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Study Guide in GE 2: Reading in the Philippine History

STUDY GUIDE FOR MODULE NO. 1

CHAPTER 1: Definition, Sources, and Methodology

A. Meaning and relevance of history.

B. Distinction of primary and secondary sources.

C. External and internal criticism; repositories of primary sources, and different

kinds of primary sources.

MODULE OVERVIEW

Module Outline:

1. Introduction to History
2. Definitions of terms
a. History
b. Historiography
c. Historian
3. Sources
a. Primary source
b. Secondary source
4. Methodology
a. External criticism
b. Internal criticism

Introduction:

History is the study of past events and their impact on human society. It is a field of
knowledge that seeks to understand the development and evolution of human civilizations,
cultures, and societies. The study of history involves examining various sources of
information to reconstruct and interpret past events and processes.

Meaning: The study of history encompasses a wide range of topics, from the study of
ancient civilizations to the exploration of modern political, social, and economic systems. It
involves examining various primary and secondary sources of information, including written
documents, oral accounts, artifacts, and physical remains, to gain insight into the past.

Sources: The sources of historical information are diverse and varied, and include written
documents such as diaries, letters, and official records, as well as oral accounts, artifacts,
and physical remains. Historical research often involves examining these sources critically,
evaluating their reliability and accuracy, and interpreting the information they provide in the
context of the historical period being studied.

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Methodology: The methodology of history involves a rigorous and systematic approach to

research and analysis. This involves developing research questions, identifying relevant
sources of information, evaluating the reliability and accuracy of those sources, and
analyzing and interpreting the data obtained. Historians use a variety of tools and
techniques to analyze historical data, including statistical analysis, comparative analysis,
and the application of theoretical frameworks.

In summary, the study of history is a complex and multifaceted field that seeks to
understand the development and evolution of human society over time. The field requires
the use of various sources of information and a rigorous and systematic approach to
research and analysis. Understanding the meaning, sources, and methodology of history is
essential for developing a comprehensive understanding of the human experience.

MODULE LEARNING OBJECTIVES

At the end of the Module, the students are expected to:

1. To understand the meaning of history as an academic discipline and to be familiar

with the underlying philosophy and methodology.
2. To apply the knowledge in historical methodology and philosophy.
3. To examine and assess critically the value of historical pieces of evidence and
sources.
4. To appreciate the importance of history in the social and national life of the
Philippines.

LEARNING CONTENTS

Definition and Subject Matter

History has always been known as the study of the past. Students of general
education often dread the subject for its notoriety in requiring them to memorize dates,
places, names, and events from distant eras. This low appreciation of the discipline may be
rooted in the shallow understanding of history's relevance to their lives and to their
respective contexts. While the popular definition of history as the study of the past is not
wrong, it does not give justice to the complexity of the subject and its importance to human
civilization.

History was derived from the Greek word historia which means "knowledge acquired
through inquiry or investigation." History as a discipline existed for around 2,400 years and
is as old as mathematics and philosophy. This term was then adapted to classical Latin
where it acquired a new definition. Historia became known as the account of the past of a
person or of a group of people through written documents and historical evidence. That
meaning stuck until the early parts of the twentieth century. History became an important
academic discipline. It became the historian's duty to write about the lives of important
individuals like monarchs, heroes, saints, and nobilities. History was also focused on writing
about wars, revolutions, and other important breakthroughs. It is thus important to ask:
What counts as history? Traditional historians lived with the mantra of "no document, no

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history." It means that unless a written document can prove a certain historical event, then it
cannot be considered a historical fact.

