Scribd
Upload
6K views

Lesson 2 Questions and Issues in History PDF

This document discusses key questions and issues in the study of history. It addresses what history is, why it is studied, and who it is for. These questions can be answered by historiography, which is defined as the history of history. The document contrasts history, which studies past events and their causes, with historiography, which studies how historical texts were written and the context around their creation. It also discusses how historiography provides context that helps students better understand historical facts. The document then outlines some of the roles history has played, such as uniting nations. It introduces the concepts of positivism, history as narrative, and postcolonialism as different approaches to understanding and writing about history.

Uploaded by

The Psycho
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
6K views

Lesson 2 Questions and Issues in History PDF

This document discusses key questions and issues in the study of history. It addresses what history is, why it is studied, and who it is for. These questions can be answered by historiography, which is defined as the history of history. The document contrasts history, which studies past events and their causes, with historiography, which studies how historical texts were written and the context around their creation. It also discusses how historiography provides context that helps students better understand historical facts. The document then outlines some of the roles history has played, such as uniting nations. It introduces the concepts of positivism, history as narrative, and postcolonialism as different approaches to understanding and writing about history.

Uploaded by

The Psycho
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
You are on page 1/ 1

Lesson 2 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
particular 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 the
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 by analysed. Historiograpy is important for someone who studies history
presented to him.

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 the past mistakes can help people to not repeat them. Being reminded of a great
past can inspire people to know their good practices to move forward.

POSITIVISM is a school of thought that emerged between the eighteenth and nineteenth century. This thought requires
and observable evidence before one can claim that a particular knowledge is true. Positivism also entails an objective
means of arriving at a conclusion. In the discipline of history, the mantra “no document , no history” stems from this very
same truth, where historians were required to show written primary documents in order to write a particular historical
narrative. Positivist historians are also expected to be objective and impartial not just in their arguments but also on their
conduct of historical research.

History as Narrative

As a narrative, any history that has been taught and written is always intended for a certain group of audience.
When the illustrados , like Jose Rizal, Isabelo delos 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 the 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 fulfil what they called as the “white man’s burden.” The same is
true for nations which prescribe official versions of their history like North Korea, the Nazi Germany during the war
period, and Thailand. The same was attempted by Marcos in the Philippines during the 1970’s.

POSTCOLONIALISM is a school of thought that emerged in the early twentieth century when formerly
colonized nations grappled with the idea of creating their identities and understanding their societies against the shadows
of their colonial past. Postcolonial history looks at two things in writing history: first is to tell the history of their nation
that will highlight their identity free from that colonial discourse and knowledge, and second is to criticize the methods,
effects, and idea of colonialism. Postcolonial history is therefore a reaction and an alternative to the colonial history
that colonial powers created and taught to their subjects.

You might also like