts of convention
delegates and their memoirs
Secondary Sources
- are those sources which were
produced by an author who used
primary sources to produce the
material.
- are historical sources which studied a
certain historical subject.
E.g.
On the subject of the Philippine Revolution
of 1896, students can read Teodoro
Agoncillo’s Revolt of the Masses: The Story
of Bonifacio and the Katipunan published
originally in 1956. The Philippine Revolution
happened in the last years of the
nineteenth century whileAgoncillo
published his work in 1956, which makes
the book a secondary source.
In writing the book , Agoncillo used primary
sources with his research like:
- Documents of the Katipunan
- Interview with the veterans of the
revolution
- Correspondence between and among
Katipuneros.
The classification of sources between the
two categories of sources depends on the
historical subject being studied.
A textbook is usually classified as a
secondary or tertiary source.
If a historian chooses to write the history of
education in the 1980s, he can utilize
textbooks used in the period as primary
sources.
If a historian wishes to study the
historiography of the Filipino—American
War he can use works of different authors
on the topic as his primary source.
EXTERNAL AND INTERNAL CRITICISM
External Criticism
is the practice of verifying the authenticity
of evidence by examining its physical
characteristics;consistency with the
historical characteristic of the time it was
produced; and the materials used for
evidence.(E.g., Ex. The quality of paper, the
type of the ink, the language used in the
material).
Internal Criticism
It is 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 context, the agenda behind
its creation, the knowledge which informed
it, and its intended purpose.
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Chapter 1: PHILIPPINE HISTORIOGRAPHY
READINGS IN PHILIPPINE HISTORY (1210)
BSN1B - PROF. Dinah L. Nival - 1st Sem 2022

Why is it important to validate historical

sources?
Validating historical sources is important
because the use of unverified, falsified, and
untruthful historical sources can lead to
equally false conclusions. Without
thorough criticisms of historical evidence,
historical deceptions and lies will be highly
probable.

PHILIPPINE HISTORIOGRAPHY
Ancient Filipinos narrated their history
through communal songs and epics that
they passed orally from a generation to
another. When the Spaniards came, their
chroniclers started recording their
observations through written accounts.

The Spanish colonizers narrated the history

of their colony in a bipartite view. They
saw the age of colonization as a dark
period in history of the islands, until they
brought light through Western thought
and Christianity.

Early nationalist refuted this perspective

and argued the tripartite view. They saw
the pre colonial society as a luminous age
that ended with darkness when the
colonizers captured their freedom.They
Believed that the light would come again
once the colonizers were evicted from
thePhilippines.

Filipino historian Zeus Salazar introduced

the new guiding Philosophy for writing and
teaching history: Pantayong Pananaw (for
us- from us perspective).
This perspective highlights the importance
of facilitating an internal conversation and
discourse among Filipinos about our own
history, using the language that is
understood by everyone.