But as with any other academic discipline, history progressed and opened to the
possibility of valid historical sources, which were not limited to written documents, like
government records, chroniclers' accounts, or personal letters. Giving a premium to written
documents essentially invalidates the history of other civilizations that do not keep written
records. Some were keener on passing their history by word of mouth. Others got their
historical documents burned or destroyed in the events of war or colonization. Restricting
historical evidence as exclusively written is also discrimination against other social classes
who were not recorded in the paper. Nobilities, monarchs, the elite, and even the middle
class would have their birth, education, marriage, and death as matters of government and
historical record. But what of peasant families or indigenous groups who were not given
much thought about being registered to government records? Does the absence of written
documents about them mean that they were people of no history or past? Did they even
exist?

This loophole was recognized by historians who started using other kinds of
historical sources, which may not be in written form but were just as valid. A few of these
examples are oral traditions in the forms of epics and songs, artifacts, architecture, and
memory. History thus became more inclusive and started collaborating with other
disciplines as its auxiliary disciplines. With the aid of archaeologists, historians can use
artifacts from a bygone era to study ancient civilizations that were formerly ignored in
history because of a lack of documents. Linguists can also be helpful in tracing historical
evolutions, past connections among different groups, and the flow of cultural influence by
studying language and the changes that it has undergone. Even scientists like biologists
and biochemists can help with the study of the past by analyzing the genetic and DNA
patterns of human societies.

Questions and Issues in History

Indeed, history as a discipline has already turned into a complex and dynamic
inquiry. This dynamism inevitably produced various perspectives on the discipline regarding
different questions like: What is history? Why study history? And history for whom? These
questions can be answered by historiography. In simple terms, historiography is the history
of history. History and historiography should not be confused with each other. The former's
object of study is the past, the events that happened in the past, and the causes of such
events. The latter's object of study, on the other hand, is history itself (i,e., 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?). Thus, historiography lets
the students have a better understanding of history. They do not only get to learn historical
facts but they are also provided with an understanding of the facts and the historian's
contexts. The methods employed by the historian and the theory and perspective, which
guided him, will also be analyzed. Historiography is important for someone who studies
history because it teaches the student to be critical in the lessons of the history presented
to him.

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History has played various roles in the past. States use history to unite a nation. It
can be used as a tool to legitimize regimes and forge a sense of collective identity through
collective memory. Lessons from the past can be used to make sense of the present.
Learning of past mistakes can help people to not repeat them. Being reminded of a great
past can inspire people to keep their good practices to move forward.

As a narrative, any history that has been taught and written is always intended for a
certain group of audience. When the ilustrados, like Jose Rizal, Isabelo de los Reyes, and
Pedro Paterno wrote history, they intended it for the Spaniards so that they would realize
that Filipinos are people of their own intellect and culture. When American historians
depicted the Filipino people as uncivilized in their publications, they intended that narrative
for their fellow Americans to justify their colonization of the islands. They wanted the
colonization to appear not as a means of undermining the Philippines' sovereignty, but as a
civilizing mission to fulfill what they called the "white man's burden." The same is true for
nations that prescribe official versions of their history like North Korea, Nazi Germany
during the war period, and Thailand. The same was attempted by Marcos in the Philippines
during the 1970s.

One of the problems confronted by history is the accusation that history is always
written by victors. This connotes that the narrative of the past is always written from the bias
of the powerful and the more dominant player. For instance, the history of the Second
World War in the Philippines always depicts the United States as the hero and the Imperial
Japanese Army as the oppressor. Filipinos who collaborated with the Japanese were
lumped into the category of traitors or collaborators. However, a more thorough historical
investigation will reveal a more nuanced account of the history of that period instead of a
simplified narrative as a story of hero versus villain.

History and the Historian

If history is written with agenda or is heavily influenced by the historian, is it possible
to come up with absolute historical truth? Is history an objective discipline? If it is not, is it
still worthwhile to study history? These questions have haunted historians for many
generations. Indeed, an exact and accurate account of the past is impossible for the very
simple reason that we cannot go back to the past. We cannot access the past directly as
our subject matter. Historians only get to access a representation of the past through
historical sources and evidence.

