Chapter 2

Understanding Perspectives

Learning Outcomes

 Analyze the context, content, and perspective of different kinds of

primary sources
 Determine the contribution of different kinds of primary sources in
understanding Philippine history
 Develop critical and analytical skills with exposure to primary sources

Lesson Proper

The historian’s primary tool of understanding and interpreting the past is

the historical sources. Historical sources ascertain historical facts. Such facts
are then analyzed and interpreted by the historian to weave historical
narrative. Historical sources are written by various authors with different
perspectives.

1.Perspective
refers to the point of view of the said writer who was a witness to
the event. It provides primary information about the author’s work. It
sets up the opinion, attitude, and background of the writer. It is
especially vital to history, since the authors of primary sources have their
own takes of the events. Though historical sources are important in the
writing of history, the historian is careful in using these sources as the
writer may be biased or prejudiced on the subject, he/she is discussing.
Since the authors of primary sources have their own takes of the events.

Different participants who wrote their accounts can give varied

opinions and statements about a single event. For example, the
Philippine Revolution of 1896 can be read from the point of view of the
Filipinos and from the side of the Spaniards. The same event can be
viewed from the lens of foreigners who were in the Philippines at that
time and were just passive observers. In any case, reading a historical
event from the points of view of all sides will enable us to form our own
studies about the said event.
Not only should we seek to understand the events that end up to a
historical moment (the cause-and-effect), but we need to examine the
world in which the event took place, too. We know that circumstances
one has experienced in life can affect the way in which one views the
world depending on a range of factors including age, gender, social
positions, belief and values. As a result, each person has his or her
unique biases. Consider, too, that the people of the past had different
views, too. They looked upon the world around them in a different way
 than we do as a result of the times they lived through, and we must take
that into consideration in order to understand their decisions.
Determining a source perspective is to know who the creator of the
source was. Conduct a background research on who created the source
and find out details about them. In doing so, you’ll be able to understand
how they viewed the past. Look into their Nationality, social status,
political perspective, culture, and education.

2. Historical Methodology

Historical Methodology comprises certain techniques and rules

that historians follow in order to properly utilize sources and historical
evidences in writing history. It is also the process of critically examining
and analyzing the records of the past and survivals of the past.
(Gottschalk, 1969) Sources, i.e. records from and of the past, form the
basis of historical research by providing historians with the evidence
which enables them to make claims about the past. Since every source
has a past of its own, historians must first examine the history of their
sources (a process known as source criticism) before turning to source
interpretation.

Historical Analysis

 Select the subject to investigate

 Collect probable sources of information on the subject
 Look out for many varied evidences of the activities engaged
in by people who lived in the past.
 It is necessary at this point to be familiar with the different
types of historical sources (Primary and Secondary Sources)
which you may avail of as you conduct your data collection.
 Examine sources genuineness/ criticize your sources
 Extract credible particulars
 Once individual pieces of information have been assessed in
context, hypotheses can be formed and established by
historical reasoning. It includes assembling a body of
historical data and its presentation in terms of objective
truth and significance.
Importance of the historical methods
1. It throws light on present and future trends.
2. It enables understanding of and solutions to contemporary
problems to be sought in the past.
3. Understanding the importance and repercussions found in
cultures.
 4. Reevaluation of the historical data and facts already presented

Sources, i.e. records from and of the past, form the basis of
historical research by providing historians with the evidence which
enables them to make claims about the past. Since every source has a
past of its own, historians must first examine the history of their sources
(a process known as source criticism) before turning to source
interpretation. In order for a source to be used as evidence in history,
basic matters about its form and content must be settled.

3.External and Internal Criticism

Evaluating sources entails two kinds of criticism. The first one is

External criticism and the second is Internal criticism. External Criticism
examines the authenticity of the document or the evidence being used
while Internal Criticism examines the truthfulness of the content of the
evidence.

The establishment of the validity of the data generally involves the

dual process of internal and external criticism. However, the best tool in
the detection of frauds is the investigator's common sense.

A. What is External Criticism?

"External criticism is concerned with the genuineness of the
document itself, whether it really is what it purports to be whether it
reads to the original". It is aimed at establishing the authenticity or
genuineness of the data. It may involve chemical and physical tests of
the material data of ink, paint, paper, metal, cloth, etc.

