Discussions in History

1. LESSON 1:
MEANINGS AND
RELEVANCE OF
HISTORY

2. LEARNING
OBJECTIVES
To understand the meaning of history
as an academic discipline and to be
familiar with the underlying philosophy
and methodology of the discipline.
To examine and assess critically the
value of historical evidences and
sources.
To appreciate the importance of
history in the social and national life of
the Philippines.

3. WHY STUDY HISTORY?
◦ An examination of the past can tell us a great deal
about how we came to be who we are. It means looking
at the roots of modern institutions, ideas, values, and
problems.
◦ Looking at the past teaches us to see the world through
different eyes- appreciating the diversity of human
perceptions, beliefs, and cultures. Different and/or new
perspectives will enable us to analyze critically the
present contexts of our society and beings.

4. THE DEFINITION AND SUBJECT MATTER
◦ History was derived from the Greek word historia which
means “knowledge acquired through inquiry or
investigation”.
◦ History as a disciplined 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 a group of people
through written documents and historical evidences.
That meaning stuck until the early parts of the twentieth
century. History became an important discipline. It became
the historian’s duty to write about the lives of important
individuals like monarchs, heroes, saints, and nobilities.

5. THE DEFINITION AND SUBJECT MATTER
◦ History was also focused on writing wars, revolutions, and
other important breakthroughs. It is thus important to
ask: What counts as history? Traditional historians lived
with the mantra “no document, no history”. It means that
unless a written document can prove a certain historical
event, then it cannot be considered as a historical fact.
◦ But as any other academic disciplines, history progressed
and opened up to the possibility of valid historical
sources, which were not limited to written documents,
like government records, chroniclers’ accounts, or
personal letters.

6. THE DEFINITION AND SUBJECT MATTER
◦ Giving 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 Others got their historical
documents burned or destroyed in the events of war or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 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.

7. THE DEFINITION AND SUBJECT MATTER
◦ 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 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 examples are
oral traditions in forms of epics and songs, artifacts,
architecture, and memory. History thus became more
inclusive and started collaborating with other disciplines
as its auxiliary disciplines.

8. Other
Definitions of
History:
History is defined as a documented record of man
and his society. (Gray, 1956, pp.1-3).
As a field of study, history is a study of man and his
achievements from the beginning of written records
to the present.
As a literary form of history is an effective
presentation of the unfolding events. But as a type
of literature history falls under non- fiction work.
History comes from social history which defines it
as a record of events showing the evolution of man
and his society from the earliest and from the age of
barbarism to what he is today.

9. Understanding
History
Why don’t we learn from history?
(An excerpt from Lidell Hart, 1971)
What is the objective of
history? One would simply answer,
quite simply - “truth”. It is a word
and an idea that has gone out of
fashion.
The object might be more
cautiously expressed thus: to find
out what happened while trying to
find out why it happened. It seeks
the casual relations between
events.

10. Understanding
History
History has limitations as a
guiding signpost; although it can show
us the right direction, it does not give
detailed information about the road
conditions. But its negative value as a
warning sign is more definite. History
can show us what to avoid, even if it
does not teach us what to do - by
showing the most common mistakes
that mankind is apt to make and to
repeat.
A second object lies in the
practical value of history. The
knowledge gained from the study of
true history is the best of all education
for practical life. The study of history
embraces every aspect of life. It lays
the foundation of education by
showing how mankind repeats its
errors and what those errors are.

11. Importance and Uses
of History
Importance and Uses
of History
Given are the uses of
history as summarized
by Foray and Salevouris
(1988). Some of these
are interestingly
explained by B.H.
Lidedell Hart (1971).
A. History provides a source of personal and
social identity.
B. History helps us understand the problems of
the present.
C. History – good history – corrects misleading
analogies and “lessons” of the past.
D. History can help one develop tolerance and
open-mindedness
E. History helps us better understand all human
behaviors and all aspects of the human
condition.
F. History provides the basic background for
many disciplines.
G. History can be a source of entertainment.
H. History, when studied, can teach many critical
skills.

12. Below is a definition of history by Zeus A. Salazar (1999). Examine it
carefully then answer the questions following the definition.
“Ang KASAYSAYAN ay SALAYSAY hinggil sa nakaraan o
nakalipas na may SAYSAY – kahulugan, katuturan, at kabuluhan – sa
SARILING LIPUNAN at KULTURA o kabuuang kinabibilangan. Ito ay
iniuulat gamit ang mga konsepto at kategorya ng sariling kultura.”
1. What does the author mean or imply by “Ang kasaysayan ay
salaysay… na may saysay sa sariling lipunan at kultura”?
2. The statement. “Ito (referring to kasaysayan) ay iniuulat gamit ang
mga konsepto at kategorya ng sariling kultura, implies who should
write a people’s history. What issues would emerge from (1) a history
of people written and interpreted by an “outsider” (a foreign
historian); and, (2) a history of people analyzed and presented by an
“insider” (a local historian)?