GE2-READINGS IN PHILIPPINE HISTORY | Module 1 |WHAT IS HISTORY?

I. Objectives:
At the end of this lesson, you should be able to:
1. understand the meaning of history as an academic discipline and to be familiar
with its underlying philosophy and methodology
2. apply the knowledge in historical methods and philosophy in assessing and
analyzing existing historical narratives.
3. reflect on a learning experience

II. Warm-Up:

For 2-5 minutes, ponder on these questions: (You may write on a sheet of
paper)

(1) What does history mean?

(2) How important is history to your personal and professional success?
Inputs:
DEFINITION and ETYMOLOGY OF HISTORY
History
 derived from the greek word historia which means “knowledge acquired
through inquiry or investigation.”
 as a discipline, it existed for around 2,400 years and is as old as
mathematics and philosophy.
 was then adapted to classical Latin and historia became known as the
account of the past of a person or of a group of people through written
documents and historical evidences. This meaning stuck until the early
parts of the twentieth century.
 became an important academic discipline.
 is the inquiry conducted by the historian and the series of past events into
which he inquires.
 is the continuous process of interaction between the historian and his facts,
an unending dialogue between the present and the past.

KASAYSAYAN IN THE LANGUAGE AND PERSPECTIVE OF FILIPINO

KASAYSAYAN
o saysay (narrative or salaysay)
o saysay (relevance, importance)
If relevant, for whom?
“Salaysay na may saysay para sa sinasalaysayang
grupo ng tao (meaningful stories for a group of
people).”
-Zeus Salazar
(Ama ng Bagong Histograpiyang Pilipino)
GE2-READINGS IN PHILIPPINE HISTORY | Module 1 |WHAT IS HISTORY?

HISTORY AS RECONSTRUCTION
 History is the systematic reconstruction and interpretation of the significant
events in the past based on evidences.
 Historians rely on surviving records.

“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.”
- Louis Gottschalk, Understanding History
VARIOUS ROLES OF HISTORY 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.
 As a narrative, any history that has been taught and written is always
intended for certain group of audience.

When the ilustrados like Jose Rizal, Isabelo delos 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 to appear not as means of undermining the
Philippines’ sovereignty, but as a civilizing mission to fulfill what they called as
the “white man’s burden”.
GE2-READINGS IN PHILIPPINE HISTORY | Module 1 |WHAT IS HISTORY?

POSITIVISM
 the school of thought that emerged between the 18th and 19th century that
believes empirical and observable evidence is required before one can claim
that a particular knowledge is true.
 also entails an objective means of arriving at a conclusion.
 the mantra “no document, no history” stems from this very truth.
 positivists historians are also expected to be objective and impartial not only
in their arguments but also on their conduct of historical research.

POSTCOLONIALISM
 the 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 shadow of their colonial past.
 looks at two things in writing history:
a. to tell the history of their nation that will highlight their identity free
from that of colonial discourse and knowledge.
b. to criticize the methods, effects and idea of colonialism.
 is therefore a reaction and an alternative to the colonial history that colonial
powers created and taught to their subjects.

PROGRESS OF HISTORY
o it opened up to the possibility of valid historical sources, which were not
limited to written documents, like government records, chroniclers’ accounts,
or personal letters.
o Giving premium to written documents essentially invalidates the history of
other civilizations that do not keep written records.
o Restricting historical evidence as exclusively written is also discrimination
against other social classes who were not recorded in paper.
o This loophole was recognized by historians who started using other kinds of
historical sources such as oral traditions in forms of epics and songs, artifacts,
architecture and memory.
o history became inclusive and started collaborating with other disciplines as its
auxiliary disciplines for example:

a. with the aid of archaeologists, historians can use artifacts from

a bygone era to study ancient civilization that were formerly
ignored in history because of lack of documents.
b. with the help of linguists, historical evolutions were traced as
well as past connections among different groups and flow of
cultural influence by studying language and the changes that it
has undergone.
c. scientists like biologists and biochemists can help with the study
of the past through analyzing genetic and DNA patterns of
human societies.
GE2-READINGS IN PHILIPPINE HISTORY | Module 1 |WHAT IS HISTORY?

QUESTIONS AND ISSUES IN HISTORY

Historiography
 the history of history.
 different from history’s object of study is the past, the events that
happened in the past and the causes of such events while historiography’s
object of study is history itself (how was a certain historical text written?
Who wrote it? What was the context of the publication? What particular
historical method was employed? What are the sources used? )
 letting students have better understanding of history because they are
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.
 significant for someone studying history because it teaches the students to
be critical in the lessons of history presented to him.
One of the problems confronted by history is the accusation that the history is always
written by victors. For example, 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 revealed a more
nuanced account of the history of that period instead of a simplified narratives as a story of
the hero versus villain.

WHY DO WE STUDY HISTORY?

In 1998, an article entitled "Why Study History?", Peter Stearns made the
following observations:

“People live in the present. They plan for and worry about the future. History,
however, is the study of the past. Given all the demands that press in from living in
the present and anticipating what is yet to come, why bother with what has been?
Given all the desirable and available branches of knowledge, why insist—as most
American [and, in this case, British] educational programs do—on a good bit of
history? And why urge many students to study even more history than they are
required to?”

He also added the following importance of history:

a. History helps us understand people and societies.
b. History helps us understand change and how the society we live in came to be.
c. History contributes to moral understanding.
d. History provides identity.
e. Studying history is essential for good citizenship

VI. Assessment:
In 150 words or more, write an essay that reflects on the theme “The use and
importance of History to my life.”
GE2-READINGS IN PHILIPPINE HISTORY | Module 1 |WHAT IS HISTORY?

 For high-level and medium-level technology students, please post your answer on
our google classroom. For low-level technology students, please submit your
answers in a whole page of paper.

Scoring Rubric:
Content/Relevance - 50%
Clarity of Ideas - 50%
100%

VII. Reflection:
Reflect on the learning that you gained from this lesson by completing the given chart.
You may post your reflection on our Facebook Messenger group. For low-level technology
students, please submit your answers in a whole page of paper.
What were your misconceptions about the What new or additional learning have you
topic prior to taking up this lesson? gained from this lesson in terms of skills,
content, and attitude?
I thought… I learned that…

VIII. References:
Candelaria, J., et.al, Readings in Philippine History.(2018).Rex Book Store, Inc. Torres, J.,
Gottschalk, L. (1969). Understanding History: A Primer of Historical Method. New York: A.A.
Knopf
Torres, J., Batis: Sources in Philippine History. (2018). C&E Publishing, Inc.