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Chapter 3 Introduction

The document discusses historical interpretation and how history is constructed. It states that historians draw on facts from primary sources to develop interpretations that help audiences understand events, as primary sources alone may cause misunderstanding. It also discusses how interpretations can change over time as perspectives evolve. The document uses the example of the Code of Kalantiaw, which was long believed to be authentic but was later proven to be a hoax, to show how historical understanding is revised.

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Mark Robec Fernandez
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41 views11 pages

Chapter 3 Introduction

The document discusses historical interpretation and how history is constructed. It states that historians draw on facts from primary sources to develop interpretations that help audiences understand events, as primary sources alone may cause misunderstanding. It also discusses how interpretations can change over time as perspectives evolve. The document uses the example of the Code of Kalantiaw, which was long believed to be authentic but was later proven to be a hoax, to show how historical understanding is revised.

Uploaded by

Mark Robec Fernandez
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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PHILIPPINE HISTORY: SPACES

FOR CONFLICT AND


CONTROVERSIES
Chapter 3
MAKING SENSE OF THE PAST:
Historical Interpretation
■ History is “the attempt to discover, on the basis of
fragmentary evidence, the significant things about
the past.”
■ “The history we read, though based on facts, is
strictly speaking, not factual at all, but a series of
accepted judgements.”
(Geoffrey Barraclough)
Code of Kalantiaw
Code of Kalantiaw

■ The code is a mythical legal code in the epic


history Maragtas.
■ Before it was revealed as a hoax, it was a source of
pride for people in Aklan.
■ It was only in 1968 that it was proved a hoax, when
William Henry Scott did an extensive research
which showed evidences that it was false.
Code of Kalantiaw

■ A code attributed to a historical fiction written in 1913


by Jose E. Marco titled Las Antiguas Leyendas de la Isla
de Negros.
■ Marco attributed the code itself to a priest named Jose
Maria Pavon.
■ Prominent Filipino historians did not dissent to Scott’s
findings, but there are still some who would like to
believe that the code is a legitimate.
■ Historians utilize facts collected from primary sources of
history and then draw their own reading so that their
intended audience may understand the historical event, a
process that in essence, “makes sense of the past.”
■ The premise is that not all primary sources are accessible to
general audience, and without proper training and
background, a non-historian interpreting a primary source
may do more harm than good–a primary source may even
cause misunderstandings; sometimes, even resulting in
more problems.
■ Interpretations of the past, therefore, vary according
to who reads the primary source, when it was read,
and how it was read.
■ Interpretation of historical events change over time;
thus it is an important skill for a student of history to
track these changes in an attempt to understand the
past.
■ Many of the things that we accept as “true” about
the past might not be the case anymore; just
because these were thought to us as “facts” when
we were younger does not mean that it is set in
stone – history is, after all, a construct.
Multiperspectivity
■ Way of looking at historical events, personalities,
developments, cultures, and societies from
different perspectives.
■ Exploring multiple perspective in history requires
incorporating source materials that reflect
different views of an event in history, because
singular historical narratives do not provide for
space to inquire and investigate
■ Where did the First Catholic Mass Take
Place in the Philippines?
■ What happened in the Cavity Mutiny?
■ Did Rizal Retract?
■ Where did the Cry of Rebellion Happen?

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