 The problem of authenticity

 To spot fabricated, forged, faked documents
 To distinguish a hoax or misrepresentation
 Involves finding out if the source material is genuine and if it
possesses textual integrity (Gay, et al., 1972)
Tests of Authenticity (“Is it genuine?”)
i. Determine the date of the document to see whether they are
anachronistic (a chronological misplacing of persons, events, or
customs in regard to each other) e.g. pencils did not exist before
the 16th Century
ii. Determine the author e.g. handwriting, signature, seal
iii. Anachronistic style e.g. idiom, orthography, punctuation Louis
Gottschalk, Understanding History
iv. Anachronistic reference to events e.g. too early, too late, too
remote
 v. Provenance or custody e.g. determines its genuineness
vi. Semantics – determining the meaning of a text or word
vii. Hermeneutics –(principles of interpretation of ambiguous words)

B. What is Internal Criticism?

Internal criticism deals with the meaning and trustworthiness of the

statements that remain within the document. It is aimed at evaluating
the accuracy of the documents collected. The errors, omissions and
additions in documents in copying, printing, and translation, can be
detected by internal criticism. It is also an important factor in
determining the validity of the data. The research worker must make use
of both internal and external criticism for assessing the reliability of the
document. The validity of the historical facts, can sometime be verified by
comparing them with the statements of other authors.
 The Problem of Credibility
 Relevant particulars in the document – is it credible?
 Verisimilar – as close as what really happened from a critical
examination of best available sources
Tests of Credibility
i. Identification of the author e.g. to determine his reliability;
mental processes, personal attitudes
ii. Determination of the approximate date e.g. handwriting,
signature, seal
iii. Ability to tell the truth e.g. nearness to the event, competence of
witness, degree of attention
4. Content and Context Analysis

Content Analysis
 Content is the material/matter/medium contained within the
work that’s available for audience
 It is a systematic evaluation of the primary source that enable an
individual to present and develop an argument based on his own
understanding of the evidence from his readings.

Contextual Analysis
 Context is the positioning of the content, storyline or purpose that
provides value to the audience.
 It considers specifically the time, place, situation when the primary
sources were written
  The analysis as well includes the author’s background, authority
on the subject and intent perceptible, and its relevance and
meaning to people and society today.

4.Magellan’s Voyage
Author : Antonio Pigafetta
- Studied astronomy, geography, and cartography and during his younger
years worked in the ships owned by the Knights of Rhodes.
- Described as a well-educated young man possessing an avid curiosity of
the world around him.
- Accompanied Ferdinand Magellan in the famous expedition.
-
About the book
Pigafetta kept a detailed journal of what happened to them in from the
time they left in Seville in 1519 until they returned to Spain in three years.
When he returned to Italy, many of his associates asked him to write a
formal account of the Magellan expedition and have it published.
- Unfortunately, he was unable to find a financier who would pay the
deposit for the printer.
- A condensed version of his manuscript was published in Venice by
Jacques Fabre sometime in 1536.
- The original journal of Pigafetta did not survive time.
- Of the four known primary sources that dealt with the Magellan
expedition, Pigafetta’s account is the longest and most comprehensive.
- Pigafetta also gave an eyewitness account of the death of Magellan in the
Battle of Mactan.

Historical Context

One of the benefits that the Europeans gained from the Crusades was
the discovery of some products that were not available in their home
country. Asian goods reached Europe either via the Silk Road or the
Arabian-Italian trade route. Both routes were expensive and often times
disrupted by wars, natural calamities, and bandits. The closing of the land
route of the Spice Trade with the conquest by the Ottoman Empire of
Constantinople (present-day Turkey and the “gateway to the West” then) in
1453 forced European kingdoms to look for ways to purchase spices directly
from the source. They decided to explore the oceans to look for a way to the
famed Spice Islands.
 - the Marriage of Queen Isabella of Castile and King Ferdinand Aragon II of
Aragon coupled with the victory of the Catholic monarch over the Moors in
the Battle of Granada resulted in the rise of Spain as a world power
-The Spanish monarch supported the plan of Ferdinand Magellan to go East
by sailing westward, a proposal that Portugal refused to finance.
- Magellan-Elcano Expedition left the port of Sanlucar de Barrameda in
Seville on August 20, 1519 with around 270 men of different nationalities.
- the Spaniards lost the battle at Mactan and one of the casualties was
Magellan himself.
-on September 7, 1522, Elcano and 17 survivors arrived in Spain aboard
the Victoria.

Relevance of Pigafetta’s travelogue on the Magellan-Elcano Expedition

- Pigafetta’s travelogue contributed immensely to the enrichment of
Philippine historiography.
- Proved that the Earth is not flat.
- Demolished the myth that there is boiling water at the Equator.
- Proved the theory that one can go to the East by sailing West.
- They brought to the attention to the Europeans that on the other side of
the American continent exists a large body of water which they
named Pacific Ocean.

Learning Assessment

1. Read and examine the rest of the uploaded documents in your LMS.
Then discuss the following.
a. Author and its background
b. Historical Context
c. Significance of the document to Philippine History and today’s
society

2. As a Criminology, how will you embody the main teachings and

guiding principles of the Kartilya? Concretize your answer and cite
specific lines from the document.