Readings in Philippine History

Image source: https://www.proprofs.com/quiz-school/story.php?title=philippine-history-101-midterm

Introduction
History is a study of the past.

Image source: https://historyisastateofmind.files.wordpress.com/2011/11/african-ethiophian-coptic-scroll.jpg

 The low appreciation of history
may be rooted from the
shallow understanding of its
relevance to our lives and to
our respective contexts.
Image source:
http://time.com/3631351/haters-
facebook-dislike/

Image source: https://er.educause.edu/articles/2017/10/memory-machines-and-collective-memory

Greek word historia which means
“knowledge acquired through inquiry
or investigation”

Image source: http://whatanswered.com/images/history/history.jpg

● History existed for around 2,400
years.

● It is as old as mathematics and

philosophy.

Image source: https://ag.purdue.edu/agricultures/pages/throughthegrapevine/04-history.aspx

(classical Latin)
Historia
became known
as the account
of the past of a
person or a
group people
through written
documents and
historical Image source: https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/top-ten-most-
important-ancient-documents-lost-history-180967495/

evidences.
What counts as history?

Traditional historians:
- “no document, no history”
History progressed and opened
up to the possibility of valid
historical sources:
chroniclers’
accounts
oral traditions
government
(epics & songs, artifacts,
records architecture, memory)

personal
letters genetic and changes in
DNA patterns language
of human
societies
This produced new perspectives
regarding different questions like:
- What is history?
- Why study history?
- History for whom?
Historiography is the history of
history.
history historiography

Object of study:
Object of study: ☻history itself
☻the past - How was a historical text
☻events that written?
- Who wrote it?
happened in - What was the context of its
the past publication?
☻causes of - What historical method was
used?
such events - What were the sources used?
 ☺better understanding
of history

☺understanding of the
historiography facts and the
historian’s contexts

☺teaches one to be
critical in the lessons
of history presented
Roles of history

■ used to unite a nation

■ a tool to legitimize regimes and
forge a sense of collective
identity
■ to make sense of the present
■ learn from past mistakes
■ being reminded of a great past
can inspire people
 Positivism
vs
Postcolonialism

Image source:
http://www.thelearningbasket.com/2017/06/philippine-history-for-
kids.html
As a narrative, any
history that has been
taught and written is
always intended for a
certain group of
audience.
Positivism

● a school of thought that emerged

between the 18th and 19th century
● truth requires empirical(realistic)
and observable evidence
● entails an objective means of
arriving at a conclusion - impartial
 Postcolonialism

● a school of thought that emerged

in the early 20th century
● looks at two things in writing
history:
- To tell the history of their nation
- Criticize the methods, effects, and the
idea of colonialism

It is a reaction and an alternative

to colonial history
 History
and the
Historian
 Agree or Disagree?

History is subjective.

Image source :https://imconfident.files.wordpress.com/2013/12/thinking-happy-face.jpg

Image source: http://ephesians525.org/absolute-truth-or-relative-truth/
An accurate account of the past is
impossible for the very simple
reason that we cannot go back to
the past.

Image source: https://blockchain-trust.com/cryptocurrency/accurate/

 “Facts cannot speak for
themselves.”

Image source: http://www.shutter-franchise.co.uk/franchising-facts/

It is the job of the historian to give

meaning to these facts and
organize them into a timeline.
The historian is influenced by his
own context, environment,
ideology, education, and
influences, among others.
His subjectivity will inevitably
influence the process of his
historical research, the
methodology that he will use, the
facts that he shall select.
History is always subjective.

Image source: http://thesocietyonline.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/img_1400.jpg

 Agree or Disagree?

History is subjective.

Image source :https://imconfident.files.wordpress.com/2013/12/thinking-happy-face.jpg

 HISTORICAL METHODOLOGY

• Comprises certain
techniques and
rules that
historians follow in
order to properly
utilize sources and
historical
evidences in
Image source: https://www.dreamstime.com/stock-
image-history-magnifying-glass-focused-word-
image36388781

writing history.
 HISTORICAL SOURCES
• Primary sources – those sources
produced at the same time as the
event, period, or subject being
studied
• Secondary Sources – are those
sources which were produced by an
author who used primary sources to
produce the material
Image source: https://www.slideshare.net/MsCCostello/history-sources-archaeology-primary-amp-secondary-sources-58448300
 ANNALES SCHOOL OF HISTORY

• A school of history born in France

that challenged the canons of
history.
• A school of thought that did away
with the common historical subjects
that were almost always related to
the conduct of states and monarchs
Reference:

● Readings in Philippine History

by John Lee P. Candelaria
Veronica C. Alporha