HISTORY AND HISTORIOGRAPHY: AN OVERVIEW

By Antonio V. Figueroa
(Lecture guide for the seminar-workshop on ‘Writing History: The Key to Local Heritage Preservation,’
May 10-11, 2023, 7th Floor, Sedes Sapientiae Hall, Holy Cross of Davao College Main)

INTRODUCTION
The subject of History is a developmental and, more importantly, academic endeavor towards
knowing how events that took place years, decades, centuries, or even millennia ago happened,
or how incidents from the past could had actually occurred.
As an educational discipline, it is among the least interesting in terms of returns but the most
abundant in terms of resources. In a world so profusely absorbed in introducing productive, post-
modern initiatives that promote financial success, monetary returns, and inventive competition,
history, being chiefly an investigation of the past, has very little economic value.
In the academe, history’s fate as a subject is almost sealed. Except in state colleges and uni-
versities and high-profile sectarian schools, history as a subject, whether as a major or an elective,
is losing steam faster that what we thought it would not.
In Davao City, it seems, only Holy Cross of Davao College is offering a degree towards be-
coming a historian, and it is only school that has established an institution solely for the study of
Davao’s history, namely the INSTITUTE OF DAVAO STUDIES.
Against the challenge of keeping a venerable subject like History from going down the drain,
social media platforms, journalistic columns, online periodicals, theses, and dissertations should
be explored and remove of their untruths as part of a thorough historical research.

1. DEFINITIONS

• “History is the study of people, actions, decisions, interactions and behaviors. It is so com-
pelling a subject because it encapsulates themes which expose the human condition in all
of its guises and that resonate throughout time: power, weakness, corruption, tragedy,
triumph, etc.”
• “History’s primary purpose is to stand at the center of diverse, tolerant, intellectually rig-
orous debate about our existence: our political systems, leadership, society, economy and
culture. However, open and free debate… is too often lacking and it is not difficult to
locate the cause of this intolerance.”
• “Political, economic and social history are, without question, essential; [but we] still do
not pay enough attention to histories of ideas, of the arts, of medicine, of philosophy, of
entertainment, of technology, whether in Europe or America or elsewhere. Nor do we feel
particularly comfortable about biographical approaches to history.”

• It is the study of the past, especially in relation to human affairs.

• It is about the events and incidents that took place long ago.
• It covers all aspects of human life (society, culture, politics, etc.)
• It means the history of the human race or the origin of civilization
• It delves into events linked or associated to a place or an institution.
• It filters facts and evidence from legends, myths, traditions, and data
• It studies oral and written accounts, fossils, and artefacts.
• It is the story of a small village, community, or nation

Historiography is “the writing of history, especially the writing of history based on the
critical examination of sources, the selection of particular details from the authentic materials in
those sources, and the synthesis of those details into a narrative that stands the test of critical
examination. The term historiography also refers to the theory and history of historical writing.”
It is also “the study of the methods of historians in developing history as an academic disci-
pline, and by extension is any body of historical work on a particular subject. The historiography
of a specific topic covers how historians have studied that topic by using particular sources, tech-
niques, and theoretical approaches.”

• It is a study of the events that happened in the past

• It is the study of changing interpretations of past events thru the works of historians: how
history was written, who was the writer, and what are the factors that affected the way
the accounts were written
• It studies the changes in methods, interpretations, and conclusions used by historians
• It is the theory and history of historical writing.
• It is a summary of the historical writings on a particular topic.
• It is based on (a) the critical examination of sources, (b) the selection of particular details
from authentic materials in sources, and (c) the synthesis of details in a narrative that
stands the test of critical examination.

Over the decades, historiography has expanded as a result of multidisciplinary engagements.

Two of the disciplines that make it even more significant are (i) philosophies of history and (ii)
historical criticism. To achieve an accurate interpretation of historical events, these new concepts,
known as the philosophies of history, are divided into four (4) schools of thought, namely: cycli-
cal school, providential school, progressive school, and postmodernism.

2. WORDS TO REMEMBER

• Philology: the branch of knowledge that deals with the structure, historical development,
and relationships of a language or languages.
• Orthography: the conventional spelling system of a language; the study of spelling and
how letters combine to represent sounds and form words.
• Etymology: the study of the origin of words and the way in which their meanings have
changed throughout; the origin of a word and the historical development of its meaning.
• Archaeology: The study of human history and prehistory through the excavation of sites
and the analysis of artifacts and other physical remains.
• Anthropology: The study of human societies and cultures and their development; the
study of human biological and physiological characteristics and their evolution.
• Ethnology: the study of the characteristics of various peoples and the differences and re-
lationships between them.
• Ethnography: A type of qualitative research that involves immersing yourself in a partic-
ular community or organization to observe their behavior and interactions up close.
• Geography: The study of the physical features of the earth and its atmosphere, and of
human activity as it affects and is affected by these, including the distribution of popula-
tions and resources, land use, and industries.

