Republic of the Philippines

MARINDUQUE STATE COLLEGE

SCHOOL OF GOVERNANCE
Panfilo Manguera Sr. Rd., Tanza, Boac, Marinduque 4900 (Main Campus)
Tel. No.: 332-03-23 Email Address: [email protected]
Website: www.marinduquestatecollege.edu.ph

Module 1.1

Chapter 1: Meaning and Relevance of History

Learning Objectives:
 To understand the meaning of history as an academic discipline and to be familiar with
the underlying philosophy 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

Definition and Subject Matter

History has always been known as the study of the past. Students of general education
often dread the subject for its notoriety in requiring them to memorize dates, places, names and
events from distant eras. This low appreciation of the discipline may be rooted from the shallow
understanding of history’s relevance to their lives and to their respective contexts. While the
popular definition of history as the study of the past is not wrong, it does not give justice to the
complexity of the subject and its importance to human civilization.

 History was derived from the Greek word “Historia” which means “Knowledge acquired
through inquiry or investigation.
 History as a discipline existed for around 2,400 years and is as old as mathematics and
philosophy.
 The term was adapted to classical Latin where it acquired new definition. Historia
became known as the account of the past of a person or a group of people through written
documents and historical evidences.
 History became an academic discipline.
 History was also focused on writing about wars, revolutions and other important
breakthroughs.

Questions and Issues in History

Indeed, history as a discipline has already turned into a complex and dynamic inquiry.
This dynamism inevitably produced various perspectives on the discipline regarding different
questions like: What is history? Why study history? And history for whom? These questions can
be answered by historiography. In simple terms, historiography is the history of history. History
and historiography should not be confused with each other. The former's object of study is the
past, the events that happened in the past, and the causes of such events. The latter's object of
study, on the other hand, is history itself (i.e., How was a certain historical text written? Who
wrote it? What was the context of its publication? What particular historical method was
employed? What were the sources used?). Thus, historiography lets the students have a better
understanding of history. They do not only get to learn historical facts, but they are also provided
with the understanding of the facts' and the historian's contexts. The methods employed by the
historian and the theory and perspective, which guided him, will also be analyzed.
Historiography is important for someone who studies history because it teaches the student to be
critical in the lessons of history presented to him.

History has played various roles in the past. States use history to unite a nation. It can be
used as a tool to legitimize regimes and forge a sense of collective identity through collective
memory. Lessons from the past can be used to make sense of the present. Learning of past
mistakes can help people to not repeat them. Being reminded of a great past can inspire people to
keep their good practices to move forward.

Positivism is the school of thought that emerged between the eighteenth and nineteenth
century. This thought requires empirical and observable evidence before one can claim that a
particular knowledge is true. Positivism also entails an objective means of arriving: at a
conclusion. In the discipline of history, the mantra "no document, no history" stems from this
very same truth, where historians were required to show written primary documents in order
to write a particular historical narrative. Positivist historians are also expected to be objective
and impartial not just in their arguments but also on their conduct of historical research.

As a narrative, any history that has been taught and written is always intended for a
certain group of audience. When the ilustrados, like Jose Rizal Isabelo de los Reyes, and Pedro
Paterno wrote history, they intended it for the Spaniards so that they would realize that Filipinos
are people of their own intellect and culture. When American historians depicted the Filipino
people as uncivilized in their publications, they intended that narrative for their fellow
Americans to justify their colonization of the islands. They wanted the colonization to appear not
as a means of undermining the Philippines sovereignty, but as a civilizing mission to fulfill what
they called as the white man's burden." The same is true for nations which prescribe official
versions of their history like North Korea, the Nazi Germany during the war period, and
Thailand. The same was attempted by Marcos in the Philippines during the 1970s.

Postcolonialism is a school of thought that emerged in the early twentieth century when
formerly colonized nations grappled with the idea of creating their identities and
understanding their societies against the shadows of their colonial past. Postcolonial history
looks at two things in writing history: first is to tell the history of their nation that will
highlight their identity free from that of colonial discourse and knowledge, and second is to
criticize the methods, effects, and idea colonialism. Postcolonial history is therefore a reaction
and an alternative to the colonial history that colonial powers created and taught to subjects.
 One of the problems confronted by history is the accusation that the history is always
written by victors. This connotes that the narrative of the past is always written from the' bias of
the powerful and the more dominant player. For instance, the history of the Second World War
in the Philippines always depicts the United States as the hero and the Imperial Japanese Army
as the oppressors. Filipinos who collaborated with the Japanese were lumped in the category of
traitors or collaborators. However, a more thorough historical investigation will reveal a more
nuanced account of the history of that period instead of a simplified narrative as a story of hero
versus villain.

Chapter Exercises 1.1

True or False. Write TRUE if the statement is true. Otherwise, write FALSE in the space
provided.

___________ 1. History is the study of the past.

___________ 2. As a discipline history existed for around 3,400 years and is as old as
mathematics and philosophy.
___________ 3. The subject of historiography is history itself.
___________ 4. History has no use for the present, thus, the saying “past is past” is true.
___________ 5. History is limited to the story of a hero versus a villain.
___________ 6. Postcolonial history is therefore a reaction and an alternative to the colonial
history that colonial powers created and taught to subjects.
___________ 7. History was derived from the Latin word “Historia” which means “Knowledge
acquired through inquiry or investigation.
___________ 8. Positivism is the school of thought that emerged between the seventeenth and
eighteenth century.
___________ 9. Jose Rizal, Isabelo de los Reyes and Pedro Paterno are classified as
propagandist who made to realized that Filipinos are people of their own intellect and culture.
___________ 10. Traditional historians lived with the mantra of “no document, no history”.