Lesson 1: Meanings of History.pdf

READINGS IN PHILIPPINE HISTORY (2024-2025) — 1ST SEM Lesson #1: Meanings of History 09/06/2024 III....

READINGS IN PHILIPPINE HISTORY (2024-2025) — 1ST SEM Lesson #1: Meanings of History 09/06/2024 III. PROBLEM OF EPISTEMOLOGY OUTLINE Is the absence of one-to-one correspondence (disparity or I. History mismatch) between the past and the account of the past A. Meanings of History V. Issues in History The past can only be known indirectly except where one B. The past & the A. Epistemology actually witnesses a particular event. narrative B. Personal Element But even the eyewitness account, or one’s memory, is fallible. II. Accessing the Past C. Ideology It is impossible for a historian to cover all of the past. A. Through Memory VI. History as the Discipline B. Through History VII. Historicity Shared A. Thinking historically IV. HISTORY AS THE NARRATIVE C. Through Relics VIII. Ethics “interpretations of [the past by] historians based on their critical III. Problem of Epistemology IX. References study of the widest possible range of relevant sources, every IV. History as the Narrative effort having been made to challenge, and avoid the perpetuation, of myth.” - Arthur Marwick I. HISTORY A. Meanings of History There is no clear-cut meaning of history As an event/past As an account/narrative What actually happened in the Historian’s interpretation of what past happened Level at which people make Level at which we study history: history: relation between time & relation between fact & truth place V. ISSUES IN HISTORY II. ACCESSING THE PAST Through Personal Memory A. Epistemology ○ Is personal and not easy to verify ○ Gets filtered by experience One past, many histories ○ Goes back to one’s childhood but can include ○ History different from the past memories shared by elders ○ History separated from the past by time and space ○ Dies with person ○ Past remembered differently ○ History re-created by historians writers after the Through Shared History event ○ Is a kind of shared memory ○ Selectivity, historians’ points of view and ○ Open to the public interpretations ○ Can be proven or questioned ○ Goes back to earliest times B. Personal Element ○ Lasts for generations History in Individual’s construct ○ Historian’s bias Through Relics/Artifacts ○ Historian’s attitude ○ Are tangible remnants and cannot speak for ○ Historian’s point of view influenced by his/her themselves background and by society ○ Needs to be interpreted ○ Points of view change or can harden ○ Can be destroyed over time ○ Individual judgment of what is interesting, worth ○ Tend to present image of static past studying ○ Also lasts for generations ○ Historian’s level of maturity NOTE To easily remember the 3 ways of accessing the past use the C. Ideology acrostic: PSA All rights reserved to the authors. The transcription papers are not verified reviewers by the Academic Committee or any faculty member. These are only notes from the Academic Officers of a section. 1  READINGS IN PHILIPPINE HISTORY (2024-2025) — 1ST SEM ○ Analysis of historical causality and avoiding the traps of lineality and inevitability ○ Arriving at conclusions, even if tentative, based on available evidence 4. Historical research capabilities ○ Formulating and proving a sound historical argument or thesis ○ Working with a variety of primary sources, evaluating their credibility, worth and relevance ○ Process of historical inquiry and the writing of history “History doesn’t repeat itself, but it does rhyme” - Mark Twain 5. Writing like a historian 6. Historical issue-analysis and decision-making VI. HISTORY AS THE DISCIPLINE ○ Dealing with controversies and dilemmas in history and analyzing alternatives available to those on the A distinct way of knowing, a domain and form (type) of scene knowledge ○ Raising counterfactuals and evaluating effects that ○ Core concepts might have resulted from options that were not ○ Historical methodology chosen ○ Ethical standards A Profession STAGES OF THINKING HISTORICALLY ○ “Community of historians …collectively engaged in investigating and interpreting the past as a matter of disciplined learned practice” (AHA) ○ Shared canons of historical scholarship and ethical ○ values VII. HISTORICITY Sense of being situated in history Awareness of time and of history Realization of differences between past and present Link between dual meanings of history B. Historian’s competencies A. Thinking historically 1. Source-based 1. Chronological Thinking Find sources (mastery of sources). ○ “the mental scaffolding for organizing historical Select sources (determine