Christian Karl P.

Karganilla
What is Historiography?

■ The study of historical writing – examining the history of historical perspectives with
attention to the social and political context of each generation (or school) of historians.
■ Historiography considers why and how history changes overtime.
What to look at in historiography?
1. Understanding the Sources
■ Primary Sources – are eyewitness accounts or testimonies.
■ Secondary Sources – interpretations of primary sources.
External and Internal Criticism

■ External Criticism - refers to the genuineness of the documents. It is looking into the
authenticity of evidence by examining the physical characteristics and historical
characteristics of the documents.
■ Internal Criticism - refers to the meaning and truthfulness of the documents. It talks
about the value and worth of its contents.
Remember!
■ Only secondary sources are used in historiography.
■ Analyze the citations.
■ Look out for footnotes for cross-referencing.
■ Be cautious on “sources” being presented to you.
Philippine Historiography
■ History is being viewed from a national point of view.
■ Local and oral history are being neglected.
■ Colonial and nationalist histories tend to focus on the broad opposition between the
colony and the metropole.
■ The Philippines is a diverse nation. Multicultural and multilingual.
■ In studying Philippine Colonial History, oral evidences should be considered.
■ As Filipinos, we must develop the Filipino Point of View.
The issue of “discovery”
and redicovery
■ The Philippines was never discovered by
Spain.
■ Gregorio Zaide pointed out that Magellan
voyage was a rediscovery.
■ Agoncillo responded by saying that the
appropriate term should be: The Spaniards
came to the Philippines.
References

■ Hila, A (2001).Historicism of Teodoro Agoncillo. Manila : UST Pub. House

■ Mojares, R. (1981). Recent Philippine Historiography: An Evaluative
Review. Philippine Quarterly of Culture and Society, 9(4), 309-319.
■ https://www.21socialstudies.com/blog/historiography
■ https://www.researchgate.net/figure/Internal-and-External-Criticism-from-Neuman-200
3-p421_fig1_279943052