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
evidences. Image source: https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/top-ten-most-
important-ancient-documents-lost-history-180967495/
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 DNA changes in
patterns of human language
societies
Image source:
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0959437X16301101
This produced new perspectives
regarding different questions like:
- What is history?
- Why study history?
- History for whom?

historiography
Historiography is the history of history.

history historiography

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

events
 ☺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 and observable
evidence
● entails an objective means of arriving at a
conclusion - impartial
i s t ory ”
t , n o h
cumen
“no do
 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 (identity that is
free from colonial discourse)
- Criticize the methods, effects, and the
idea of colonialism

It is a reaction and an alternative to

colonial history
One of the problems
confronted by history is the
accusation that history is
always written by victors.
 History
and the Historian
 Brainstorming Activity

Agree or Disagree?
History is subjective.

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

 If history is written with agenda or is heavily
influenced by the historian, is it possible to come up
with an absolute historical truth?

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

If so, can history still be considered as an
academic and scientific inquiry?

YES, because of the rigor of

research and methodology
employed by historians.
Reference:
● Readings in Philippine History
by John Lee P. Candelaria
Veronica C. Alporha