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0 10-July-2020

Study Guide in GE 2 – Readings in Philippine History Module No. 1

STUDY GUIDE FOR MODULE NO. 1

Understanding History and Historiography

MODULE OVERVIEW

“A nation which does not remember what it was yesterday, does not know what it is today, nor what it is
trying to do. We are trying to do a futile thing if we do not know where we came from or what we have been
about.” - (Woodrow Wilson)

History has always been broadly defined as the study of the past. However, the depth of our
understanding about the past and how it relates t our present seems lacking. Students often perceive the study
of history as something boring because it tackles topics about the past that students find irrelevant in today’s
society.

In this Module, we provide a deeper understanding on the study of History and its relevance to the present
society. This Module is designed to help students define history in their own understanding of the concept and to
let them grasp its importance through the use of various sources of history which is carefully evaluated through
external and internal criticism.

MODULE LEARNING OBJECTIVES

At the end of this Module, you should be able to:

1. Define what history means.
2. Understand the relevance of studying history.
3. Understand the process of writing historiography.
4. Define primary and secondary sources.
5. Differentiate primary and secondary sources.
6. Identify examples of primary and secondary sources.
7. Define external and internal criticism of sources.
8. Externally and internally criticize the authenticity of primary sources.
9. Identify repositories of primary sources and its different kinds

LEARNING CONTENTS

Topic 1: Meaning and relevance of history

Sub-Topic 1.1. The Meaning of History

What is History?

The word history comes from the Greek noun ἱστορία (historía), meaning learning. As used by the
Greek philosopher Aristotle, history meant “a systematic count of a set of natural phenomena, whether or not
chronological ordering was a factor in the account… By its most common definition, the word history now means
“the past of mankind (Gottschalk, 1969:41).” History, therefore, in its broad sense is a systematic count of a set
natural phenomena that happened in the past of mankind however, history is not just the study of the past. It is
a way of relating oneself to the past of the society where he/she belongs. This also links us to the classic
definition of Kasaysayan by Zeus Salazar, “Ang kasaysayan ay sanaysay na may saysay sa
pinagsasalaysayang salinlahi.” History, therefore, is a way of identifying ourselves in the larger context of the
past. It’s a way of relating ourselves to the events that happened in the past and how it affects us in the present
and how we conduct our lives in the future.

Looking at this definition that we have, the question now lies as to how we can systematically account

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Study Guide in GE 2 – Readings in Philippine History Module No. 1

these phenomena. Gottschalk (1969), argues that the past of mankind for the most part is beyond recall. We
cannot take into account everything that has happened in the past. Although the goal of historians is to
reconstruct the total past of mankind, there will always be gray areas beyond the reach of historians. This makes
the reconstruction of the total past unattainable. However, in history we do aim a total reconstruction, historians
are well aware that this is unattainable, hence the goal is to arrive at the verisimilitude of the past.
Reconstructing closest to the truth of past and historians do that via the process of historiography.

Sub-Topic 1.2. Process of Historiography

Historical Method and Historiography Defined

The process of critically examining the and analyzing the records and survivals of the past is called
historical method. The imaginative reconstruction of the past from the data derived by that process is called
historiography (Gottschalk, 1969: 48) Historiography is writing of history based on the critical examination of
sources, the selection of particulars from the authentic materials, and the synthesis of particulars into a narrative
that will stand the test of critical methods. Through historical method and historiography, the historian endeavors
to reconstruct as much of the past of mankind as he can (ibid., 48-49). To reconstruct the past, historians should
have access to the records from the past and make be sure that his records were really from the past and were
in fact what they seem to be and his imagination is direct toward re-creation not creation (ibid., 49). Historians
re-create the past based on the evidences that have survived from the past. Historians are not allowed to
imagine things that could not reasonably have happened.

Historical analysis involves four processes (ibid., 52):

(1) The selection of a subject for investigation. All historical analysis begins with this process. It is
important to have a clear idea of which part of the past you want to study or write about. A subject for
investigation must not be too broad or too specific. Another important thing to consider is the availability of
sources about the subject you want to study. Which is part of the second process.

(2) The collection of probable sources of information on that subject. No matter how interesting a
subject is if there are no available sources on that subject a historiography would not be possible. The backbone
of history is its sources. Without sources the writing of history would not be possible, because history is based
on facts – evidences and sources are evidences of history.

