Introduction to Philippine History:

Definition, Issues, Sources & Methodology

Learning objectives:
• To understand the meaning of history as an academic discipline
and to be familiar with the underlying philosophy and
methodology of the discipline.
• To apply the knowledge in historical methodology and
philosophy in assessing and analyzing existing historical
narratives.
• To examine and assess critically the value of historical evidences
and sources.
• To appreciate the importance of history in the social and national
life of the Philippines.
Introduction
HISTORY
•History as a discipline of narrative.
•History as a primary and secondary sources of
historical subject matter.
•Historians as the arbiter of facts and evidences in
making interpretation and forming historical
narratives.
Introduction
• History was derived from the Greek word “historia” which
means “knowledge acquired through inquiry or
investigation.”
• The historia became known as the account of the past of a
person or of a group of people through written documents
and historical evidences.
-it became the historian’s duty to write about the lives of
important individuals like monarchs, heroes, saints,
nobilities and etc.
-writing about wars and most especially revolutions.
What counts as history?
• Traditional historians lived with the mantra “no document,
no history.”
-it means that unless a written document can prove a certain
historical event, then it cannot be considered as a historical
fact.
• HOWEVER, history progressed and opened up to the
possibility of valid historical sources which are not limited
to written documents: government records, logbooks and
personal letters.
• History can be obtained or acquired via word of mouth.
What counts as history?
•Evidences of historical events may be
burned or destroyed in the events of war or
colonization.
•Restricting historical evidences as
exclusively written is also a discrimination
against the social classes who were not
recorded in paper.
DOES THE ABSENCE OF WRITTEN DOCUMENTS MEAN THAT A PARTICULAR PERSON
OR EVENT DID NOT EXIST?
• This loophole was recognized by historians who started using
other kinds of historical sources, which may not be written,
but are valid.
i.e. Oral traditions in forms of epics and songs, artifacts,
architecture and most importantly memory.
With the aid of Archeologists, historians can use artifacts
from a bygone era of lack documents. Linguists can also be
helpful in tracing historical evolutions, past connections and
flow of cultural influence. Biologists and Biochemists can help
with the study of the past through analyzing genetics or DNA
patterns of human societies.
ISSUES IN HISTORY

WHY STUDY HISTORY?

FOR WHOM ARE WE STUDYING HISTORY?

This questions can be answered by:

HISTORIOGRAPHY
HISTORIOGRAPHY
• The study of the causes of such events in the past.
a.How was a certain historical text written?
b.Who wrote it?
c.What was the context of the its publication?
d.What were the sources used?
• This will provide the understanding of the facts and
the historians context (theory and perspectives) which
guided him.
HISTORIOGRAPHY
• States use history to unite a nation.
• It can be used to legitimize regimes and forge sense of
collective identity through collective memory.
• Lessons from the past can be used to make sense of
the present. Learning past mistakes can help people to
not repeat them.
• Being reminded of the past can inspire people to keep
their good practice to move forward.
HISTORY AS A NARRATIVE
•Any history that has been written or taught
is always intended for a certain group of
audience.
•i.e. Jose Rizal, Antonio Luna,& Andres
Bonifacio – Independence
•People Power Revolution
•Impeachment and etc.
ISSUES IN HISTORY
• History is always written by victors.
This connotes that the narratives of the past is
always written from a bias of the powerful and the more
dominant ones.
However, a more thorough historical investigation will
reveal a more nuanced account of the history of a
particular period instead of a simplified narrative as a
story of hero versus villain.
 ISSUES IN HISTORY
• It is the historians job not just seek historical evidences and
facts but also to interpret these facts.

“Facts cannot speak for themselves”

• It is the job of the historians to give meaning to these
facts and organize them into a timeline, establish the
causes, and write history.
• He is a person of his own who is influenced by his own
context, environment, ideology, education, and
influences.
ISSUES IN HISTORY
• Therefore, history is always subjective because of the
influence the process of the historical research: the
facts that we will select or deem relevant and
interpretations.

If that is so, can history still be considered as

an academic and scientific inquiry?
ISSUES IN HISTORY
• Historical research requires rigor. Despite the fact that
historians cannot ascertain absolute objectivity, the study of
history remains scientific because of the rigor of research and
methodology that historians employ.
• Historical methodology comprises certain techniques and
rules that historians follow in order to properly utilize sources
and historical evidences in writing history.
• In this sense, while bias is inevitable, historians can balance
this out by relying to evidences that can back up his claim.
 Historical Sources
•With the past as history’s subject matter,
historian’s most important research tools are
historical sources. In general, historical sources
can be classified between: primary and secondary
sources.
•The classification of sources between these two
categories depends on the historical subject being
studied.
PRIMARY SOURCES
• These are sources produced at the same time as the event,
period, or subject being studied.
i.e. If a historian wishes to study the Commonwealth
Constitution Convention of 1935, his primary sources can
include the minutes of the convention, newspaper clippings,
records of the convention, the draft of the Constitution.
i.e. Eyewitness accounts of convention delegates and
their memoirs can also be included as primary sources.
i.e. Archival documents, artifacts, memorabilia, letters,
census and governmental records are the most common
primary sources.
SECONDARY SOURCES
• These are sources which were produced by an author who
used primary sources to produce the material.
i.e. On the subject of the Philippine Revolution of 1896,
students can read Teodoro Agoncillo’s Revolt of the Masses:
The Story of Bonifacio and the Katipunan published originally
in 1956. This makes the Revolt of the Masses a secondary
source.
More than this, Agoncillo used primary sources with his
research like documents of the Katipunan, Interview with the
veterans of the Revolution, and correspondence between and
among the Katipuneros.
EXTERNAL AND INTERNAL CRITICISM
• External criticism is the practice of verifying authenticity of evidence
by examining its physical characteristics; consistency with the
historical characteristic when it was produced; materials used for the
evidences.
i.e. quality of paper, type of ink, language and words used in the
material, etc.
• Internal criticism is the examination of the truthfulness of the
evidence. It looks at the content of the source and examines the
circumstance of its production.
i.e. validating historical sources are important because the use of
unverified, falsified, and untruthful historical sources can lead equally
to false conclusions.
HISTORY TO CAPTURE FREEDOM
•Zues Salazar introduced the new guiding
philosophy for writing and teaching history:
PANTAYONG PANANAW
(FOR US-FROM US PERSPECTIVE)
• This perspective highlights the importance of facilitating an
internal conversation and discourse among Filipinos about our
own history, using the language that is understood by
everyone.