GE Soc Sci 2 – Readings in Philippine History

Prof. Ernesto S. Saquibal, Jr. , 2nd Semester 2020-2021

Lecture 1 – Introduction to the Study of

Philippine History
Scope of Discussion & Learning Objectives

• Define the history, culture, national development,

historiography & historical sources;
• Explain the significance of the study of history and
the Filipino perspective;
• Discuss the various views or “philosophies of
history”, schools of thought, and influences on
the approaches to the study Philippine history;
• Explain Philippine historiography using a historical
timeline and historical sources.
• Point out some controversies in Philippine history.
Some Observations about Filipinos’ attitude
towards their past
• Filipinos have a weak or lack a sense of history
• Lack of identity or suffers from an ‘identity crisis’
=> a sense of cultural confusion or “cultural
hypochondria” (Corpuz)
• Filipinos do not learn from their past ; that is,
drawing lessons from past mistakes
• Weak sense of nationalism or sense of
belongingness
History Defined
• History is the record of the past.
• History is a record of the human past from the
time written records began to appear.
• “History is actuality” (Gottschalk)
• “No written record, no history”?
• History is the imaginative reconstruction of the
past, the study of events concerning people in the
past.
History is the
reconstruction of the past
based on written records,
oral history, cultural
artifacts and folk
traditions.
• Therefore, history is the interpretative and
imaginative study of surviving records of the past,
either written or unwritten, in order to determine
the meaning and scope of human existence.

• So, what is the role or task(s) of the historian?

• To interpret facts in an orderly and intelligible
manner; and
• To discover patterns and trends which govern the
behavior of people and of nations, and to make
generalizations of these.
Why study history?
1) Bridging the gap between the present
and the past;
2) Explaining the causes of things and
events;
3) Projecting the future
4) Interpreting conditions of a given space
and time;
5) Promoting nationalism and patriotism.
Perspectives in the Study of History
• views or philosophies of history are ways of
interpreting and explaining historical
developments and the interplay of personages,
places, time and events.
• A. Cyclical View (Herodotus, 5th BC and Spengler)
• - History repeats itself.
• - All human existence occur in cycles.
• B. Providential View
• - History is determined by God.
• - Recording the death struggle between good and
evil; men is relegated to the role of a pawn in a
game of high stakes.
Perspectives in the Study of History
• C. Progressive or linear view
• - mankind is responsible for the advancement of
civilization; complete faith in human abilities
rather than in divine intervention
• Mankind is getting better and better.
• D. Relativist View
• - ‘History creates its own subject’
• - ‘Each new situation implies a reinterpretation
of the past; relationship to the past is in a
constant state of change’
• - subjective nature of historical knowledge
Historical Schools of Thought
• Positivism (18th-19th c) – this thought requires
empirical and observable evidence before one
can claim that a particular knowledge is true. In
the study of history, it is synonymous to “no
document, no history” which require historians
to show written primary documents to write a
historical narrative.
• Post-colonialism - (20th c) - It is a reaction and
an alternative to the colonial history that colonial
powers created and taught to their subjects. For
former colonies, it aims at creating identities and
understanding of their societies against the
shadow of their colonial past.
Historical Schools/School s of Thought
• Annales School of History – a school of history born
in France (i.e., Febvre, Braudel, Le Goff, Bloch);
• It challenges the canons of history; concern with
social history and studied longer historical periods
• It did away with the common historical subjects that
were almost always related to the conduct of states
and monarchs.
• “History from below”; people and classes are not
reflected in the history of society in the grand
manner
• Married history with geography, anthropology,
archaeology and linguistics.
Approaches in the Study of Philippine History
• 1. Clerico-Imperialist School – History is God’s grand
design; influenced by the providential theory of
history (St. Augustine)
• 2. Assimilationist View – “history aimed at uniting the
Filipinos to prepare them for membership in the
Spanish community of nations”
• 3. Nationalist School – “it aimed to influence the
destiny of the Filipino nation by pushing for
independence”
• 4. Democratic-Imperialist School – dominated by the
idea of the superiority of American culture; Filipinos
remained in the backdrop as silent and passive
recipient of the blessings of American civilization.
Approaches in the Study of Philippine History
• 5. Nationalist- Realist Transition School – “History
as art; it is the creative and imaginative
reconstruction of the past; mere presentation of
facts does not constitute history.”
• 6. Pure Nationalist School – the main idea is to
study Philippine history from the Filipino point of
view or “pantayong pananaw”; “history of the
articulate”
• 7. Leftist-Socialist or Marxist View – “History is a
science, capable of being controlled, influenced,
and predicted.” History is an extension of class
conflict, of dominance and exploitation of one
class by another.
Reasons for Interpreting Philippine
History from a Filipino Point of View
• Foreign interpretation is biased and
prejudicial.
• Filipinos have greater familiarity with and
understanding of their own culture and
history.
• Filipino point of view can help promote
nationalism and patriotism.
Relevance of History to Culture &
National Development
• Culture is ‘a way of life’; integrated pattern of
human knowledge, beliefs, values and behavior’
• Culture is a product of history
• National development is a cumulative
experience of the Filipino people as shaped by
their past.
Development in Transportation
Philippine National Development –is the
specific and unique social and historical
experience of the Filipino people as a
nation.
It is a cumulative
experience of the
Filipino people as
shaped by their past
as a nation reflected
in their national goals,
achievements,
economic
independence,
national identity,
political institutions,
citizen’s well-being.
“Why Nations Fail?”
• “A nation fails not just because of
culture, geography and economic
policies.
• One major factor why a nation
fails and become a basket case is Ferdinand E. Marcos
political leadership who forgets (President, 1965-1986)
history.
• Please do not forget history and
the lessons of history, so that
you’ll be generous, not selfish;
humane rather than cruel; and
look after the interest of our
country.”
• James Robinson and Daron
Acemoglu (2012)
Historiography
• “History of history.”
• The object of the study is history itself, i.e., How
was certain historical text written? Who wrote
it? What was the context of its publication?
What historical method was employed? What
were the sources used?
• Allow the students to have a better
understanding of history, by providing not only
with historical facts, but the understanding of
these facts, the historian’s contexts and
methods. It teaches the student to be critical in
the lessons of history presented to him.
 Philippine Historiography: A Timeline