(3) The examination of those sources genuineness (either in whole or in part). Not all sources of
information are credible. In historical analysis this is one of the most important process. The aim of history to
reconstruct the past closest to the truth, therefore critical examination of sources is important. Examining the
source of its authenticity, credibility and truthfulness is crucial to arrive at the verisimilitude of the past. It is also
equally significant to identify the sources whether they are primary or secondary1.

(4) The extraction of credible particulars from the sources (or parts of sources) proved genuine. The
fourth process involves the how historians interpret the facts from the sources. Historians could make
inferences, interpretations and conclusions about the past through the extraction of credible information from
the sources proven to be true.

After completing these processes historians are left with inferences, interpretations and conclusions that serve
as the basis of our knowledge about the past. These bodies of knowledge however are partial and limited for
these are drawn from the sources ‘found’ and processed’ by the historians which are just portions of the past.

LEARNING ACTIVITY 1

Reading Assignment:

Read Understanding history: A primer of historical method (pp. 41-46) by Louis Gottschalk and From
reliable sources: An introduction to historical methods (pp. 17-68) by Howell, M. & Prevenier, W. The reading
materials will be uploaded in our MS Teams platform together with the Power Point presentation for the

1
See Topic 2. Sources of History: Primary and Secondary Sources, for discussion on primary and secondary sources.

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Study Guide in GE 2 – Readings in Philippine History Module No. 1

discussion of the chapter. After reading the assigned material prepare a short essay to be submitted in out MS
Teams class, considering the following questions:

1. What is history?
2. How do we study history, what are its processes?
3. Why is it important to study it?

LEARNING CONTENTS

Topic 2. Sources of History: Primary and Secondary Sources

In topic 1 we have discussed the importance of history as a discipline of study and how the process of
studying it is done. Knowing the past is the first step in its study. Historians or the people who are trained in the
discipline of history need ‘sources’. These ‘sources’ are the building blocks of history, without it no information
or story about the past will be written and thus we won’t have knowledge of the past. We are presented
representations of the past called historical sources. It is the task of the historian to properly handle and study
historical sources to arrive at a fair historical truth. What classifies as a historical source?
Historical sources are written, verbal, and material objects produced in the past that can be used and
interpreted to understand historical events. Sources of history can come from different forms. It can be written
in the form of books, memoirs, diaries, official records (such as birth certificates, government records), journals,
letters, and alike. It can also be oral in the form of oral traditions (legends passed on to generation, memories
from people who lived in past), or it can be in the form of relics – the things that have survived in the past. Relics
are classified into artifacts – remains of materials made or used by people from the past (i.e. stone tools used by
ancient people) and fossils – remains of living things (humans, plants and animals) lived in the past (i.e. remains
of the Tabon man excavated in Tabon Cave, Palawan). These different forms of sources are further classified
into primary and secondary sources.

Sub-Topic 2.1. What are primary and secondary sources?

A primary source is the testimony of an eyewitness, or of a witness by any other of the senses, or a
mechanical device like the dictaphone, video, photograph – that is, of one who or that which was present at the
events of which he or it tells (Gottschalk, 1969:53). This is a type of source which came into existence during the
actual period of the past which the historian is studying such as relics and traces left by the past. These
materials are considered as original sources that directly narrate the details of the events. These sources can be
in the form of diary and journal entries, letters, memoirs, journals, speeches, interviews, official records,
artworks, and relics. In some cases, newspaper or magazine articles are also considered primary sources as
long as they were written soon after the events happened and not as historical accounts (Asuncion, et. al., 2019:
5).
A secondary source, on the other hand is the testimony of anyone who is not an eyewitness – that is, of
one who was not present at the events of which he tells (Gottschalk, 1969:53). Secondary sources serve as
interpretation or readings of primary sources (Asuncion, et. al., 2019: 5).

LEARNING ACTIVITY 2

LEARNING CONTENTS

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Study Guide in GE 2 – Readings in Philippine History Module No. 1

LEARNING ACTIVITY 2

SUMMARY

REFERENCES

Gottschalk, L. (1969). Understanding history: A primer of historical method (pp. 41-46, 117-170). New York, NY: A.A. Knopf.
Howell, M. & Prevenier, W. (2001). From reliable sources: An introduction to historical methods (pp. 17-68). Ithaca, NY:
Cornell University Press.

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