Therefore, it is the historian's job not just to seek historical pieces of evidence and
facts but also to interpret these facts. "Facts cannot speak for themselves." It is the job of
the historian to give meaning to these facts and organize them into a timeline, establish
causes, and write history. Meanwhile, the historian is not a blank paper who mechanically
interprets and analyzes present historical facts. He is a person of his own who is influenced
by his own context, environment, ideology, education, and influences, among others. In that
sense, his interpretation of the historical fact is affected by his context and circumstances.
His subjectivity will inevitably influence the process of his historical research: the
methodology. that he will use, the facts that he shall select and deem relevant, his
interpretation, and even the form of his writings. Thus, in one way or another, history is

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always subjective. If that is so, can history still be considered an academic and scientific
inquiry?

Historical research requires rigor. Even though historians cannot ascertain absolute
objectivity, the study of history remains scientific because of the rigor of research and
methodology that historians employ. The historical methodology comprises certain
techniques and rules that historians follow to properly utilize sources and historical
evidence 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. In doing so, historical claims done by historians and the arguments that
they forward in their historical writings, while may be influenced by the historian's
inclinations, can still be validated by using reliable evidence and employing correct and
meticulous historical methodology.

For example, 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 by comparing and corroborating it with written sources.
Therefore, while bias is inevitable, the historian can balance this out by relying to evidence
that backs up his claim. In this sense, the historian need not let his bias blind his judgment
and such bias are only acceptable if he maintains his rigor as a researcher.

Historical Sources
With the past as history's subject matter, the historian's most important research
tools are historical sources. In general, historical sources can be classified between primary
and secondary sources. The classification of sources between these two categories
depends on the historical subject being studied. Primary sources are those sources
produced at the same time as the event, period, or subject being studied. For example,
suppose a historian wishes to study the Commonwealth Constitution Convention of 1935.
In that case, his primary sources can include the minutes of the convention, newspaper
clippings, Philippine Commission reports of the U.S. Commissioners, records of the
convention, the draft of the Constitution, and even photographs of the event. Eyewitness
accounts of convention delegates and their memoirs can also be used as primary sources.
The same goes for other subjects of historical study. Archival documents, artifacts,
memorabilia, letters, census, and government records, among others, are the most
common examples of primary sources.

Primary sources in history refer to original, first-hand accounts or evidence of an

event, period, or topic. These sources include documents, artifacts, diaries, letters,
photographs, recordings, and other materials created at the time of the event or by people
who were directly involved. Examples of primary sources include the Constitution of the
United States, personal journals of soldiers during wars, and photographs of significant
historical events.

Different Kinds of Primary Sources

Literary or Cultural Sources

1. Novels, plays, poems (both publish and manuscript forms

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2. Television shows, movies, and viseos

3. Painting or photographs

Accounts that describe events, peoples, or ideas

1. Newspapers
2. Chronicles or historical accounts
3. Essays and speeches
4. Memoirs, diaries, journals, and letters
5. Philosophical treatises or manifestos

Information about people

1. Census records
2. Obituaries
3. Newspaper articles
4. Biographies and autobiographies

Finding information about a place

1. Maps and atlases

2. Census information
3. Statistics
4. Photographs
5. City Directories
6. Local Libraries or historical societies

Finding information about an organization

1. Archives (sometimes held by libraries, institutions, or historical societies)

Three Types of Written Sources

1. Narrative or literary sources tell a story or message. These include diaries, films,
biographies, leading philosophical works, and scientific works.
2. Diplomatic sources include charters and other legal documents which observe a
set format.
3. Social documents are records created by organizations, such as register of births
and tax records.

On the other hand, secondary sources are those sources, which were produced by
an author who used primary sources to produce the material. In other words, secondary
sources are historical sources, which studied a certain historical subject. For example,
about the Philippine Revolution of 1896, students can read Teodoro Agoncillo's Revolt of
the Masses: The Story of Bonifacio and the Katipunan published originally in 1956. The
Philippine Revolution happened in the last years of the nineteenth century while Agoncillo
published his work in 1956, which makes the Revolt of the Masses a secondary source.
More than this, in writing the book, Agoncillo used primary sources with his research like
documents of the Katipunan; interviews with the veterans of the Revolution, and
correspondence between and among Katipuneros.

