READINGS IN PHILIPPINE HISTORY but make new history.

We must add to
NOTES the inheritance left by our ancestors”.
Chapter 1: History and Historical WHY STUDY HISTORY?
Research FOR OURSELVES
HISTORY Identity - history nurtures personal
- the study of events with identity in an intercultural world.
evidences Critical Skills - history teaches 21st
- a recitation of unrelated facts century skills and independent thinking.
that do not contribute to a larger TO COMMUNITIES
story Vital Places to Live and to Work -
- a chronological storytelling in its history lays the groundwork for strong,
finest form; it sequentially resilient communities.
weaves together many related Economic Development - history is a
historical and contemporary catalyst for economic growth. People
events and ideas that are linked are drawn to communities that have
to a larger story preserved a strong sense of historical
- only a subset of the past identity and character.
- objective or based on facts TO OUR FUTURE
DIFFERENT APPROACHES Engaged Citizens - history helps people
Idealism - a belief that history can be to craft better solutions.
described in terms of ideas. Leadership - history inspires local and
Historicism - each age has its own global leaders.
values,and events should be described Legacy - history, saved and preserved,
on the context of those values. is the foundation for future generations.
Relativism - a belief that there is no HISTORY DIFFERENTIATED
absolute truth and that all views of History vs. Past
history is valid. PAST - is not the same as history. The
NECESSARY AND SUFFICIENT past involves everything that ever
- when certain necessary factors happened since the dawn of time.
are in place, additional factors HISTORY - a process of interpreting
are sufficient to cause the event evidence or records from the past in a
to occur. thoughtful and informed way.
HISTORIANS USUALLY ASK A LOT History vs. Prehistory
OF QUESTIONS DURING THEIR PREHISTORY - the period of human
RESEARCH (WHAT, WHO, WHERE, activity prior to the invention of writing
WHEN, HOW AND WHY) systems.
SOME COMMENTS ABOUT HISTORY HISTORY - a process of interpreting
Napoleon Bonaparte - “History is evidence or records from the past in a
written by winners”. thoughtful and informed way.
Confucius - “Study the past if you would History, Historicity, Historiography
define the future”. HISTORY - a narrative account used to
Marcus Garvey - “A people without a examine and analyze past events.
knowledge of their past history, origin HISTORICITY - the authentication of
and culture is like a tree without roots”. characters in history, as opposed to
Mahatma Gandhi - “If we are to make legend or myth.
progress, we must not repeat history
HISTORIOGRAPHY - the writing of - Memoirs - history composed
history, and the understanding of how from personal observation.
the interpretations of historians change - Diaries - a regularly kept record
over time. of the diarist’s activities and
History vs. Herstory reflections.
HISTORY - from GreekίΟΤΟΡίΑ, - Personal Letter - usually
historia , meaning “inquiry”, knowledge concerns personal matters.
acquired by investigation. - Correspondence - is a body of
HERSTORY - by contrast, is history letters or communications.
written from a feminist perspective, - Interviews - questions are asked
emphasizing the role of women, or told and answers are given.
from a woman’s point of view. - Survey - a list of questions
CHARACTERISTICS OF HISTORICAL aimed at extracting specific data
RESEARCH from a particular group of
→ Historical research is not a mere people.
accumulation of facts and data or even - Fieldwork - collection of
a portrayal of past events. information outside a workplace
ADVANTAGES AND setting.
DISADVANTAGES - Photographs and Posters
ADVANTAGES -illustrate past events as they
→ It permits the investigation of topics happened and people as they
→ Historical method is well suited for were at a particular time.
trend analysis Paintings - a form of visual art where
→ The research is not physically paint is used on a canvas.
involed in the situation under study Drawings - a form of visual art in which
→ No danger of experimenter-subject a person uses various drawing
interaction instruments to mark paper or another
→ Documents are located by the two-dimensional medium.
researcher, data is gathered, and Literature- a body of written works.
conclusions are drawn of sight Speeches and oral histories- a form of
DISADVANTAGES communication in spoken language,
→ A disadvantage is that controlling for made by a speaker before an audience
many of the threats to internal validity is for a given purpose.
not possible in historical research. Secondary Sources - means through
→ Limitations are imposed due to the which a primary source is presented.
content analysis - Article describing an original
→ Interpreting sources is very time document
consuming - Bibliographies
SOURCES OF HISTORY - Bibliographical works
Primary Sources - original items that - Periodicals
provides evidences, should be used - Literature reviews and review
whenever available. articles
- Image, document, map, artifact Tertiary Source - provides third hand
and recording. information.
