GNED 04 Discussion Summary 1 PDF

Preview

Summary

Readings in Philippine HistoryDISCUSSION SUMMARYDEPARTMENT OF ARTS & SCIENCESCAVITE STATE UNIVERSITYGENERAL TRIAS CITY CAMPUSJulie Ann D. DinglasaInstructor 1Meaning and Relevance of HistoryHistory is the analysis and interpretati on of the human past enabling us to study continuity and changes ...

Description

Readings in Philippine History

DISCUSSION SUMMARY DEPARTMENT OF ARTS & SCIENCES CAVITE STATE UNIVERSITY GENERAL TRIAS CITY CAMPUS

Julie Ann D. Dinglasa Instructor 1

Meaning and Relevance of History History is the analysis and interpretation of the human past enabling us to study continuity and changes that are taking place over time. It is an act of both investigation and imagination that seeks to explain how people have changed over time. Historians use all forms of evidence to examine, interpret, revisit, and reinterpret the past. These include not just written documents, but also oral communication and objects such as buildings, artifacts, photographs , and paintings. The origin of the word History is associated with the Greek word ‘Historia’ which means ‘information’ or ‘an enquiry designed to elicit truth or knowledge acquired by investigation. Historiography The practice of historical writing. It is the traditional method in doing historical research that focus on gathering of documents from different libraries and archives to form a pool of evidence needed in making descriptive or analytical narrative. “History is the record of what one age finds worthy of note in another.” Burckhardt: “WHO CONTROLS THE PAST CONTROLS THE FUTURE. WHO CONTROLS THE PRESENT CONTROLS THE PAST.” GEORGE ORWELL, 1984

Nature of History: 1.

A study of the present in the light of the past: The present has evolved out of the past. Modern history enables us to understand how society has come to its present form so that one may intelligently interpret the sequence of events;

2. History is the study of man: History deals with man’s struggle through the ages. History is not static. By selecting “innumerable biographies” and presenting their lives in the appropriate social context and the ideas in the human context, we understand the sweep of events. 3. History is concerned with man in time: It deals with a series of events and each event occurs at a given point in time. Human history, in fact, is the process of human development in time. It is time which affords a perspective to events and lends a charm that brightens up the past. 4. History is concerned with man in space: The interaction of man on environment and vice versa is a dynamic one. History describes about nations and human activities in the context of their physical and geographical environment. Out of this arise the varied trends in the political, social, economic and cultural spheres of man’s activities and achievements. 5. Multisided: All aspects of the life of a social group are closely interrelated and historical happenings cover all these aspects of life, not limited only to the political aspect that had so long dominated history.

6. History is a dialogue between the events of the past and progressively emerging future ends. The historian’s interpretation of the past, his selection of the significant and the relevant events, evolves with the progressive emergence of new goals. Why Study History? ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■

History helps you discover how your world evolved. History trains your mind and teaches you how to think and process info. The pursuit of historical events and people is fun - a form of time travel. A lack of historical knowledge prevents people from truly understanding the world they live in History helps you understand the origins of modern political and social problems. History lets you learn how and why people behaved as they did. History makes you appreciate that people in the past were not just 'good' or 'bad', but motivated in complex and inconsistent ways, just like us. History helps you make sense of most other subjects. History provides you with the skills employers are looking for. History gives you back your past. Without an understanding of the past, the present doesn't make much sense

Theories constructed by historians in investigating history; 1. FACTUAL – Present readers the plain and basic information, the events that took place (WHAT), the time and date with which the event happened (WHEN), the place with which the event took place (WHERE), and the people that were involved (WHO). 2. SPECULATIVE - it goes beyond facts because it is concerned about the reasons for which events happened (why), and the way they happened (how). It tries to speculate on the cause and effect of an event – (Cantal, Cardinal et.al.)

Different Types of History Every subject we study has its own purpose, reason, and importance behind it. Among all the subjects, why do we study history and why is it an important subject? It is because history is a study that deals with the past, described in written formats. History has been divided into 6 different types namely: 1. Political History 2. Diplomatic History 3. Cultural History 4. Social History 5. Economic History 6. Intellectual History. 1. Political History: Political History is the narration of the evolution of the political related matters of the past. This branch of history deals with the analysis of political leaders, ideas, events, movements, activities and so on, along with the making of government policies (constitutions etc). This branch of history focuses on the study of normative beliefs as it is believed to be the reason behind the historical changes. 2. Diplomatic History: Considered to be started in the nineteenth century, Diplomatic history is the branch of history that focuses on the study of international relations between nations (between states). This history tends to be more concerned with the history of diplomacy and the ideas of diplomacy and much more.

