LET'S TALK ABOUT

CHAPTER
INTRODUCTION TO HISTORY:

1
DEFINITION, ISSUES, SOURCES, AND
METHODOLOGY
Objectives
•To understand the meaning of history as an academic discipline and to
be familiar with the underlying philosophy and methodology of the
discipline.

•To apply the knowledge in historical methodology and philosophy in

assessing and analyzing existing historical narratives.

•To examine and assess critically the value of historical evidences and
sources.

•To appreciate the importance of history in the social and national life
of the Philippines.
 Definition and Subject Matter
• History being the “study of the past“ doesn’t give justice to its
complexity and importance human civilization
• Historia (Greek) “knowledge acquired through inquiry or
investigation”
• Historia (Latin) - account of the past of a person or a group of
people through written documents and historical evidences.
• Early 20th century, historians wrote about the lives of important
individuals like monarchs, heroes, saints, and nobilities; they were
focused on wars, revolutions, nobilities, etc.
• Traditional historians believed “no document, no history“
 Definition and Subject Matter
• Other valid sources were realized because it was a
discrimination against social classes not recorded in paper
(nobilities vs. indigenous groups)
⚬ word of mouth
⚬ others had their written documents destroyed in
wars/colonizations
• valid sources
⚬ ex. epics and songs, artifacts, architecture, and memory
• History became more inclusive and collaborating with other
disciplines like archaeologists, etc.
Questions and Issues in History
What is History? Why study history? And history for whom?
How was a certain historical text written? Who wrote it? What was the
context of its publication? What historical method was employed?
What were the sources used?

THESE QUESTIONS ARE ANSWERED BY HISTORIOGRAPHY

• Historiographhy is the history of history

• History’s object of study is the past, the events that happened
in the past, and the causes of such events
• Historiography’s object of study is history itself. It helps
student have a better understanding of history
• Historiography enables the understanding of the facts and the
historian’s contexts, perspective, and theory.
Questions and Issues in History
• History has been used to unite nations
⚬ they reminded people of their great past which inspired
them to keep good practices and move forward.
⚬ collective identity from collective memory
• It is always intended for a certain group of audience
⚬ In the past, historians wrote history to make people
believe what they wanted to believe
• History is always written by the victors
⚬ written from the bias of the powerful and more dominant
player
 Positivism
• a school of thought w/c emerged from the 18th - 19th century
• requires empirical and observable evidence before one can claim that a particular
knowledge is true.
• objective and impartial
⚬ towards arguments and historical research
• "no document, no history"
 Postcolonialism
• school of thought that emerged in the early 20th century
• formerly colonized nations grappled with the idea of creating their identities and
understanding their societies against the shadows of their colonial past
• When writing history:
⚬ (1) tell the history of their nation that will highlight their identity free from
that of colonial discourse and knowledge
⚬ (2) criticize the methods, effects, and idea of colonialism
• basically, it is a reaction and an alternative to the colonial histery that colonial
powers created and taught to their subiects
 History and the Historian
• Historians access representation of the past through historical sources and evidences.
• "Facts cannot speak for themselves."
• They not only seek historical evidences and facts, but also interpret these facts.
• They give meaning to these facts and organize them into a timeline, establish causes, and
write history.
• Yet, historians are still people. They are persons of their own who are influenced by their
own context, environment, ideology, education, and influences, among others.
• History is subjective
• the study of history remains scientific because of the rigor of research and methodology
that historians employ w/c is Historical methodology
• A historian does not let his bias blind his judgment and such bias is only acceptable if he
maintains his rigor as a researcher.
Annales School of History
• challenged the canons of history
• did away with the common historical subjects that were almost always related to the
conduct of states and monarchs
• Annales scholars studied other subjects in a historical manner such as:
⚬ history of peasantry,
⚬ history of medicine, and
⚬ history of environment
• They advocated that the people and classes who were not reflected in the history of the
society in the grand manner be provided with space in the records of mankind
• Annales thinkers married history with other disciplines like geography, anthropology,
archaeology, and linguistics.
Historical Sources
• are the most important research tools

Two kinds:
• Primary
⚬ sources produced at the same time as
the event, period, or subject being
studied.
• Secondary
⚬ sources, which were produced by an
author who used primary sources to
produce the material.
How to evaluate historical
sources
• Primary
1. Date – when was it produced?
2. Localization – where did it originate?
3. Authorship – who wrote it?
4. Analysis – what pre-existing material served as
the basis for its production?
5. Integrity – what was its original form?
6. Credibility – what is the evidential value of its
content?
 Criticism of Sources
EXTERNAL CRITICISM
⚬ the practice of verifying the authenticity of evidence by examining its physical
cháracteristics; consistency with the historical characteristic of the time when it was
produced; and the materials used for the evidence

INTERNAL CRITICISM
⚬ the examination of the truthfulness and factuality of the evidence by looking at the
author of the source, its context, the agenda behind its creation, the knowledge
which informed it, and its intended purpose, among others.
⚬ It looks at the content of the source and examines the circumstance of its
production.
How to evaluate Internal Criteria

1.Genealogy of the document

2.Genesis of the document
3.Originality of the document
4.Interpretation of the document
5.Authorial authority of the document
6.The competence of the observer
7.Trustworthiness of the observer
 TASK OF A HISTORIAN
• look at the available historical sources and select the most relevant and
meaningful for history and for the subject matter that he is studying
• organize the past that is being created so that it can offer lessons for nations,
societies, and civilization.
• seek for the meaning of recovering the past to let the people see the continuing
relevance of provenance, memory, remembering, and historical understanding
for both the present and the future.
Fin.
 ___________ 1.Memoirs

Activity no. 1 ___________ 2.Annual Reports of the governor general

3.Philippine Historical textbooks
___________ 4.Newspaper clippings
___________ 5.Online Journal article about the role of the
Instructions:
Write PS if the item is
___________ collaborators in WWII
primary source, SS if it is 6.Artifacts and relics
secondary source, and N if it ___________ 7.Documentary reports
is neither
___________ 8.Photo exhibit
___________ 9.Editorial cartoons
___________ 10.paintings
___________
 1. Historians give meaning to historical facts and
organize them into a timeline, establish causes,
Quiz no. 1 and write history.
2. The Latin definition of Historia is “knowledge
acquired through inquiry or investigation”
Instructions: 3. "no document, no history” came from the school
TRUE or FALSE of Post colonialism
4. Historical Sources are the most important
research tools in history.
5. The Annales School of History advocated that the
people and classes who were not reflected in the
history of the society in the grand manner be
provided with space in the records of mankind
 6. Genealogy of the document is one of the ways to
evaluate the Internal Criteria of a source.
Quiz no. 1 7. Secondary sources are produced at the same time
as the event, period, or subject being studied.
8. Historiography’s object of study is history itself. It
Instructions:
helps student have a better understanding of history
TRUE or FALSE
9. It is NOT a task of a historian to organize the past
that is being created so that it can offer lessons for
nations, societies, and civilization.
10.External Criticism is the examination of the
truthfulness and factuality of the evidence by
looking at the author of the source, etc.