Concept of History

 The Concept of History plays a fundamental role in human thought. It invokes notions
of human agency, change, the role of material circumstances in human affairs, and
the putative meaning of historical events.

I. Definition of History
 History is the study of the human past as it is described in the written documents
left by human beings. The past, with all its decisions completed, its participants
dead and its history told, is what the general public perceives as the immutable
bedrock on which we historians and archaeologists stand. But as purveyors of the
past, we recognize that the bedrock is really quicksand, that bits of the story are
yet untold, and that what has been told comes tainted by the conditions of what we
are today. That's my opinion, of course—here are a collection of others.
 History is a narration of the events which have happened among mankind,
including an account of the rise and fall of nations, as well as of other great
changes which have affected the political and social condition of the human race.

II. Sources of History

 Historical sources are, at their most basic level, something that tells us about
history. It may be a document, a picture, a sound recording, a book, a cinema film,
a television program or an object. Any sort of artifact from the period in question
that conveys information can qualify as a source. There are two main types of
historical sources: primary sources and secondary sources.
1. Primary Sources
 Are something that originates from the past. It can be a chronicle, a piece
of pottery, or even a piece of glacial ice that gives us climate data about the
levels of atmospheric carbon one thousand years ago. Historians, to the
best of their abilities, work with primary sources to understand the past on
its own terms, not through the modern-day lenses. For example, if one were
only to study the Crusades through modern-day books they would not be
able to understand what would motivate a knight to travel across the world
 and engage in warfare against Muslims in his own words. It would be too
easy to view his motivations with our modern-day disapproval of his actions.
But if we look at a primary source we can at least sympathize better with
the medieval world that would make the act of Holy War seem reasonable
to him, even if we still strongly disagree with the outcome.
 Examples of Primary Sources:
 Contemporary Record – form of the instruction documents, stenographic
and phonographic records… autobiographies, legal letters and business
letters
 Confidential Reports – forms of military and diplomatic dispatches,
journals, diaries or memoirs, and personal letters
 Public Reports – are meant for general public and less reliable. They are
newspapers, memoirs and autobiographies.
 Government Documents – numerous government documents are
compiled which are also a source of vital importance to the historians
such as statistics about fiscal, census, and vital matters which can be
made use of by the historians
 Public Opinions – are expressed in editorials, speeches, pamphlets,
letter to editor are another important sources available to the historian
 Folklores and Proverbs – folklores reveal the stories of legendary heroes
are also an important source of history. Proverbs can give us an idea
but scholar must have the thorough knowledge of the customs and
beliefs.

2. Secondary Sources
 Are a work that comments on the past. Typically, this is a recently written
book that describes past events, often written by a historian or trained
scholar familiar about the time period and civilization in question. A
secondary source is a book about history. Scholars will spend just as much
time with secondary sources as they will with primary sources since they
 attempt to understand how other scholars interpret obscure events and may
disagree with their analyses.
 Are those that do not bear a direct physical relationship to the event being
studied. They would thus be one in which the person describing the event
was not actually present but who obtained descriptions from another person
or source. It is not always possible to obtain primary data. In such situations
the researcher may have to rely on secondary sources. These sources may
help to bridge the gap between the various pieces of primary data. It
includes quoted materials, textbooks, encyclopedias and other reproduction
of material or information.

III. Historical Criticism

 Historical Criticism is a branch of criticism that investigates the origins of ancient
texts in order to understand "the world behind the text"
 There are two types of Historical Criticism:
1. External criticism
 It is concerned with establishing the authenticity or genuineness of data. It is
also called lower criticism. It is aimed at the document itself rather than the
interpretation or meaning of them in relation to the study. The tasks of
establishing the age or authorship of a document may involve tests of factors
such as signatures, handwriting, scripts, type, style, spelling and place names.
According to Mouly, “the purpose of external criticism is not so much „negative‟
(the detection of fraud) as it is the „establishment of historical truth‟.
2. Internal Criticism
 Which is also known as higher criticism is concerned with the validity,
credibility, or worth of the content of the document. Both the accuracy of the
information contained in a document and the truthfulness of the author need to
be evaluated. Internal criticism has to do with what the document says. Besides
the textual criticism, it also involves such factors as competence, good faith,
bias and general reputation of the author. It is positive in nature when the
researcher seeks to discover the literal and the real meaning of the text. It is
 negative when the researcher tries to seek every possible reason for
disbelieving the statement made, questioning critically the competence,
truthfulness or accuracy and honesty of the author. Both positive and negative
criticisms are essential in historical research but the researcher should not go
so far as to be cynical and hypercritical.

