CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION TO HISTORY

Lesson Objective:
At the end of the module, the learners will be able to:
1. Understand the meaning of history as an academic discipline and to be familiar
with the underlying philosophy and methodology of the discipline
2. Apply the knowledge in historical methodology and philosophy in assessing and
analyzing existing historical narratives
3. Examine and assess critically the value of historical evidences and sources
4. Appreciate the importance of history in the social and national life of the
Philippines

HISTORY from the Greek word “Historia” which means “inquiry, knowledge acquired
by investigation; events of the past; discipline that studies chronological record of
events based on a critical examination of source materials and usually presenting an
explanation of their causes

● The popular definition of History is not wrong, it does not give justice to the
complexity of the subject and its importance to human civilization
● Traditional historians lived with the mantra of “no document, no history”. It means
that unless a written document can prove a certain historical event, then it cannot
be considered as historical fact
● History thus became more inclusive and started collaborating with other
disciplines as its auxiliary discipline
● Herodotus Father of History

HISTORIOGRAPHY writing of History, especially the writing of history based on the

critical examination of sources, the selection of particular details from the authentic
materials in those sources, and the synthesis of those details into a narrative that
stands the test of critical examination; theory and history of historical writing

● History of history
● How was a certain historical text written? Who wrote it? What was the context of
its publication? What particular historical method was employed? What were the
sources used?
● Helps to have a better understanding of history and teaches to be critical in the
lessons of history presented to him.
 HISTORIAN - person who research, analyze, interpret and present the past by
studying a variety of historical documents and sources, they trace historical
developments in a particular field.

● They give meaning to the facts and organize them into a timeline, establish
causes and write history
● He is a person of his own who is influenced by his own context, environment,
ideology, education and influences, among others. In that sense, his
interpretation of the historical fact is affected by his context and circumstances

Activity 1.

What is the big difference between history and historiography? Which is better to
work on? History or Historiography?

DIFFERENT SCHOOL OF THOUGHTS (particular way of thinking, intellectual tradition,

set of ideas or opinions held by a specific group, any idea that a group strongly
believes)

1. POSITIVISM – positive science – gives emphasis on tested and systematized

experience rather than on undisciplined speculation; this thought requires
empirical and observable evidence before one claim that a particular knowledge
is true; objective means arriving at a conclusion; “No document, no history”
stems from this very same truth where historians were required to show written
primary documents in order to write a particular historical narrative
● August Comte “Isidore Auguste Marie Francois Xavier Comte”–
sociology; viewed human history as progressing through three stages:
religious, metaphysical and scientific
● Positivist historians are expected to be objective and impartial not just in
their arguments but also on their conduct of historical research
2. POSTCOLONIALISM – emerged when formerly colonized nations grappled with
the idea of creating their identities and understanding their societies against the
shadows of their colonial past
● Edward Said
● To tell the history of their nation that will highlight their identity free from
that of colonial discourse and knowledge
● To criticize the methods, effects and idea of colonialism
● Postcolonial History is therefore a reaction and an alternative to the
colonial history that colonial powers created and taught to their subjects
3. THE ANNALES SCHOOL OF HISTORY – established by Lucien Febvre and
Marc Bloch, together with Fernand Braudel and Jacques Le Goff. Promoted a
new form of history, replacing the study of leaders with the lives of ordinary
 people and replacing examination of politics, diplomacy, and wars with inquiries
into climate, demography, agriculture, commerce, etc.
● Aiming at a “total history”
● Annales thinkers married history with other disciplines like geography,
anthropology, archaeology and linguistics.

HISTORICAL METHODOLOGY – a technique of presenting information that historians

used to research and write histories of the past using primary sources and other
evidences.

TWO COMPONENTS OF HISTORICAL METHOD

1. EXTERNAL CRITICISM – aims at checking the authenticity of the primary

source; whether the source is real or fake; examining its physical characteristics,
consistency with the historical characteristics if the time when it was produced,
and the materials used for evidence
● Philology – the study of literary texts, the style and language of the text in
a document
● Epigraphy – the study and interpretation of ancient inscriptions
● Numismatics – the study of coins or medals
● Paleography – the study of ancient writing systems and the deciphering
and dating of historical manuscripts (handwriting)
2. INTERNAL CRITICISM – checks on the reliability of the source; the examination
of the truthfulness and factualness of the evidence by looking at the author of the
source, its context, the agenda behind its creation, the knowledge which
informed it, and its intended purpose among others.
● How close was the author to the event being studied? Physical
location of the author of the document
● Is there bias to be accounted for? People generally write their memoirs
in order to explain or justify their actions during a particular event
● When was the account made? A primary source should be closest or
contemporary to the period being studied (Example was the Urbana at
Felisa by Modesto de Castro published in 1864 for the study of the norms
of conduct of a woman in the 19th century.
● Is the account corroborated by other accounts? A primary source
cannot stand by itself, it should be supported by other sources as well
● Does informed common sense make the account probable? The test
whether a given testimony is believable or not, is when there is an
inherent probability of it being true and is supported by appropriate
evidence
HISTORICAL SOURCES – the most important research tools

