Lesson 2: Meaning and Relevance of History PDF

LESSON 2: Meaning and relevance of history; distinction of primary and secondary sources; external and internal criticism; repositories of primary sources, and different kinds of primary sources  LEARNING OUTCOMES: To understand the meaning of history as an academic discipline and to be famil...

LESSON 2: Meaning and relevance of history; distinction of primary and secondary sources; external and internal criticism; repositories of primary sources, and different kinds of primary sources  LEARNING OUTCOMES: To understand the meaning of history as an academic discipline and to be familiar with the underlying philosophy and methodology of the discipline. 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 Philippine “WHO CONTROLS THE PRESENT, CONTROLS THE PAST WHO CONTROLS THE PAST, GEORGE ORWELL CONTROLS THE FUTURE” 01 Meaning and relevance of history WHAT IS HISTORY?  WHAT IS HISTORY? Etymology History is derived from the Greek word “historia” which means learning by inquiry. WHAT IS HISTORY? Aristotle, the Greek Philosopher, looked upon history as systematic accounting of a set of natural phenomena, that is, taking into consideration the chronological arrangement of the account. Other Definitions of History: History is defined as a documented record of man and his society. (Gray, 1956, pp.1-3). As a field of study, history is a study of man and his achievements from the beginning of written records to the present. Other Definitions of History: As a literary form of history is an effective presentation of the unfolding events. But as a type of literature history falls under non-fiction work. History comes from social history which defines it as a record of events showing the evolution of man and his society from the earliest and from the age of barbarism to what he is today.  Importance and Uses of History A. History provides a E. History helps us better source of personal and understand all human social identity. behaviors and all aspects B. History helps us of the human condition. understand the problems F. History provides the of the present. basic background for HISTORY many disciplines. Given are the uses of C. History – good history history as summarized by G. History can be a – corrects misleading Foray and Salevouris (1988). Some of these are source of entertainment. analogies and “lessons” of the past. interestingly explained by B.H. Lidedell Hart (1971). D. History can help one H. History, when studied, develop tolerance and can teach many critical open-mindedness. skills.  02 The distinction of primary and secondary sources HISTORICAL SOURCES Sources – an object from the past or testimony concerning the past on which historians depend in order to create their own depiction of that past.  HISTORICAL SOURCES SECONDARY PRIMARY SOURCES SOURCES Primary sources are Secondary sources those sources are those sources, produced at the which were same time as the produced by an event, period, or author who used subject being primary sources to studied. produce the material.  ✣ Primary sources provide a window into the past—unfiltered access to the record of artistic, social, scientific and political thought and Advantages of achievement during the specific Primary Sources period under study, produced by people who lived during that period these unique, often profoundly personal, documents and objects can give a very real sense of what it was like to be alive during a long-past era.  ✣ Primary sources are often incomplete and have little context. Students must use prior knowledge and work with Primary Source Disadvantages multiple primary sources to find patterns ✣ In analyzing primary sources, students move from concrete observations and facts to questioning and making inferences about the materials.  ✣ Secondary sources can provide analysis, synthesis, interpretation, or evaluation of the original Secondary Source Advantages information. ✣ Secondary sources are best for uncovering background or historical information about a topic and broadening your understanding of a topic by exposing you to others’ perspectives, interpretations, and conclusions Secondary Source Advantages ✣ Allows the reader to get expert views of events and often bring together multiple primary sources relevant to the subject matter  ✣ Their reliability and validity are open to Secondary Source Disadvantages question, and often they do not provide exact information ✣ They do not represent first hand knowledge of a subject or event  ✣ There are countless books, journals, magazine articles Secondary Source Disadvantages and web pages that attempt to interpret the past and finding good secondary sources can be an issue  03 external and internal criticism  HISTORICAL Historical Criticism – CRITICISMS examines the origins of the earliest text to appreciate the underlying circumstances upon which the text came to be (Soulen & Soulen, 2001) It has two important goals: 1. To discover the original meaning of the text in HISTORICAL its primitive or historical context and its literal CRITICISMS sense or literalis sensus historicus 2. To establish a reconstruction of the historical situation of the author and recipients of the text. NOTE: Historical criticism has its roots in the 17th century during the Protestant Reformation and gained popular recognition in the 19th and 20th centuries (Ebeling, 1963). The absence of historical investigation paved the way for historical criticism to rest on philosophical and theological interpretation Historical criticism has two types: EXTERNAL INTERNAL CRITICISM CRITICISM  External criticism – determines the authenticity of the source. The material must EXTERNAL CRITICISM beinvestigated based on the time and place it is written. The critic must determine whether the material under investigation is raw, meaning unaltered, and it exists exactly as the author left it.  Internal criticism, on the other hand, – determines the historicity of the facts contained in the document. It is not INTERNAL CRITICISM necessary to prove the authenticity of the material or document. However, the facts contained in the document must first be tested before any conclusion pertaining to it can be admitted. In determining the value of the facts, the character of the sources, the knowledge of the author, and the influences prevalent at the time of writing must be carefully investigated.  04 repositories of primary sources, and different kinds of primary sources repositories of primary sources LIBRARIES MUSEUMS ARCHIVES ONLINE OR DIGITAL SOURCES MARKERS AND MONUMENTS repositories of primary sources National Archives of the Philippines. National Library of the Philippines. National Historical Commission of the Philippines.  different kinds of primary sources Diaries, Correspondence, journals, speeches, interviews, letters, memos, photographs, videos, public opinion polls, and government records, Manuscript, Pamphlets, Broadsides, Posters, Newspaper Articles Photographs and Illustrations, Autobiographical Materials, Interview Or Speech Transcripts, Oral Histories, Government Documents (Laws, Bills, Proceedings, Acts, Census Records, etc. QUESTIONS? QUIZ THANK YOU!