Introduction to History:

Definition, Issues and

Methodology
Lagarde | Quintana | Sanao
BSN 2B
01 INTRODUCTION 03 ISSUES

02 DEFINITION 04 METHODOLOGY
HISTORY
● Greek: Historia; “knowledge
acquired through inquiry or
investigation”
● the account of the past of a person
or of a group of people through
written documents and historical
evidences
● an important academic discipline
● traditional historians lived with the
mantra of “no document, no
history”
Various Traditional Forms
● Government Records
● Chronicler’s Accounts
● Personal Letters

Giving premium to written documents essentially invalidates the

history of other civilizations that do not keep written records.
Restricting historical evidence as exclusively written is also
discriminating against other social classes.
ORAL TRADITION IN FORMS

Epic and Songs

Artifacts
Architecture
Memory
 Questions and
Issues on History
 Questions on History
01 02 03

What is Why And

history? study history for
history? whom?

These questions can be answered by historiography.

Historiography
● The history of history.
● It covers how historians have
studied and developed history
including its sources, techniques
and theoretical approaches.
● History is the study of the past,
the events that happened in the
past.
Historiography
It focused on:
● how a certain historical text was
written
● who wrote it
● what was the context of its
publication
● what historical method was
employed
● what sources were used
Historiography
● The methods employed by the
historian and the theory and
perspective, which guided him, will
also be analyzed.
● Teaches students to be critical in
the lessons of history presented to
them.
 School of thought

POSITIVISM POST-COLONIALISM
(emerged between (emerged in the early
18th and 19th century) 20th century)
Positivism
● This thought required empirical and
observable evidence before one can claim
that a particular knowledge is true.
● Entails an objective means of arriving at a
conclusion
● “No document, no history.”
● Historians were required to show written
primary documents in order to write a
particular narrative.
Positivism
● Positivist historians are expected to be
objective and impartial in their
arguments and conduct of their
historical research.
 Any history that has been
taught and written is
always intended for a
certain group of audience.

Illustrados wrote history intended for the

Spaniards so that they would realize that Filipinos
are people of intellect and culture.
Post-Colonialism
● emerged in the early 20th century
when formerly colonized nations
grappled with the idea of creating
their identities and understanding
their societies against the shadows
of their colonial past.
 Two things in
Tell the history of their Writing History
nation that will highlight
their identity free from
that colonial
discourse and
knowledge.
To criticize the
methods, effects,
and idea of colonialism.
Post-Colonialism
● Post-colonial history is a reaction
and an alternative to the colonial
history that colonial powers created
and taught to their subjects.
 Problem confronted by history
● Accusation that the history is ALWAYS WRITTEN BY VICTORS.
● This connotes that the narrative of the past is always written from the bias
and more powerful.
● One example: Second World War in the Philippines, United States as hero
and Imperial Japanese Army as oppressors.
METHODOLOGY
_____ _____
HISTORY and the HISTORIAN
● Not just to seek historical evidences and facts but also to interpret these
facts

● It is the job of the historian to find meaning to these facts and organize
them into timeline , establish causes, and write history

● Historian’s subjectivity will inevitably influence the process of his historical

research: Methodology that will be used, the facts that shall be select and
deem relevant, his interpretation, and even the form of his writings
 METHODOLOGY
The process by which historians gather evidence and formulate ideas about the past.

Comprises certain techniques and rules that historians follow in order to properly utilize
sources and historical evidences in writing history.

Certain rules apply in cases of conflicting accounts in different sources, and on how to
properly treat eyewitness accounts and oral sources as valid historical evidence.
 ANNALES SCHOOL OF HISTORY
A school of history born in France that challenged the canons of history

SCHOLARS

Lucien Febvre Studied other subjects in a Fernand Braudel

historical manner. They were
concerned with social history and
studied longer historical periods.
For example, Annales scholars
Marc Bloch studied the history of peasantry, Jacques Le Goff
the history of medicine, or even the
history of environment.
● If a historian chooses to use an oral account as his data in studying
the ethnic history of the Ifugaos in the Cordilleras during the
American Occupation, he needs to validate the claims of his
informant through comparing and corroborating it with written
sources.

● While bias is inevitable, the historian can balance this out by

relying to evidences that back up his claim.

● Historian need not let his bias blind his judgment and such bias is
only acceptable if he maintains his rigor as a researcher
 THANKS
GEC 12 Readings in Philippine History
Introduction to History: Definition, Issues
and Methodology

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 References
Dimayuga, K. J. (2020, September 7). Babasahin - Chapter i introduction to history:
Definition, issues, sources, and methodology. pdfcoffee.com.
https://pdfcoffee.com/babasahin-pdf-free.html

Oxillo, M.J .(n.d.). Readings in Philippine history - introduction to Philippine history.

SlideShare.
https://www.slideshare.net/markjhonoxillo/introduction-to-philippine-history-11905
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Pongasi, F. T. (2020, October 1). Introduction to history, definition, issues, source and
methodology - pdfcoffee.com.
https://pdfcoffee.com/introduction-to-history-definition-issues-source-and-methodo
logy-pdf-free.html?fbclid=IwAR3kwOz5HmI0BTrae6EJgomRxHoBGw04olVEjf_NYRx
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The School of Life. (2014). What is History for?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hLE-5ElGlPM.