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However, a student should not be confused about what counts as a primary or a

secondary source. As mentioned above, the classification of sources between primary and
secondary depends not on the period when the source was produced or the type of the
source but on the historical research. For example, a textbook is usually classified as a
secondary source, a tertiary source even. However, this classification is usual but not
automatic. If a historian chooses to write the history of education in the 1980s, he can
utilize textbooks used in that period as a primary source. If a historian wishes to study the
historiography of the Filipino American War, for example, he can use works of different
authors on the topic as his primary source as well.

Secondary sources, on the other hand, are accounts or interpretations of historical

events or topics that are created after the fact and are based on primary sources or other
secondary sources. These sources include books, articles, documentaries, and other
materials that analyze or interpret primary sources. Examples of secondary sources include
biographies, textbooks, and historical analyses.

In summary, primary sources are the raw materials of history, while secondary
sources provide analysis, interpretation, and synthesis of primary sources. Historians use
both primary and secondary sources to understand and interpret the past.

Both primary and secondary sources are useful in writing and learning history.
However, historians and students of history need to thoroughly scrutinize these historical
sources to avoid deception and to come up with the historical truth. The historian should be
able to conduct an external and internal criticism of the source, especially primary sources
which can age over centuries. External criticism is the practice of verifying the authenticity
of evidence by examining its physical characteristics; consistency with the historical
character of the time when it was produced; and the materials used for the evidence.
Examples of the things that will be examined when conducting external criticism of a
document include the quality of the paper, the type of ink, and the language and words
used in the material, among others.

Internal criticism, on the other hand, is the examination of the truthfulness of the
evidence. It looks at the content of the source and examines the circumstance of its
production. Internal criticism looks at 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. For example,
Japanese reports and declarations during the period of the war should not be taken as a
historical fact hastily. Internal criticism entails that the historian acknowledges and analyzes
how such reports can be manipulated to be used as war propaganda. Validating historical
sources is important because the use of unverified, falsified, and untruthful historical
sources can lead to equally false conclusions. Without thorough criticisms of historical
evidence, historical deceptions, and lies will be highly probable.

One of the most scandalous cases of deception in Philippine history is the hoax
Code of Kalantiaw. The code was a set of rules contained in an epic, Maragtas, which was
allegedly written by a certain Datu Kalantiaw. The document was sold to the National
Library and was regarded as an important precolonial document until 1968 when American
historian William Henry Scott debunked the authenticity of the code due to anachronism
and lack of evidence to prove that the code existed in the precolonial Philippine society.
Ferdinand Marcos also claimed that he was a decorated World War II soldier who led a

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guerilla unit called Ang Maharlika. This was widely believed by students of history and
Marcos had war medals to show. This claim, however, was disproven when historians
counterchecked Marcos's claims with the war records of the United States. These cases
prove how deceptions can propagate without rigorous historical research.

The task of the historian is to look at the available historical sources and select the
most relevant and meaningful for history and for the subject matter that he is studying.
History, like other academic disciplines, has come a long way but still has a lot of remaining
tasks to do. It does not claim to render absolute and exact judgment because if questions
are continuously asked, and if time unfolds, the study of history can never be complete. The
task of the historian is to organize the past that is being created so that it can offer lessons
for nations, societies, and civilizations. It is the historian's job to seek 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.

REFERENCES

Alporha, V. and Candelaria, J. (2018) Readings in Philippine History. Quezon City: Rex Bookstore Inc.

Martinez, R. et.al. (2018). The Readings in the Philippine History. Manila: Mindshapers Co., INC.

ASSESSMENT

Quizzes

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