READINGS IN

PHILIPPINE HISTORY
CHRISTIAN KARL P. KARGANILLA
 WHAT IS HISTORY?
 IT COMES FROM THE GREEK WORD HISTORIA,
meaning “inquiry.”
R.G COLLINGWOOD
 HISTORY, IS THE RE-ENACTMENT OF PAST
THOUGHT IN A HISTORIAN’S MIND.
E.H CARR
 HISTORY IS AN UNENDING DIALOGUE BETWEEN
THE PRESENT AND THE PAST AND THE CHIEF
FUNCTION OF THE HISTORIAN IS TO MASTER AND
UNDERSTAND THE PAST AS A KEY TO
UNDERSTANDING THE PRESENT.
BENADETTO CROCE
 EVERY TRUE HISTORY IS CONTEMPORARY HISTORY.
 HISTORY IN THE PHILIPPINE
CONTEXT
TEODORO AGONCILLO
 “THERE IS NO PHILIPPINE HISTORY BEFORE 1872.”
RENATO CONSTANTINO
 “RE-EXAMINE OUR COLONIAL HISTORY.”
ZEUS SALAZAR
 “PANTAYONG PANANAW”
REYNALDO ILETO
 HISTORY FROM BELOW

 PHILIPPINE HISTORY SHOULD

COME FROM the PEOPLE rather

than LEADERS.
 WHY STUDY HISTORY?
 To learn about the past.
 To understand the present.
 To appreciate your heritage.
 To broaden your perspectives.
 To acquire background for critical thinking
and analysis.
HISTORICAL KNOWLEDGE
 HISTORIANS WANT TO GATHER AND PRODUCE KNOWLEDGE OF THE
PAST.
 HISTORY IS BOTH ART AND SCIENCE.

SCIENCE ART

GATHERING OF DATA WRITING OF HISTORY

(HISTORICAL METHODOLOGY) (HISTORIOGRAPHY)

EVIDENCES INTERPRETATION
 IS HISTORY BE OBJECTIVE?
 MANY HISTORIANS WOULD ARGUE THAT HISTORY IS AND SHOULD BE OBJECTIVE
MAINLY BECAUSE IT DEALS WITH PAST EVENTS. THESE ARE THE TRADITIONAL
HISTORIANS.
 “CAUSE AND EFFECT”

“IN A VERY REAL SENSE THE STUDY OF HISTORY IS CONCERNED WITH A SUBJECT
MATTER MORE OBJECTIVE AND INDEPENDENT THAN THAT OF THE NATURAL SCIENCES.
JUST BECAUSE HISTORICAL MATTER IS IN THE PAST, IS GONE … ITS OBJECTIVE
REALITY IS GUARANTEED; IT IS BEYOND BEING ALTEREDFOR ANY PURPOSE
WHATSOEVER”
-G.R ELTON
 HOWEVER…
“OBJECTIVE TRUTH IS AS INACCESSIBLE TO WRITERS OF HISTORY AS IS KANT’S ‘THING-
IN-ITSELF’ TO HUMAN KNOWLEDGE.”
-MAX NORDAU
 YOU CLAIM TO KNOW A PERSON BECAUSE OF THE TIME SPENT WITH

EACH OTHER WITHOUT REALIZING THAT WHAT YOU SEE IS ONLY THE
OUTSIDE.

 THE PAST IS DIFFERENT FROM HISTORY.

 HISTORY VS CHRONOLOGY
 ACCORDING TO BENEDETTO CROCE:

“HISTORY IS LIVING CHRONOLOGY

CHRONOLOGY IS DEAD HISTORY”
 HISTORY MUST FIT TO A PERSON. NOT FIT HISTORY TO THE PERSON.

REMEMBER!
HISTORY IS INTERPRETIVE. CHRONOLOGY IS NOT.
WHAT TO REFLECT ON
 WHY DO WE NEED TO STUDY HISORY?
 WHAT DOES HISTORY CONTRIBUTE TO PHILIPPINE SOCIETY?
 IS HISTORY BEING APPRECIATED ENOUGH? AM I APPRECIATING
HISTORY?
REFERENCES
 GARDINER, P. (1960). THEORIES OF HISTORY: SECOND EDITION.
ILLINOIS: THE FREE PRESS
 OCAMPO, AMBETH (2011). TALKING HISTORY: CONVERSATIONS WITH
TEODORO A. AGONCILLO. MANILA: UST PUBLISHING HOUSE.
 SALAZAR, Z., & GUILLERMO, R. (2000). THE "PANTAYO" PERSPECTIVE AS
A DISCOURSE TOWARDS "KABIHASNAN". SOUTHEAST ASIAN JOURNAL OF
SOCIAL SCIENCE, 28(1), 123-152.