3. Cultural History: Cultural history is the branch of history that deals with the traditions and cultural interpretation of the past. It is a study of various facets of human and history. Simply, cultural history records and interprets various past events involving human beings like literature, sport, and entertainment and much more. 4. Social History: The history which focuses on the study of various societal norms like ways of living, standard, customs, disciplines, status and so on of the people, alongside the demography. Simply, it is a branch of history which looks at the lived experience of the past. Today, social history is otherwise called the New Social History. 5. Economic History: Economic history is the branch of history that focuses on the study of economies as well as economical phenomena of the past. Simply, the study of the pattern of the production, consumption alongside industry, market and so on concerning the past, economic history aims to understand the historical events of the economical processes. 6. Intellectual History: The history which aims to understand the ideas (ideology and philosophy) by understanding the political, cultural, intellectual, and social context of the past. Intellectual history is about the human (historians) actions and how they developed history. How do historians reconstruct the past? ▪ ▪ ▪ ▪ ▪

Historians research, analyze, and interpret various types of evidence to come to conclusions about the past. Archaeologists analyze artifacts to draw conclusions about peoples’ beliefs, values, and daily life. Historians and Archaeologists study artifacts to learn about prehistoric life. Prehistory = period of time before writing systems were developed; history was recorded using poems, songs, stories and were passed along orally by people Artifact = objects made by people, such as tools, weapons, clothing, etc.

Sources of History Basic to historical research is utilization of sources. There are diverse sources of history including documentary sources or documents, archaeological records, and oral and video accounts. To date, most of our historical sources are documents. These refer to handwritten, printed, drawn, designed, and other composed materials. These include books, newspapers, magazines, journals, maps, architectural perspectives, paintings, advertisements, and photographs. Colonial records such as government reports and legal documents form a significant part of our collection of documents here and abroad, particularly in Spain and the United States. In the 20th century and up to now, memoirs or personal accounts written by important historical personages constitute another type of documents. Philippine presidents such as Emilio Aguinaldo, Manuel Quezon, and Diosdado Macapagal wrote their memoirs to highlight their roles as nation-builders. On the other hand, archaeological records refer to preserved remains of human beings, their activities, and the environment where they lived. In the Philippines, the most significant excavated human remains include the Callao Man’s toe bone (dated 67 000 BCE) and the Tabon Man’s

Doctrina Christiana, the first published work

Distinction of primary and secondary sources The concept of ‘primary’ and ‘secondary’ sources is key to studying and writing history. A ‘source’ is anything that provides information, from a manuscript where words tell you things to clothes that have survived centuries and provide details on fashion and chemistry. As you can imagine, you can't write history without sources as you would be making this up (which is good in historical fiction, but rather problematic when it comes to serious history.) Sources are usually divided into two categories, primary and secondary. These definitions would be different for the sciences and the below apply to the humanities. It's worth learning them, they are vital if you're taking exams. Primary Sources A ‘Primary Source’ is a document that was written or an object which was created, in the time period in which you are working. A ‘first hand’ item. A diary can be a primary source if the author experienced the events they recall, while a charter can be a primary source of the act it was created for. Photographs, while beset with problems, can be primary sources. The key thing is they offer a direct insight into what happened because they were created at the time and are fresh and closely related.

Type of Primary Sources 1. Diaries and journals Example: Anne Frank was a teenager during World War II. She kept a diary or journal the years before she died in a concentration camp. Her diary was later published as the “Diary of Anne Frank”. This is a primary source.

Example: Sarah Morgan was young woman during the Civil War. She wrote in her diary or journal what happened to her and her family during the war. This is a primary document because it was first hand. She wrote it at the time it happened. Sarah Morgan Dawson: A Confederate Girl's Diary 2. Autobiographies An autobiography is when you write a story or book about yourself. Example: Nelson Mandela wrote his autobiography about events in his life called “Long Walk to Freedom. 3. Speeches are considered Primary Sources. Examples of Speeches: Abraham Lincoln’s “Gettysburg Address” Martin Luther King’s “I Have a Dream” All of the President’s Inauguration Speeches 4. Historical documents such as the Declaration of Independence or the Constitution are primary documents. They were drafted and signed. Other Primary Sources would be Birth Certificates Government records Deeds Court documents Military records Tax records Census records Art 5. Published first-hand accounts, or stories are considered primary resources. Example: 2008 Presidential candidate Senator John McCain talked about his “own” experiences as a Vietnam prisoner of war. It is a primary source because he was there, experienced the events and shared it firsthand. 6. Sound Recordings and interviews are considered primary resources. Example 1: During the Great Depression and World War II, television had not been invented yet. The people would often sit around the radio to listen to President Roosevelt’s war messages. Those radio addresses are considered primary sources.” 7. Photographs and videos are primary sources. Example 1: Photographers during World War II took photographs of battles and/or events during the war. Those photographs are primary sources. Those were taken during actual events. 8. Letters are considered primary documents

Why Use Primary Sources? 1. Advantages “best evidence” Primary sources provide a window into the past—unfiltered access to the record of artistic, social, scientific and political thought and achievement during the specific period under study, produced by people who lived during that period these unique, often profoundly personal, documents and objects can give a very real sense of what it was like to be alive during a long-past era. 2. Disadvantages ▪ Questions of creator bias, purpose, and point of view may challenge students’ assumptions. ▪ Primary sources are often incomplete and have little context. Students must use prior knowledge and work with multiple primary sources to find patterns ▪ In analyzing primary sources, students move from concrete observations and facts to questioning and making inferences about the material

