Readings in Philippine History
Local History
What is Local History?
Local history generally describes
as “a range of historical writings
focusing on specific, geographically
small areas like village, town or
district, frequently produced by
non-professional historian.
Local history is history in the local context
-The history of local history provides the
foundation and the substance of true national
history
-It is more than the study of towns, provinces and
regions of the Philippines and the people who lived
there
-It provides us with the documentation and
analysis of the broad process which are important
to the life of the people
-Local history enriches our understanding of our
national history
Development of Local History
-Local histories were written in the
18 and early 19 centuries by the
th th
local elites
-Impact of industrialization and
urbanization resulted in a desire
among the local educated people to
record their history at local and
regional
The basic characteristics of the early period of local
history may be summarized as “dogged empirical
research and fieldwork, a concentration on the pre-
industrial period, the celebration of the common
man at the concept of community.”
The local history in Asia and Africa is differently
situated. Here, the traditional forms belong mostly
to oral tradition, parts of these histories were in
written form also, but the oral form was the
predominant mode of presentation.
Colonial historiography
-This includes the Hispano-American
historiographical tradition we have
preserved in our national historiography
-The difference of Hispanic historiography
is that it is autocratic and prescriptive while
the American is liberal and democratic
-Filipino historiography incorporates both
approaches to national history
Local history actually has a long
tradition in the country
-These take form in souvenir programs by
countless town fiestas and similar
community celebrations
-Other forms of local histories are features
articles in local and national newspapers
which contain stories about events in towns
and cities.
Tools
-Local archives and libraries
-Oral history interviews
-Online database and digital
archives
-Writing and editing tools
-Newspaper and periodicals
Methods of Writing Local History
-Research
-Interviews and oral histories
-Site visits
-Collaborations
-Chronological narrative
-Visual and illustrations
-Use clear and accessible language
Selecting a research topic
-Get a topic that interests you most; one that attracts
your curiosity; one that is an original topic
-The topic must have a definite scope and limitation
-Determine your access to research resources
-Be sure that you will finish your research on time;
have a schedule or timetable.
-Some topics are fairly common such as the history of
a barangay, town or province. This type of research
usually highlights the remarkable events in the locality
such as the beginning or end of a period.
Other topics may be biographical
-Such biographies should include previously unknown
information
-Another topic would be the story of a site or structure
such as a church or even a series of historical sites.
-One may research a particular era such as the Philippine
Revolution, Peacetime or the Japanese occupation
-One may do an economic history such as the history of
the mining sector, the weaving industry
-Another area is institutional history such as the history of
an academic institution or a business company.
Social movements
-History of the Pulajanes and other messianic
groups
-Cultural history includes changes in the practices
of the communications such as the Appayaos
-Women’s histories – now increasingly popular
-Local primary sources are now available for all
these topics
-It is up to the researcher to use his creativity and
insight in unearthing and retrieving data from local
sources.
Importance of Local History
-Sense of identity
-Preservation of heritage
-Community cohesion
-Education and awareness
-Tourism and economic
development
Prejunta?
Direction:
[Link] a partner.
[Link] with your partner and choose a specific
topic in local history that you would like to
study.
[Link] a plan of how are you going to conduct
your study/research.
[Link] your findings about the local history
that you had chosen.