GEC105 – LESSON 1
NATURE OF HISTORY AS
INTRODUCTION
TO HISTORY
WHAT IS HISTORY?
- derived from Greek word historia which means
“knowledge acquired through inquiry and
investigation”
- existed for around 2,400 years as a discipline
- as old as math and philosophy
- adapted to classical Latin and historia became
known as “an account of the past of a person or
of a group of people through written documents
and historical evidences”
 History is a branch of the Social Sciences
that deals with the systematic study of
significant past, a branch of knowledge that
records and explains past events and which
concerns people and human nature.
 History centers the study of people and the
society.
 a “systematic” study which means history as
a discipline follows a methodology in order
to establish and validate facts and evidences
 “significant past” or past events which has
affected the political, cultural, social, and
economic aspects of the society
ELEMENTS OF HISTORY
A. THE HISTORIAN
- refers to the person writing the history
B. PLACE
- location where the history was written
C. PERIOD
- refers to the context of time when the history
was written
D. SOURCES
- basis of claims or analysis such as documents,
written or oral accounts
AN ACADEMIC
DISCIPLINE
A. History has no subject matter of
its own.
B. History synthesizes knowledge
from other fields.
C. History illuminates pieces of the
past.
D. History is constantly changing.
E. History sheds light to the truth.
WHAT IS
HISTORIOGRAPHY?
- refers to the study of history itself
- analyzes who the history writer is, his motives,
sources, theories applied and other historical
methods
- analyzes the context when the history was
written
SCHOOL OF THOUGHTS IN
PHILIPPINE
HISTORIOGRAPHY
A. POSITIVISM
- the school of thought emerged between 18th-19th
century
- believes empirical and observable evidence is
required before one can claim that a particular
knowledge is true
- objective
- “no document, no history”
- positivists historians are expected to be objective
and impartial not only in their arguments but
also on their conduct of historical research
B. POSTCOLONIALISM
- emerged early in the 20th century when former
colonized nations wanted to create their
identities and understand their societies against
their colonial past
 - looks at two things in history: D. PANSILANG PANANAW
 to tell the history of their nation that will - written by foreigners in a foreign language that
highlight their identity free from colonial is intended to be read and understood by fellow
discourse and knowledge foreigners
 to criticize methods, effects, and idea of
colonialism
- a reaction and alternative to the colonial history
that colonial powers created and taught their
subjects

KASAYSAYAN
- a Filipino concept of history
- “salaysay na nagsalaysay ng mga bagay na may
saysay para sa sinasalaysayang grupo o
salinlahi” – Pantayong Pananaw definition

HISTORY FROM US, FOR

US
- Filipino point-of-view
- Professor Zeus A. Salazar from University of the
Philippines, one of the Filipino historians to
write Philippine History in this point-of-view
- he introduced indigenization through the
“pantayong pananaw” (from us, for us) concept

PERSPECTIVES OF
“PANANAW” IN
UNDERSTANDING
PHILIPPINE HISTORY
A. PANTAYONG PANANAW
- from us, for us
- Philippine history is better written in the
perspective of the Filipinos

B. PANGKAMING PANANAW
- history is written by Filipinos in a foreign
language that is intended to be read by
foreigners to understand or history in our point-
of-view

C. PANGKAYONG PANANAW
- written by foreigner in a foreign language that is
meant for Filipinos as audience