RPHN01A - READINGS IN PHILIPPINE HISTORY

1ST SEMESTER - AY. 2023-2024

TOPIC 1: WHAT IS HISTORY?

HISTORY PRIMARY SOURCES

➔ History (from Greek - iơtopía, historia, ➔ Original, first-hand account of an event or

meaning "inquiry, knowledge acquired by time period
investigation") is the study of the past as it is ➔ Usually written or made during or close to
described in written documents. the event or time period
➔ Original creative writing or works of art
OTher definition ➔ Factual, not interpretive
➔ It is an umbrella term that relates to past ➔ Example:
events as well as the memory, discovery, ◆ Documents
collection, organization, presentation, and ◆ Archeological records
interpretation of information about these ◆ Oral Video accounts
events.
SECONDARY SOURCES
ford
➔ History is the sum total of everything that has ➔ Analyzes and interprets primary source
actually happened in the past - every ➔ Second-hand account of an historical event
thought, every action, every event. ➔ Interprets creative work
➔ Example:
davidson and lyle ◆ Documents
➔ History is not 'what happened in the past'; ◆ Oral Video accounts
rather, it is the act of selecting, analyzing,
and writing the past. METHODS / APPROACHES

furay
1. Idealism
➔ History as broadly defined, encompasses the 2. Historicism
entire scope of the human experience on this 3. Relativism
planet.

IDEALISM
LIST OF FILIPINO HISTORIANS

➔ belief that history can be described in terms

1. Teodoro Agoncillo of ideas. Focused not only about events, but
2. Gregorio Zaide on what those events meant.
3. Ambeth Ocampo

HISTORICISM
KASAYSAYAN

➔ the autonomy of the past must be

"Ang Kasaysayan ay sanaysay na may saysay para respected'. Each age has its own values, and
sasinasaysayan." - Dr. Zeus Salazar events should be described within the
context of those values.
SOURCES

1. Primary Source (Pangunahing batis)

2. Secondary Source (Sekondaryang batis)
 RELATIVISM

➔ there is no absolute truth and that all views

of history are valid. Weakness, however, lies
when a viewpoint attempts to deny history.

ISSUES

● HISTORY = His Story

● Social memory
● Accurate reporting of history
● understanding causation
● presentation of history
● History as a construct