Over time, interests in research have changed and moved away from old-style economic, dip-
lomatic, and political history toward newer devices, chiefly social and cultural studies. Since the
1980s there has been a special interest in memoirs and remembrance of earlier events—the histo-
ries as recalled and presented for general celebration.
Philippine historiography, meanwhile, refers to the studies, resources, critical methods and
interpretations used to investigate a history event. This includes historical and archival research
and the writing of history itself. But a historian must take into account that historiography is not objec-
tive but subjective, and impartial but not partial.
Outside the realm of archives, libraries, museums, and repositories, historiography also covers
the study of artifacts, war memorials, surviving landmarks, indigenous cultures, oral traditions,
geographic monuments, ancient stone slabs, dedicatory writings, church mosaics, petroglyphs,
rock inscriptions, old coins, works of art, architectural designs, ceramics, weapons of war, trans-
formation of ethnic beliefs, and even superstitions.
Moreover, history is connected to sociology, geography, anthropology, linguistics, genetics,
genealogy, and other studies; it also involves discussions of issues affecting agrarian matters, mi-
gration, tribal conflicts, biodiversity, politics, and religion, to name a few.
Modern historians agree that while history is part of humanities or to the subjects related to
it, this distinction is not precise given that the writing of a critical history requires the use of
historical methods in contrast to literature or writing events as a matter of reportage. This is not
to say, though, that journalist is a secondary discipline given that reports from across the across
that were published through the decade are vital sources of historical information.
As part of social science, history is also a scientific endeavor. It can be pointed out that two of
the country’s distinguished historians, namely Teodoro Agoncillo and Encarnacion Alzona, were
conferred honors as national scientists, not as artists.

3. SOURCES FOR HISTORICAL RESEARCH

OFFICIAL REPORTS
• Commission on Audit (COA) Reports
• State of Nation Address (SONA)
• Department Reports (Cabinet)
• Supreme Court decisions
• Intelligence Reports
• Diplomatic dispatches
• Gov’t publications (i.e., Official Gazette)
• Laws, circulars, administrative orders, etc.
• Journals of Congress (
✓ Bills and Resolutions
✓ Committee Reports
✓ Legislative Proceedings
✓ Internal Communications

• ORAL HISTORY (Oral narratives, Cultural Tradition, Legend, Myth & Superstition)
• JOURNALS OF PROCEEDINGS (Corporation, Organization, Conventions, Synods)
• SOCIAL MEDIA POSTS (FB Accounts, Blogs & Vlogs, Websites, Youtube Posts)

PUBLICATIONS
• Digital and online sources
• Theses and dissertations
• Books and encyclopedias
• Periodicals, magazines, and journals
• Photographs, paintings, arts, and cartoons
• Cables, wires, and news reports
• Economic reports (stock exchange, SEC, etc.)
• Exploration records (Mt. Apo climb, etc.)
• Dictionary, thesaurus, and concordance
 • Genealogy, autobiography and biography (tarsilas, etc.)
• Expeditionary and conquest accounts and logbooks
• Maps, charts, and graphs (atlas)
• Almanac, calendar, and directory
• Histories (HIV-AIDS, ghosts, UFO, etc.)
• Musical compositions (especially lyrics)
• Academic and educational records
• Scientific papers and publications
• Yearbooks, academic journals, etc.
• Non-government (NGO) Reports

MISCELLANEOUS
• Archives, museums, and libraries
• Personal notes, scribbles, and diaries
• Advertisements (incl. billboards, posters, etc.)
• Historical markers (obelisks, landmarks, etc.)
• Church records (baptismal, nuptial, etc.)
• Food (spices, condiments, meat, etc.)
• Coins (i.e., numismatics)
• Stone writings (i.e., petroglyphs or rock carvings)
• Forensic findings (i.e., criminology, medical, etc.)
• Anthropological artifacts and notes
• Archaeological objects (i.e., ceramics, jewelry, etc.)
• Memorabilia, mementos, and souvenirs.

4. THE DATU BAGO NARRATIVES

(Datu Bago was declared as Davao City’s local hero on March 9, 2018, through an ordinance
filed by city councilor Pilar Cañeda Braga. It was approved on March 20, 2018.)

• Sulu Tradition (James Warren’s research)

• Piracy and the Dagohoy Revolt (1744-1829)
• Datu Ongay, a Guiangan-Bagobo ally of Datu Bago
• Burning of San Rufo, a trading ship (difference in dates)
• Domination in Davao Gulf and Mandala Concept (‘circles)
• Traditional Narratives (viewpoints from winners and losers)
• 1804 Letter to Caraga governor Salvador Ximenez Rendon
• Escape to Bincungan (Kalagan narrative)
• Tradition vs. Period Accounts vs. Modern Readings
• Colonial Politics and Church Involvement
• Genealogy and Ethnicity
• Etymology and Morphology

BOOKS RECOMMENDED;
• Jules R. Benjamin’s ‘A Student’s Guide to History’
• Oral and Local History Writing (2007-2008), National Historical Commission of the
Philippines