Reading of Philippine History L1 (1).pdf

LESSON 1. A INTRODUCTION TO HISTORY: DEFINITION, SOURCES, METHODOLOGY AND SIGNIFICANCE WHAT IS HISTORY HISTORY is said to be the “mother” of all disciplines in the field of the social sciences. History is the “chronological record of past significant events” Histor...

LESSON 1. A INTRODUCTION TO HISTORY: DEFINITION, SOURCES, METHODOLOGY AND SIGNIFICANCE WHAT IS HISTORY HISTORY is said to be the “mother” of all disciplines in the field of the social sciences. History is the “chronological record of past significant events” History means narrating one’s own experience. It may also mean an account of one’s own interpretation of his experiences in the past or of “the subjective process of his own re- creation of the past events”. Furthermore, Carr (2009) defines it as “an inquiry conducted by the historian in the series of past events into which he digs into. This is referred to as “history-as-actuality” In fact, with the definitions listed, history could be discussed in many ways, and as of this writing, historians and researchers found at least 3 approaches to doing historiography, namely (1) history from above, (2) history from below and the (3) pantayong pananaw. HISTORY FROM ABOVE History from above was solely regarded as a matter of what the powerful, the ruling class, the famous, the colonizers, and the wealthy people thought of and what they did, and what the "ordinary" people felt and tried to accomplish was insignificant and therefore not worth mentioning as part of history. Chronicles written by explorers in the middle ages after a successful invasion of unexplored territory, could also be considered as “history from above”. A case in point was that of the chronicles written by Fray Juan de Plasencia, an Italian priest who was able to come to the country thru the  sponsorship of the Spanish king, enabled him to write down his experiences with the local natives. The book entitled “Customs of the Tagalogs” told of the daily lives of the natives in early colonial society. It also described the existing social classes during this period. HISTORY FROM BELOW Disregard for the history of ordinary people led to the “history from below” movement which originated from the British Marxist historian E.P. Thompson and the German historian Hans Ulrich Wehler with his book “Historical Social Science”. According to Ka-May Cheng (2012), this is a movement that asserts workers, women, immigrants, and minorities have their own respective stories or history. PANTAYONG PANANAW When one talks of this new manner of writing the national history of Filipinos, it is focused on writing the development of the Filipinos alone. It is written by Filipinos about Filipinos, using the standards of the Filipino, written in Pilipino language, and interpreted ‘exclusively’ by a Filipino. The Bagong Kasaysayan of writing the national history was an offshoot of this historical philosophy. The importance of the pantayong pananaw is that the story of the Filipinos is interpreted by them, based on their knowledge of their culture and national heritage, and written by them. Noticeably the first two approaches are of foreign origins but notwithstanding, the pantayong pananaw was indeed Filipino. For Prof. Zeus Salazar, it would be much more meaningful if the country’s history could be re-written, described and narrated by a Filipino. This is what is called as Filipino historiography. HISTORIOGRAPHY HISTORIOGRAPHY refers to the writing of history using any of the approaches briefly defined and discussed above. It involves historical writing culled from many sources in order to avoid biases. Historiography is defined as the writing of history, a study on its methodology, and the sources that were used by the historian; these may categorized as follows: documents, relics (or remains), artifacts or the testimonies of witnesses to the past. Documents may include many classifications: ordinances, letters, written laws, statutes, resolutions, personal data, or testimonies of witnesses to that past, etc. The Declaration of Philippine Independence (1898) Relics could be buildings, ruins, churches, temples, etc. Artifacts come in the form of such items as eating implements, cooking devices, kitchen utensils, work implements, work animals (in the form of fossils) and others. Manunggul Jar found in Magellan’s Cross Tabon Cave, Quezon, in Cebu Palawan Testimonies of witnesses to the past could come in the form of oral history wherein a historian interviews face-to-face a person who may either be a participant to a past event, or he had witnessed first-hand a particular activity that had bearing to meaningful one.  