- Autobiographies - account of a
person’s life.
 - General references such as historical description of what actually
dictionaries, encyclopedias, happened.
almanacs, and atlas → An eyewitness is more reliable than
- Crowd sources Wikipedia, testimony at second hand, which is
YouTube, message boards, and more reliable than hearsay at further
social media sites like Twitter remove, and so on.
and Facebook → If a number of independent sources
- Search sites contain the same message, the
REPOSITORIES OF PRIMARY credibility of the message is strongly
SOURCES increased.
A library - collection of sources of → The tendency of a source is its
information and similar resources, motivation for providing some kind of
made accessible to a defined bias. Tendencies should be minimized
community for reference or borrowing. or supplemented with opposite
An archive - is an accumulation of motivations.
historical records or the physical place → If it can be demonstrated that the
they are located. witness or source has indirect interest
A Museum - cares for (conserves) a in creating bias then the credibility of
collection of artifacts and other objects the message is increased.
of artistic, cultural, historical, or CONTRADICTORY SOURCES
scientific importance. The seven-step procedure of source
A historical society - an organization criticism in history by Bernheim and
dedicated to preserving, implementing Langlois & Seignobos:
historical information or items. 1. If the sources all agree about an
Document Collection - used in historical event, historians can consider
research and other research designs in the event proved.
collection of data. 2. However, majority does not rule;
CRITICISMS even is most sources relate
External Criticism - refers to events in one way, that version
genuineness of the documents a will not prevail unless it passes
researcher uses in a historical study. the text of critical textual
Internal Criticism-refers to the accuracy analysis.
of the concerns of a document. 3. The sources whose account can
General Principle for Determining be confirmed by reference to
Reliability outside authorities in some of its
→ Human sources may be relics such parts can be trusted in its
as a fingerprint; or narratives such as a entirety if it is impossible
statement of a letter. Relics are more similarly to confirm the entire
credible sources than narratives. text.
→ Any given source may be forged or 4. When two sources disagree on a
corrupted. Strong indications of the particular point, the historian will
originality of the source increase its prefer the source with most
reliability. “authority”- created by the
→ The closer a source is to the event eyewitness.
which it purports to describe, the more 5. Eyewitnesses are, to be
one can trust it to give an accurate preferred especially in
 circumstances where the - Are there inner contradictions in
ordinary observer could have the document?
accurately reported what INDIRECT WITNESS
transpired and, more specifically, → On whose primary testimony does
when they deal with facts known the secondary witness base his
by most contemporaries. statements?
6. If two independently created → Did the secondary witness
sources agree on the matter, the accurately report the primary testimony
reliability of each is measurably as a whole?
enhanced. → If not, in what details did he
7. When two sources disagree and accurately report the primary
there is no other means of testimony?
evaluation, then historians take ORAL TRADITION
the source which seems to → Broad conditions stated.
accord best with common sense. → Particular conditions formulated
EYEWITNESS EVIDENCES Synthesis: Historical Reasoning
Questions raised by R.J. Shafer to → One individual pieces of information
evaluate eyewitness testimony: have been assessed in context,
- Is the real meaning of the hypotheses can be formed and
statement different from its literal established by historical reasoning.
meaning? Are words used in Generalization in Historical Research
sense not employed today? Is → As in all research, researchers who
the statement meant to be ironic conduct historical studies should
(mean other than it says)? exercise caution in generalizing from
- How could the author observe small or non-representative samples.
the things he reports? Were his
sense equal to the observation?
Was his physical location
suitable to sight, hearing, touch?
Did he have the proper social
ability to observe: did he
understand the language, have
other expertise required (e.g.,
law, military); he was not being
intimidated by his wife or the
secret police?
- How did the author report? and,
what was his ability to do so?
- Do his statements seem
inherently improbable: e.g.,
contrary to human nature, or in
conflict with what we know?
- Remember that some types of
information are easier to observe
and report on than others.