Background: from the book of Old Manila by Carlos Quirino

Lesson 1:
Introduction
to History

Background: from the book of Old Manila by Carlos Quirino

MEANING AND RELEVANCE OF HISTORY

Learning Outcomes

Understand Appreciate Differentiate

the meaning and the importance of Historiography
use of history History and Historical
method

MEANING AND RELEVANCE OF HISTORY

 01
Meaning and Relevance of History

MEANING AND RELEVANCE OF HISTORY

Definition of History
1 2
Derived from the Greek noun
ἱστορία
ἱστορία (historia) = learning;
Inquiry
“the past of mankind”
Louis Gottschalk, Understanding History
3
Sum total of what happened in History - chronological record
the past – every event, every of significant events, the
action, and every thought that study of past events.
a human being has done. -
Webster’s Vest Pocket
The act of analyzing and Dictionary(Springfield:
writing about the past Merriam
Webster, Inc., Publishers), p. 149
MEANING AND RELEVANCE OF HISTORY
Definition of History

is the continuous process of interaction between the

historian and his facts, an unending dialogue
between the present and the past

History means interpretation

Edward Hallett Carr

was an English historian,
diplomat, journalist and
international relations theorist History is what the historian makes

MEANING AND RELEVANCE OF HISTORY

Definition of History

saysay (narrative or salaysay)

saysay (relevance, importance)

Zeus Salazar
a Filipino historian and
Salaysay na may saysay para sa sinasalaysayang
proponent of Pantayong
Pananaw, a self-reflective view grupo ng tao (Relevant stories/narrative of the
in the study of Philippine history people)

MEANING AND RELEVANCE OF HISTORY

Reasons to study History
1 2
It provides us the opportunity
Act of leaping from one to revisit the richness of
epoch to another forgotten cultures of past
civilizations and reliving it in
the present

3 4

It gives one the chance to Gives time-travelling feeling

step into the life of every through passages and
person being studied. imagining things

MEANING AND RELEVANCE OF HISTORY

Reasons to study History

History helps us understand people and societies

History helps us understand change and how society

we live in came to be

History contributes to moral understanding

Peter Stearns History provides identity

was chair of the Department of
History at Carnegie Mellon
University. In addition, he
founded and edited the Journal Studying History is Essential for Good Citizenship
of Social History.

MEANING AND RELEVANCE OF HISTORY

 02
Historiography and Historical Method

MEANING AND RELEVANCE OF HISTORY

Historical Reconstruction

Some events from the

past have been removed
by historians through
investigation.

Historians rely on
surviving AND
AVAILABLE records.

MEANING AND RELEVANCE OF HISTORY

Historical Method

Collection of techniques and guidelines

that historians use for research and to
write history.

This the process of critically examining

and analyzing sources and records for
its authenticity and credibility. Rules are
being used to settle conflicts of different
historical accounts.

MEANING AND RELEVANCE OF HISTORY

Historical Method

Examine the
01 Select the subject to
genuineness, in part
03
investigate.
or in whole.
Important
Elements

Collect probable Extract credible

sources of particulars from the
02 information on the sources. 04
subject.

MEANING AND RELEVANCE OF HISTORY

 Definition of Historiography

1 2 3

Historiography is the art of
writing.
- Cortez. R.M. (1991) History and State of the
Discipline of History or Historiography
Refers to the theory and The imaginative reconstruction
history of historical writing. of the past from the data
derived by that historical
- Sebastioan, R. Philippine Historiography: Issues method.
and Trends

MEANING AND RELEVANCE OF HISTORY

MEANING AND RELEVANCE OF HISTORY
WHY CAN'T WE ACCESS THE ENTIRE
PAST?
• The Past: Not all events are Important
enough to be observed (ex. What time do
you brush your teeth?)
• Events Observed: Some observed events
were not important enough to be recorded,
or happened to people without any written
language or artifacts
• Events Recorded: Not all records survived
(due to the elements)
• Surviving Records: Not all surviving
records are available (due to data privacy or
archival rules, especially those involving
living or recently dead people)
• Available records: Not all records meet the
needs of historians

MEANING AND RELEVANCE OF HISTORY

MEANING AND RELEVANCE OF HISTORY
Father of Filipino
nationalist historiography
He wrote about the historical conditions of the Philippines by
analyzing the state of the masses. This historiography would be
continued by Renato Constantino.

MEANING AND RELEVANCE OF HISTORY

Father of Filipino
nationalist historiography
Agoncillo's historiography was necessary to decolonize our
history, but other historians have moved beyond (ex. Jim
Richardson)

MEANING AND RELEVANCE OF HISTORY

Philippine Historiography
Issues

Sa Aking mga Kababata

Not written by Rizal

Language not appropriate for

the period

MEANING AND RELEVANCE OF HISTORY

Philippine Historiography
Issues

1896 Philippine Revolution

Traditional historians: Philippine Revolution of 1896

spread like wildfire to the provinces surrounding Manila.

The majority of
Pampangueños remained loyal
to Spain.

Pangasinan did not rise up in

arms at all.

MEANING AND RELEVANCE OF HISTORY

Remember
Historian Different historians reach different
1 conclusions about the same period, event
or issue.

Understanding
There is no single understanding of truth
2 in history.

History History is composed of competing and

3 conflicting arguments and viewpoints and
is always changing.

MEANING AND RELEVANCE OF HISTORY

Acknowledgment/References:

• Ma. Florina Orillos-Juan, Ph.D. Department of History, De la Salle University Manila

• Gottschalk, L.(1969). Understanding History: A Primer of Historical Method. New York: A.A. Knopf

• Howell, M. & Walter, P.(2001).From Reliable Sources:An Introduction to Historical Methods.Ithaca, New York:Cornell University
Press.

• Bauzon, L. (1978). Local History: Rationale, Problems, and Prospects. Philippine Quarterly of Culture and Society, 157-165.

MEANING AND RELEVANCE OF HISTORY