Issues and Questions in History

Issues and Questions in
History
1
What, Why, and for whom is history?
These questions can be answered by historiography.
According to Edward Hallet Carr (1892-1982) ,
“History is the result of the interaction

between the historian and his facts,
a perpetual dialogue between the
present and the past.”
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“The historian starts with the provisional selection of
facts and a provisional interpretation in the light of which
that selection has been made - by others as well as by
himself. As he works, both the interpretation and the
selection and ordering of facts undergo subtle and perhaps
partly unconscious changes through the reciprocal action of
one or the other.”
“And this reciprocal action also involves reciprocity
between present and past, since the historian is part of the
present and the facts belong to the past.”
“ The historian and the facts of history are necessary to one
another. The historian without his facts is rootless and futile;
the facts without their historian are dead and meaningless.”
3
Is it possible
that the same event in history
be interpreted in different ways
by two different historians?
4
If yes, then we can say that
history is highly interpretive.
5
And this being the case, as we read history,
it is necessary that we examine the following:
• the different interpretations of the author
• the dates
• and the circumstances surrounding the historical
writings
What is the writing of history called?
The writing of history is called HISTORIOGRAPHY
In simple terms, historiography is the history of history.
The object of study of historiography is history itself;
that is: How was a certain historical text written? Who
wrote it? What was the context of its publication? What
particular historical method was used? What were the
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sources used? Therefore, we can say that
historiography lets the students have a better
understanding of history. They do not only get the
historical facts but they are also provided with
the understanding of the facts’ and the historians’
contexts. The historian’s theory and perspectives,
as well as the methods employed will also be
analyzed. Historiography is important for
someone studying history because it teaches the
person to be critical in the facts and information
presented to him.
7
Particularly, historiography is the writing of
history based on scholarly disciplines such as the
analysis and evaluation of source materials.
8
Various Roles of History 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 the great past can inspire people to
keep their good practices to move forward.
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How is history written?
1. As history is a study of the past, it is the historians’ first task
to look for things that survived from the past, wherever
they can be found.
2. Then, they must go on to make sure that these remnants or
relics are genuine artifacts, and not fake.
3. Finally, the historians must give meaning to these remnants
of the past by interpreting them.
They must try to show how these remnants are related to
one another. By doing so, a mental picture is made of the
past.
Source: Jose S. Arcilla, S.J., An Introduction to Philippine History (Ateneo de Manila

University Press, 1998)
10
If history is written with a great influence by the
historian, can we possibly came up with an absolute
historical truth? Is history an objective discipline? If it is not,
then, is it still worthwhile to study it?
Indeed, an accurate and exact account of what had
happened in the past is impossible because no one can go
back directly to the past. Therefore, historians only get
access representation of the past through historical sources
and evidences. Likewise, it is the historian’s job to interpret
those gathered facts. As the saying goes, “facts cannot speak
for themselves”, it is the historian who give meaning to the
facts and organize them into a timeline, establish causes, and
write history. But we should not forget that a historian is a
person who is infuenced by his own context, environment,
ideology, education, and influences. Thus, his interpretation
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of the historical facts if affected by his context and
circumstances. His subjectivity will influence the process
of his historical research: his methodology; the facts that
he selects; his interpretation; and even the form of his
writings. Therefore, we can conclude that history is
always subjective. If this is the case, can we still consider
history as an academic and scientific inquiry?
Well, history remained scientific because of the
rigor of research and the methodology that historians
used.
Historical methodology – comprises certain techniques
and rules that historians follow in order to properly
utilize sources and historical evidences in writing history
12
What are the steps in historical research?
1. Defining the problem
2. Locating relevant sources
3. Summarizing information from
historical sources
4. Evaluation of historical sources
13
References:
Candelaria, John Lee and Alporha, Veronica. (2018).

Readings in Philippine History. Manila: Rex Book
Store, Inc.
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Issues and Questions in

“History is the result of the interaction

history is highly interpretive.

Source: Jose S. Arcilla, S.J., An Introduction to Philippine History (Ateneo de Manila

Candelaria, John Lee and Alporha, Veronica. (2018).

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