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The document discusses the nature of history as a discipline, emphasizing its evolution from a focus on documented events to a more inclusive approach that considers various sources, including oral traditions and artifacts. It outlines the importance of verifying historical evidence through internal and external criticism and highlights the significance of history in shaping identity and understanding the present. Additionally, it touches on the changes in Philippine historiography, particularly the shift from colonial narratives to a more localized perspective that encourages internal discourse among Filipinos.

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3 views

Module 1 content

The document discusses the nature of history as a discipline, emphasizing its evolution from a focus on documented events to a more inclusive approach that considers various sources, including oral traditions and artifacts. It outlines the importance of verifying historical evidence through internal and external criticism and highlights the significance of history in shaping identity and understanding the present. Additionally, it touches on the changes in Philippine historiography, particularly the shift from colonial narratives to a more localized perspective that encourages internal discourse among Filipinos.

Uploaded by

timothydavid0123
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© © All Rights Reserved
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Content/Discussion

• What is History? - discipline and narrative

 History as a Discipline: derived from the Greek term “Historia”-“knowledge acquired


through inquiry or investigation”.
o History became an important academic discipline because it became
the Historian’s duty to document the lives of important individuals (ex:
monarch, heroes, saints, nobilities).
o It was also focused on writing about wars, revolutions and important
breakthroughs.
 What counts as History?
o Traditional historians lived with the mantra of “no document, no
history”- unless a written document can prove a certain historical
event, then it cannot be considered as a historical fact.
o There is a possibility of valid historical sources not limited to written
documents (ex: govt records, chronicler’s accounts or personal letters)-
--because restricting historical evidence is also discrimination against
other social classes who were not recorded in paper.
o Others got their historical documents burned or destroyed in the events
of war or colonization. What about them?
o This loophole was recognized by historians, that is why there are now
kinds of historical sources:
o History now becomes more inclusive and started collaborating with
other disciplines as its auxiliary disciplines------(ex: With the aids of
archeologists, historians can use artifacts from a bygone area to study
ancient civilizations)
 Kinds of Historical Sources:
o Oral traditions in forms of epics and songs, artifacts, architecture,
memory
o Generally, it can be classified between Primary and Secondary,
depending on the historical subject being studied
o Primary sources—produced at the same time as the event, period, or
subject being studied (ex: archival documents, memoirs, artifacts)
o Secondary sources: produced by an author who used primary sources
to produce the material. (ex: history textbooks, research papers etc)
How do we verify the truthfulness of the evidence? Through:
o (1) Internal Criticism: It looks at the content of the source and
examines the circumstance of its production.
o Looks at the truthfulness and factuality of the evidence by looking at
the author of the source, its context, the agenda behind the creation, the
knowledge which informed it etc.
o (2) External Criticism—practice of verifying the authenticity of
evidence by examining its physical characteristics; consistency with the
historical characteristic of the time when it was produced; the materials
used for the evidence. .
Importance of History:
We collect, evaluate, and arrange a variety of sources into persuasive
arguments and narratives. By interpreting the past, you will better
understand yourself. And those who know their history help to shape how
people see themselves in the present and what they hope for the future.

HISTORY VS. HISTORIOGRAPHY


"object of study is the past, its events and causes" vs. “object of study is
history itself”

Philippine Historiography:

● Underwent several changes since the pre-colonial period until the present.
● Ancient Filipinos narrated their history through communal songs and epics
that they passed orally from a generation to another. When the Spaniards
came, their chroniclers started recording their observations through written
accounts. The perspective of historical writing and inquiry also shifted. The
Spanish colonizers narrated the history of their colony in a bipartite view.
● They saw the age before colonization as a dark period in the history of the
islands, until they brought to light through Western thought and
Christianity.
● Early nationalists refuted this perspective and argued the tripartite view.
● They saw the pre-colonial society as a luminous age that ended with
darkness when the colonizers captured their freedom. They believed that
the light would come again once the colonizers were evicted from the
Philippines.
Filipino historian Zeus Salazar introduced the new guiding philosophy for
writing and teaching history: pantayong pananaw (for us-from us
perspective)------it highlighted the importance of facilitating an internal
conversation and discourse among Filipinos about our own history, using
the language that is understood by everyone.

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