Testimonies may also be “the oral and written reports that describe an event”. Other forms of testimonies may be a speech, a commentary, or a remark by a certain nobility about a historical event. If ever the researcher finds the sources insufficient to significantly form his own conclusion about the past, he could supplement this by using other material or non-material sources. It must be remembered that testimonies could be recorded and as such, it becomes a document. Notably mentioning at this juncture is that relics or remains could be immovable objects, while artifacts are portable items. These objects provide a “clue about the past simply by virtue of their existence in a place”. Example of this is when a historian uncovers tools and implements that went with the construction of the pyramids in Lima, Peru. This gives him a better understanding of the inhabitants’ skills and artistry of that past era as well as on the purpose of constructing such structure. DIFFERENT SOURCES IN HISTORY Historians do not usually involved in the events that they are investigating hence they rely mainly on the evidence (such as records) that survived through times to reconstruct the past. In doing this, historians have to verify sources, date them, locate their place of origin and identify their intended functions. This process is called HISTORICAL METHOD. Historical Source are objects from the past or testimonies concerning the past on which historians depend in order to create their own depiction of that past. They are classified into two: (a) Primary Sources and (b) Secondary Sources. Another type of classifications are: (a) written and non-written, (b) published or unpublished and, (c) textual, oral, or visual sources. “Only a part of what was observed in the past was remembered by those who observed it; only a part of what was remembered was recorded; only a part of what was recorded has survived; only a part of what has survived has come to the historian’s attention; only a part of what has come to their attention is credible; only a part of what is credible has been grasped, and only a part of what has been grasped can be expounded or narrated by the historian.” WHAT ARE PRIMARY SOURCES? PRIMARY SOURCE by definition is a source of historical data or information described as first-hand. That is to say, a source free from anyone’s interpretation. It is raw and unprocessed in other words. Another defining characteristic of any primary source is the element of having a close and direct connection to the subject under study. This brings you the participant’s point of view and his or her contemporary. To exemplify this, take a look at the table below. Angono (Rizal) Petroglyph Rizal’s Notebook WHAT IS A SECONDARY SOURCE? SECONDARY SOURCE, on the other hand, is also a source of historical data or information. This source is different from the primary because the information it provides has already underwent a process of filtration. This means the information it carries has been screened, interpreted, organized, rephrased, judged and simplified by a certain individual or group of individuals through the historical methods to produce a particularly easy-to-read materials in making sense of the past.  Examples of secondary sources: 1. History textbook 2. Printed materials (serials, periodicals which interprets previous research) OTHER SOURCES (OR MIXED SOURCES), these are documents that contain both eyewitness accounts of the participant but may also include statements from family members of the eyewitness who told of the details of the story. It is called mixed since it combines documents or printed materials, like diaries and newspapers, or a written testimony like a court record. Examples are diaries and newspapers, community newspapers, or tabloids. Newspapers are Angono (Rizal) Petroglyph. Rizal’s Notebook published printed materials that contain narration of events and situations locally or maybe globally. It could come in the form of community newspapers or local tabloids. In the discussion above, you have learned what historical sources are and their examples. This is very important in studying past events that we are not able to witness. However, there is a serious reminder that you have to keep in mind in order for a source to be used as evidence in history. The said evidence must qualify the two aspects of historical criticism: External and Internal Criticism. Every historian regardless of their age and field of specialization practices the so called historical criticism on any historical evidence in order to have it verified, dated, locate its place of origin and identify its intended function as why it is created One’s greater knowledge about hist past spawns much appreciation of his heritage and inculcates a sense of belongingness and oneness with the community. Thus, history is not just knowing what happened in the past, but it also means embracing one’s identity. WHY SHOULD WE STUDY OUR HISTORY? What then is the relevance and meaning to us Filipinos of learning and studying about history and historiography, particularly of what importance is our own history?  As discussed earlier, history is a record of the past significant events written and interpreted by the historian. Why then should we learn and look back to our past? It is through history that we learn and understand who we are, our roots, our ancestry, aspirations and everything about our cultural heritage and the legacies that go with it. It is the basis for what we are today, and similarly give us a perspective of where we are to go. As the saying goes “ang hindi lumingon sa pinanggalingan ay di makararating sa paroroonan”. Government policies, laws and statutes emanate from the knowledge about the past hence development plans are crafted along these bases. Additionally, history is past lessons, and as one learns from these lessons, avoids such mistakes as to enjoy at least a modicum of good life not only for the current times but for a brighter future ahead. According to Bantay Kasaysayan, an organization of history professors who pursue history writing and re-tells these as it is: “Ang kasaysayan ay mahalaga kung ito’y magagamit sa kasalukuyan upang magsilbing paalala, at babala, kung ito’y pahahalagahan upang mapatigil o mapahinto ang katanghan (katangahan) ng kahapon na maulit pa sa ngayon at sa hinaharap”. TAKE-AWAYS! History is a record of past events, a study of the past events that were considered significant in a peoples’ life. It can be written thru eyewitness accounts and declarations, or it may be retold by others who were not participants to the event. Historiography is the science of writing history, and a study of its methods. It has three approaches namely 1) history from above; 2) history from below; and 3) pantayong pananaw. Sources for writing the past events have 5 kinds: primary source, primary testimony, secondary source, secondary testimony, and others (mixed sources). There are several types of these sources that include documents, records, statutes, photographs, birth certificates, death certificates, artifacts, relics, and others. The importance or relevance of knowing and studying about one’s past stems from the fact that governance policies and laws were crafted based on the knowledge of the past. It is also being studies about in order to avoid mistakes of the past, or at least prevent a repetition of it.  LESSON 1.B HISTORICAL CRITICISMS: EXTERNAL AND INTERNAL CRITICISMS Fake news is now a trending issue in social media. It is also sometimes used as an expression by millennials to describe rumors or topics that are not true. However, discerning true and fake news is a challenging task, especially to youths that rely mainly in social media to validate information. Similarly, in history, historical “hoax” is not unusual since factualness of stories from the past are hard to determine. However, this should not be an excuse for any historians to easily claim any historical information without further validation. WHAT IS HISTORICAL CRITICISM? In order for a source to be used as evidence in history, basic matters about its form and content must be settled. This may be done through: 1. External Criticism 2. Internal Criticism EXTERNAL CRITICISM EXTERNAL CRITICISM is a historical criticism that addresses the problems of authenticity of the evidence. It refers to the process of scrutinizing every aspect related to its forms. This is to prevent the use of evidence that are fabricated, forged, and faked in making historical claims. It will also distinguish which evidence is a hoax or misrepresentation. So, how can you practice external criticism in order to determine the authenticity of any existing historical sources? Here are the tests you can do:  TEST EXAMPLES 1. Determine the date of the Example 1. Pencils did not exist before document to see whether they are the 16th Century. Therefore, any claim anachronistic. This means, the use about the period earlier than 16th of a person or thing in support of a Century that is supported by pencils particular claim but their existence should be easily negated. does not fit to the time period being studied. Example 2. You must not see Jose Rizal in any photo holding an iPhone. 2. Determine the author of the Example 1. What is the handwriting document. It is with utmost style of the author? How about the importance that the author of the signature? document claimed to be of historical value must be revealed or Example 2. Does s/he use a seal? at least given identity. 3. Look for the anachronistic style. Example 1. The use of abbreviation in This is the use of language that daily communication like SKL which does not fit with the time it stands for “share ko lang”. describes. It could be idioms, orthography, and punctuation. 4. You have to determine if there is Example 1. The use of correct any anachronistic reference of periodization like pre-colonial, colonial, events. post-colonial in Philippine history. 5. You have to determine the Example 1. The origin of “Lupang provenance or custody of the Hinirang”. evidence. Knowing its place of origin provides you genuineness. Example 2. The origin of “Rice Cultivation” 6. You have to determine the Example 1. The “Fray Botod” of meaning of a text or word (Its Graciano López Jaena Semantics). Example 2. Peninsulares, Insulares, Indio 7. You have to determine the Example 1. The use of the term ambiguities of the meaning of “Benevolent assimilation” by the the word (Hermeneutics). Americans. Example 2. The use of the term “Insurgency” to refer to the actions of Emilio Aguinaldo and his troupe. INTERNAL CRITICISM INTERNAL CRITICISM on the other hand, looks into the problems of credibility of the evidence. Credibility refers to the accuracy of the contents. It considers every significant aspect the existing evidence carries. How can you practice internal criticism on any existing historical evidence? Here are the tests you can do: TEST PURPOSE 1. You have to look into the To determine the author’s identification of the author. reliability; mental processes, and personal attitudes. 2. You have to determine the To provide contextual basis and approximate date. validity. 3. You have to find out the To determine how near the author author’s ability to tell the truth. was to the event; How competent the author was; How much attention did the author pay when the event happened. 4. You have to look into the To determine if the author author’s willingness to tell the consciously or unconsciously tells truth. falsehoods. 5. You have to look for similar To collect independent scientific claims or discovery from other findings which provides another fields of sciences to establish chain of supports to make the corroboration. evidence or claim more reliable.