[1] History as a Discipline

• History is a record of past events.

  • From the Greek word “historia” meaning “inquiry,” “knowledge from inquiry,” or “judge.”
  • Historiography is the process of writing history
• History is a record of past events
• Historiography is the process of writing history
• History can be viewed as:

  • Past events (e.g., medical history)
  • Narrative about past events
  • Inquiry about the past through accounts of witnesses (oral history)
• Memory is not history, but can be sources of history
• The role of the historian is to choose which personal memories can be included in the historical narrative
• Propaganda is not history
• Zeus Salazar defined kasaysayan as:

  • "isang salaysay na may saysay para sa isang grupo ng tao na pinagsasalaysayan nito"
  • "Ang kasaysayan ay salaysay… na may saysay sa sariling lipunan at kultura"
• Language common to both the historian and the reader is important in Pantayong Pananaw
• Pantayong Pananaw is a reaction to how Philippine history has been written in the point of view of Westerners
• Reasons for studying history:

  • Gives a group of people/community their identity (shared history)
  • Develops critical thinking
  • Chronological thinking as a problem-solving skill
  • Helps in reading and Comprehension
  • Historians focus on the credibility of facts
  • Questioning the status quo/thinking outside the box
  • Tentativity
• A sound historical narrative should be evidence-based
• Historical sources come from what is written, oral tradition, and what is physically preserved
• Sources can be documents that are written, oral form, or visual sources
• Primary sources include personal accounts like journals, diaries, memoirs, letters, correspondences, newspaper articles, transcripts of interviews, and artifacts
• Secondary sources are documents/books/historical narrative based on primary sources
• Checking sources involves internal and external criticism
• Great tradition versus little tradition in historical perspective:

  • Great tradition: works from the point of view of those in power
  • Little tradition: perspective of the minority
• Branches of history include political, socio-cultural, economic, religious, and environmental
• History intersects with other disciplines, and almost all disciplines have their own history
• Myths and legends versus history:

  • The Bible, especially the Old Testament, is considered a good historical document about the life of people at that time