1. PRIMARY SOURCES – piece of evidence written or created during the period

under investigation; sources produced at the same time as the event, period, or
subject being studied
● Archival documents, artifacts, memorabilia, letters, census, government
records
● Diaries, interviews, oral histories, photographs, poems, novels, plays and
music, autobiographies
● Surveys and original written works
● Minutes of the convention or meeting, draft of the constitution, eyewitness
accounts, official documents, political declarations and decrees
● Parish records (Libro de Bautismo, Libro de Matrimonio), court transcripts
and business ledgers
● Non-written (artifacts like Manunggal Jar, edifices like colonial churches,
clothes, jewelry, farming implements and paintings
2. SECONDARY SOURCES – works produced after the event has taken place;
usually an assessment or commentary of events, people or institutions of the
past. It used primary sources for the aforementioned purpose. Secondary
sources are works that analyze, assess or interpret an historical event, era or
phenomenon. It often offers a review or a critique
● They come in the form of books which can be popular or scholarly
● Monographs are specialized works which are narrow in scope, but are
based on primary sources, it provide new historical interpretations and
can be vehicles for historical revisionism; study of a single specialized
subject
● Essays or chapter in a book based on primary sources
● Commentaries, encyclopedia and criticisms

Activity 2.
What Source? Read the following scenarios and classify the sources discovered
as Primary, secondary or tertiary sources. Write your answer in the space provided.

1. Jose was exploring the library in his new school in Manila. He wanted to study
the history of Calamba, Laguna during the nineteenth century. In one of the
books, he saw an old photograph of a woman standing in front of an old church,
clipped among the pages. At the back of the photo was a fine inscription that
says: “Kalamba, 19 de Junio 1861”

Is the photograph a primary, secondary, or a tertiary source?

________________________________________________________________
2. Is was Lean’s first day in his first year of college in a big university. His
excitement made him come to class unusually early and he found their
classroom. He explored the classroom and sat at the teacher’s table. He looked
at the table drawer and saw a book entitled U.G. An Underground Tale: The
Journey of Edgar Jopson and the First Quarter Storm Generation. He started
reading the book and realized that it was a biography of a student leader turned
political activist during the time of Ferdinand Marcos. The author used interviews
with friends and families of Jopson, and other primary documents related to his
works and life.

Is the book a primary, secondary or tertiary source?

________________________________________________________________

3. Lorena was a new teacher of Araling Panlipunan in a small elementary school in

Mauban, Quezon. Her colleagues gave her the new textbook that she ought to
use in class. Before the class started, Lorena studied the textbook carefully. She
noted that the authors used works by other known historians in writing the
textbook. She saw that the bibliography included Teodoro Agoncillo’s The Revolt
of the Massess and The Fateful Years: Japan’s Adventure in the Philippines,
1941-45. She also saw that the authors used Ma. Luisa Camagay’s Working
Women of Manila During the 19th Century and many others.

Is the textbook a primary, secondary or a tertiary source?

________________________________________________________________

4. Manuel visited the United States for a few months to see his relatives who have
lived there for decades. His uncle brought him on tours around Illinois. Manuel
visited the Field Museum of Natural History where a golden image of a woman
caught his eye. Manuel looked closer and read that the image was called “The
Golden Tara”. It originated from Agusan del Sur and was bought by the museum
in 1922. It was believed to be made prior to the arrival of the Spaniards in the
Philippines.

Is the sculpture a primary, secondary or tertiary source?

________________________________________________________________

5. Gregoria loved to travel around the country. She liked bringing with her a travel
brochure that informs her of the different sites worth visiting in the area. Her
travel brochure was usually produced by the tourism department of the province.
It shows pictures of destinations visited by tourists and a few basic information
about the place, and some other information acquired by the office’s researchers
and writers.

Is the travel brochure a primary, secondary, or a tertiary source?

________________________________________________________________
Assessment
Online assessment will be given online. Wait for professor’s instruction.

Project for Midterm

My Primary Source. Using the examples of a primary source in this chapter,
utilize a primary source that can be used in the writing of your life history. Create a
presentation or a video about it and discuss how it qualifies as a primary source.

References:

Candelaria, J. & Alporha, V. (2018). Readings in Philippine History. C.M. Recto, Manila:
Rex Bookstore. p. 1-9
Camagay, M.L., et al. (2018). Unraveling the Past. Quezon City: Vibal Publishing p. 4-
11
Vann, R. (n.d) Historiography. Retrieved August 11, 2020 from
https://www.britannica.com/topic/historiography
Libguides.ithaca.edu (n.d) Primary and Secondary Sources. Retrieved August 11,2020
from https://libguides.ithaca.edu/research101/primary