relevance). thought” Evaluate sources (weigh evidence, establish Understanding the temporal structure of credibility). events as they unfolded over time, actions Consider contrary evidence. and intentions of those who were there, Apply the appropriate methodology (depending on temporal connections between sources used) antecedents and their consequence Necessary to analyze relationships 2. Interpretive between events and probe into causality See link between events and understand their 2. Historical Comprehension context. ○ Reading critically and imaginatively Understanding Build plausible, coherent argument using historical historical context so as to avoid materials. S “present-mindedness” how importance of one’s work in light of other ○ Developing historical perspectives while accounts. describing the past on its own terms, through Use perspectives, frameworks appropriately. the eyes and experiences of those who were there 3. Communication Write clearly and in an organized, coherent way. 3. Historical analysis and interpretation Cite references accurately through quotations, ○ Engaging in dialogue with historians not only about footnotes, bibliography (fidelity to sources). what happened but also why and how it happened, Follow the standard format (font, margin, its effect on other events and people, and how pagination, etc.). much importance it should be given ○ Evaluating arguments put forth in primary sources and by historians C. Historian’s Attitudes All rights reserved to the authors. The transcription papers are not verified reviewers by the Academic Committee or any faculty member. These are only notes from the Academic Officers of a section. 2  READINGS IN PHILIPPINE HISTORY (2024-2025) — 1ST SEM 1. Personal level a. See importance of the past to one’s own life and to society. b. Understand diverse cultures and develop a sense of shared humanity. c. Learn to live with uncertainty and frustration, realizing that not all problems can be solved. d. Be aware of one’s biases and not to allow them to cloud one’s judgment. e. Recognize individuals who have made a difference in history. 2. Intellectual level (cont.) a. Set apart what is important from what is not. b. Grasp the complexity of historical causation, human actions and events. c. Avoid simplistic and judgmental assumptions. d. Appreciate the often tentative nature of judgments about the past. e. Affirm the importance of human agency, and accept that sometimes, accidental force plays a role in human affairs. VIII. ETHICS Be humane, self-aware and fair. Always acknowledge others’ ideas/work that you borrow and the role of collaborators, inc. financial support. Be faithful to sources. Do not add words to author’s statement or shorten it, that would change the meaning. If you highlight words not emphasized in the original, say so. If after painstaking effort, you still cannot find evidence, admit uncertainty or tentative nature of findings—sign of maturity, not weakness. Do not invoke “lessons” of history in a shallow way. The study of the past can be inspiring, instructive, but is not a source of solutions to problems. Points of view, identifications, and preferences are inevitable in the interpretation and writing of history. These are not by themselves objectionable as long as: ○ They are openly stated by the historian; ○ They are reasonable (not irrational, not based on ethnic, gender or some other prejudice); ○ The historian’s scholarly apparatus is clear. All rights reserved to the authors. The transcription papers are not verified reviewers by the Academic Committee or any faculty member. These are only notes from the Academic Officers of a section. 3  READINGS IN PHILIPPINE HISTORY (2024-2025) — 1ST SEM IX. REVIEW QUESTIONS X. REFERENCES 1. This refers to the meaning of history that is the Powerpoint ni sir interpretation of the historian a. As a past b. As an account c. As a discipline d. As an event 2. This is the absence of one to one correspondence between the past and the account of the past a. Gossip b. Stories c. Problem of epistemology d. Witness 3. One past is also one history a. True b. False 4. The following are ways of accessing the past expect: a. Personal Memory b. Relics/Artifacts c. Folktales d. Shared memory 5. History as a narrative levels at the relation between fact & truth a. True b. False [ANSWERS ARE AT THE BOTTOM OF THE PAGE] ANSWER KEY 1. B 2. C 3. B 4. C 5. A All rights reserved to the authors. The transcription papers are not verified reviewers by the Academic Committee or any faculty member. These are only notes from the Academic Officers of a section. 4