Pre-Filipino Spanish Revolutionary American

Nationhood Colonialism Colonialism –
Period (1896-
(10th - 1565) (1898-1945)
(1565-1898) 1902)

Japanese Liberation and Marcos Martial Post-Martial

Post-Colonial
Occupation Government
Law Years Law /Post –
(1942-1945) (1972-1986) EDSA (1986-
(1946- 1972)
Historical Sources
• Primary sources – are those sources, produced at
the same time as the event, period, or subject being
studied. Ex. Newspaper clippings, reports,
photographs of events, eyewitness accounts,
archival documents, artifacts, memorabilia, letters,
census, government records
• Secondary sources – are those sources which were
produced by an author who used primary sources to
produce the material. Also known as historical
sources. Ex. History books, articles, scholarly
journals
• Note: It is the subject of historical research that
determines what counts are primary or secondary
sources.
How do historians ascertain historical
truth?
• External criticism – is the practice of verifying
the authenticity of evidence by examining its
physical characteristics; consistency with the
historical characteristic of the time when it was
produced; and the materials used for the
evidence.
• Ex. Quality of paper, the type of the ink,
language and words used in the material
How do historians ascertain historical
truth?
• Internal criticism – is the examination of the
truthfulness of the evidence. It looks at the
content of the source and examines the
circumstances of its production. It looks at the
truthfulness and factuality of the evidence by
looking at the author of the source, its context,
the agenda behind the creation, the knowledge
which informed it, and its intended purpose.
• Ex. Validating Japanese reports and declarations
during WW II; the Code of Kalantiaw and
Maragtas; Marcos war medals during WW II