Secondary Sources A ‘ Secondary Source’ can be defined in two ways: it is anything about a historical event which was created using primary sources, and/or which was one or more stages removed from the time period and the event. A ‘second hand’ item. For instance, school textbooks tell you about a time period, but they are all secondary sources as they were written later, usually by people who weren’t there, and discuss the primary sources they used when being created. Secondary sources frequently quote or reproduce primary sources, such as a book using a photograph. The key point is that the people who made these sources are relying on other testimony rather than their own. Secondary sources can include history books, articles, websites (other websites might be a primary source to ‘contemporary history’.) Not everything ‘old’ is a primary historical source: plenty of medieval or ancient works are secondary sources based on now lost primary sources, despite being of great age. ▪ ▪ ▪ ▪

A secondary source is something written about a primary source. Secondary sources are written "after the fact" - that is, at a later date. Usually, the author of a secondary source will have studied the primary sources of an historical period or event and will then interpret the "evidence" found in these sources. You can think of secondary sources as second-hand information.

Type of Secondary Sources: 1. Biography Example: A biography is when you write about another person’s life. Alice Fleming wrote a biography on the life of Martin Luther King Jr. This is a secondary document. It was written about him after he died. 2. Secondary source materials can be articles in newspapers, magazines, books or articles found that evaluate or criticize someone else's original research. 3. Almanacs, encyclopedias, history books (textbooks), etc. are all secondary sources because they were written “after” these events occurred. Why Use Secondary Sources?

1. Advantages a. Secondary sources can provide analysis, synthesis, interpretation, or evaluation of the original information. b. Secondary sources are best for uncovering background or historical information about a topic and broadening your understanding of a topic by exposing you to others’ perspectives, interpretations, and conclusions c. Allows the reader to get expert views of events and often bring together multiple primary sources relevant to the subject matter 2. Disadvantages a. Their reliability and validity are open to question, and often they do not provide exact information b. They do not represent firsthand knowledge of a subject or event c. There are countless books, journals, magazine articles and web pages that attempt to interpret the past and finding good secondary sources can be an issue. “Only a part of what was observed in the past was remembered by those who observed it; only a part of what was remembered was recorded; only a part of what was recorded has survived; only a part of what has survived has come to the historian’s attention. “Only a part of what is credible has been grasped, and only a part of what has been grasped can be expounded or narrated by the historian.” Louis Gottschalk, Understanding History

HISTORICAL CRITICISM EXTERNAL AND INTERNAL CRITICISM Many documents have primary and secondary segments. For instance, examining a newspaper as a historical source entails a discerning mind to identify its primary and secondary components. A news item written by a witness of an event is considered as a primary source, while a feature article is usually considered as a secondary material. Similarly, a book published a long time ago does not necessarily render it as a primary source. It requires a meticulous reading of the document to know its origin. As the historian draws his conclusions and generalizations on the basis of these documents and facts it is essential to check up the authenticity of the documents and facts. It is the duty of the historian to doubt every statement until it has been critically tested. This criticism can be of two types, i.e., External and Internal. 1. External Criticism. The ‘External Criticism’ is of a less intellectual type of criticism of the documents. It includes examinations of document like manuscripts, books, pamphlets, maps, inscriptions and monuments. The problem of authenticity of document arises more in case of manuscripts than the printed documents because the printed document have already been authenticated by the editor. Historian has to resort to a number of tests to determine the authenticity of a particular document in his proposed area of research such as— ‘Authorship’ the first question while examining the authenticity of a document is its author. Even the anonymous writings can provide us useful and important knowledge. But the discovery of an author’s or writer’s name adds the authenticity of the information because of the character, connections and trust worthiness of author determines the authenticity.

Secondly, “Date of Document”, i.e. the time, place of publication of the document must be inquired to determine the authenticity of the document. In the modern publications year and place of publication is indicated on the book or document on the title page or back side (over leaf). However, in old manuscript where the data and place are absent it can be found out from the language or from the date of birth and death of author. Thirdly, the historian confronts with the textual errors which may be either unintentional or deliberately committed. Unintentional error can take place in the copies of the documents (originals are not available). These mistakes may be caused by the scribe, typist or printer. An intention error may creep in when effort is made to modify, supplement or continue the original. This problem can be overcome through textual criticism. Under this technique effort is made to collect as many copies of dubious text as possible and they are compared. If the ideas and style do not match or resemble the idea and style of the author it can be safely assumed that they were not parts of the original manuscript and were forged by the later ones. Further’ more, the textual accuracy can be solved with the help of “sciences auxiliary” to history such as “Paleographists” have authenticated numerous documents of the medieval period by their handwritings and have published easily legible printed versions. The “archaeologists” provides rich information to the historians, the “numismatists” by dating the coins, metals and deciphering their inscriptions render valuable assistance. Fourthly, after the confirmation of authenticity of the source’s historians confronted with the different terms used in document. The meaning of words often changes from generation to generation. Therefore, historian must find out the meaning and sense in which it has been used in document. The misinterpretation of terms may lead to misunderstanding of the historical development. In this way, even after the historian established the authenticity of the documents and discovered the meaning of the text his duty is not over. He is confronted with another important problem the credibility of document. 2. Internal Criticism: While collecti...