IV. Historical Methodology

 According to Nate Sullivan, it is the process by which historians gather evidence
and formulate ideas about the past. It is the framework through which an account
of the past is constructed.
 Historical method is an attempt to narrate an accurate account of some aspect of
life and its scientific analysis and presentation. The process involves investigating,
recording, analyzing and interpreting the events of the past for the purpose of
discovering generalizations that are helpful in understanding the past,
understanding the present, and to a limited extent, in anticipating the future" (Best:
1977, p.15).
 Steps in Historical Research:
1. Preliminary research
2. Formulating a working hypothesis
3. Research evidences to support hypothesis
4. Formulate a thesis statement
5. Writing a historical account

V. Importance of Studying History

 History is, in short, the study of change, and this makes it one of the most useful
of disciplines. The world is driven by change, which is continuously shaping our
lives in ways that we don’t even realize. Change affects us from the highest levels
of governments and countries down to the most trivial details. Studying history is
the key to understanding how these forces shape our lives today - the past is the
key to the present. History provides context for everything that we see around us
today, and the key to understanding the world we find ourselves in now is to look
at how it came to be. Here are ten reasons why history is crucial to our education.
1. History helps us understand other cultures
 Without history, it is impossible to understand how cultures come to be. As
the study of change, history identifies the driving forces behind cultures. A
culture’s history is integral to the shared identities of its members, and you
can’t see the full picture of a culture without understanding the history
behind it.

2. History helps us understand our own society.

 Looking at history in this light illuminates the forces acting on our own
society through history and into the present. The student of history draws
on politics, sociology, economics, and anthropology, all of which feed into
the history of individuals and societies.
3. History helps us understand our own identities.
 History isn’t just a collection of famous names and events woven into a story
that takes place in the past. History is the story of the past, and of everybody
in it. Every individual had a place in shaping the historical narrative we know
today, and every individual today has a place in molding the history that
unfolds today.
4. History builds citizenship.
 Learning about how we came to be as a community informs how we see
ourselves as a group in the present day, and we do this through knowing
our history. Knowing how our shared experience came to be and what has
defined us in the past gives us a reason to work towards a better society
today.
5. History gives us insight into present-day problems.
 Without understand the root of a problem, there is no hope of solving it. This
is what history does: it identifies the driving forces of society, of government,
of individuals, of change, and it traces these features of the past to
contemporary features of the world.
6. History builds reading and writing skills.
 In many ways, history is as good as an English class at developing reading
and writing skills because it employs many of the same techniques, as well
as adding several other elements.
7. History builds interpretation and analysis skills.
 History is based on the records left behind in past decades and centuries,
so the study of history is inherently an act of analysis and interpretation.
8. History helps us understand change.
 History is the study of change. The world around us is in a constant state of
change, and understanding the role of change in society plays a pivotal role
in being able to interpret the world that we see now.
9. History allows us to learn from the past.
 Wars are fought for the same reasons. Regimes topple through the same
shortcomings. Riots and revolts accompany the same abuses. Men and
women take stands against the same oppression time and time again. This
is why history is essential to the repertoire of the politician and the ruler,
because understanding the failures of the past puts us one step closer to
addressing the shortcomings of the present.
10. History is the greatest of stories.
 History has so many practical uses that it’s easy to forget that history is also
a story, a thrilling adventure that takes place across the world and through
the ages.