CHAPTER 1 - MEANING AND RELEVANCE OF HISTORY

INTRODUCTION
This chapter aims helping students to understand the present existing social, political, religious
and economic conditions of the people through studying history and its concepts. It will help us
to trace the background of our religion, customs institutions, administration and so on. It also
helps to explain the present, to analyze it and to trace its course. Cause-and-effect relationship
between the past and the present is lively presented in the history. History thus helps us to
understand the present day problems both at the national and international level accurately
and objectively.

DEFINITIONS OF HISTORY
The origin of the word History is associated with the Greek word 'Historia' which means
'information' or 'an enquiry designed to elicit truth"

History has been defined differently by different scholars Following definitions indicate the
meaning and scope of History.

 History is not just a catalogue of events put in the right order like a railway timetable-
[Link]. Taylor
 History is written by the winners- Napoleon Bonaparte
 If you don't know history, then you don't know anything. You are a leaf that doesn't
know it is part of tree- Michael Crichton
 Those who cannot remember the past, are condemned to repeat it - George
 Santayana
 To be ignorant of what occurred before you were born is to remain always a child
-Marcus Tullius Cicero
 The most effective way to destroy people is to deny and obliterate their own
 understanding of their history-George Orwell Study the past if you would define the
future -Confucius
 History is a wheel, for the nature of man is fundamentally unchanging. What has
happened before will perforce happen again -George R.R. Martin
 He who cannot draw on three thousand years is living from hand to mouth - Johann
Wolfgang von Goethe
 A generation which ignores history has no past- and no future-Robert A. Heinlein
 If we are to make progress, we must not repeat history but make new history. We must
add to inheritance left by our ancestors"- Mahatma Gandhi We are not makers of
history.
 We are made by history - Martin Luther King, Jr.
 The history of all hitherto existing society is the history of class struggles - Karl Marx
 Let us study things that are no more. It is necessary to understand them, if only to avoid
them -Victor Hugo
  History is a guide to navigation in perilous times. History is who we are and why we are
the way we are - David McCullough
 The lack of a sense of history is the damnation of the modern world -Robert Penn
Warren
 A people without the knowledge of their past history, origin and culture is like a tree
without roots - Marcus Garvey
 History will be kind to me for I intended to write it-Winston S. Churchill

NATURE OF HISTORY
A study of the present in the light of the past: The present has evolved out of the past. Modern
history enables us to understand how society has come to its present form so that one may
intelligently interpret the sequence of events. The causal relationships between the selected
happenings are unearthed that help in revealing the nature of happenings and framing of
general laws.

History is the study of man: History deals with man's struggle through the ages. History
is not static. By selecting "innumerable biographies" and presenting their lives in the
appropriate social context and the ideas in the human context, we understand the sweep
of events. It traces the fascinating story of how man has developed through the ages, how
man has studied to use and control his environment and how the present institutions
have grown out of the past.

History is concerned with man in time: It deals with a series of events and each event occurs at
a given point in time. Human history, in fact, is the process of human development in time. It is
time which affords a perspective to events and lends a charm that brightens up the past.

History is concerned with man in space: The interaction of man on environment and vice versa
is a dynamic one. History describes about nations and human activities in the context of their
physical and geographical environment. Out of this arise the varied trends in the political,
social, economic and cultural spheres of man's activities and achievements.

Objective record of happenings: Every precaution is taken to base the data on original sources
and make them free from subjective interpretation. It helps in clear understanding of the past
and enables us to take well informed decisions.

Multisided: All aspects of the life of a social group are closely interrelated happenings cover all
these aspects of life, not limited only to the political aspect that bad so long dominated history.

History is a dialogue between the events of the past and progressively emerging future ends.
The historian's interpretation of the past de the relevant events, evolves with the progressive
emergence of new goals. The general laws regulating historical happenings may not be
considered enough; attempts have to made to predict future happenings on the basis of the
laws.
Not only narration but also analysis. The selected happenings are not merely narrated the
causal relationships between them are properly unearthed. The tracing of these relationships
lead to the development of general laves that are also compared and contrasted with similar
happenings in other social groups to improve the reliability and validity of these laws.

Continuity and coherence are the necessary requisites of history: History carries the
burden of human progress as it is passed down from generation to generation, from
society to society, justifying the essence of continuity.

Relevant: In the study of history only those events are included which are relevant to the
understanding of the present life.

Comprehensiveness: According to modern concept, history is not confined to one period or

country or nation. It also deals with all aspects of human life-political, social, economic
religious, literary, aesthetic and physical, giving a clear sense of world unity and world
citizenship.

CONCEPTS OF HISTORY
History is the analysis and interpretation of the human past enabling us to study continuity and
changes that are taking place over time. It is an act of both investigation and imagination that
seeks to explain how people have changed over time. Historians use all forms of evidence to
examine, interpret, revisit, and reinterpret the past. These include not just written documents,
but also oral communication and objects such as buildings, artifacts, photographs and paintings.
Historians are trained in the methods of discovering and evaluating these sources and the
challenging task of making historical sense out of them.

History is a means to understand the past and present. The different interpretations of the past
allow us to see the present differently and therefore imagine-and work towards-different
futures. It is often said to be the "queen" or "mother" of the social sciences. It is the basis of all
subjects of study which fall under the category of Humanities and Social Sciences. It is also the
basis of the study of philosophy, politics, economics and even art and religion. No wonder, it is
considered an indispensible subject in the complete education of man.

THE MODERN CONCEPT OF HISTORY

Modern history has gone beyond the traditional status of an antiquarian and leisure time
pursuit to a very useful and indispensible part of a man's education. It is more scientific and
more comprehensive. It has expanded in all directions both vertically and horizontally. It has
become broad-based and attractive.

According to modern concept, history does not contain only the history of kings and queens,
battles and generals, but the history of the common man-his house and clothing his fields and
their cultivation, his continued efforts to protect his home and hearth, and to obtain a just
government, his aspirations, achievements, disappointments, defeats and failures. It is not only
the individual but the communities and the societies are the subject of study of history. Study
of history deepens our understanding of the potentialities and limitations of the present. It has
thus become a future-oriented study related to contemporary problems. For all these reasons,
history has assumed the role of a human science.

AIMS OF TEACHING HISTORY

To promote self-understanding: History needs to be taught to promote Self understanding.
Everyone has a heritage which is uniquely his, a combination of racial, national, family and
individual traditions which are woven into his very being. Without enquiry into these historical
factors, man will remain a stranger to himself. Similarly, in the absence of historical study,
groups and persons will fail to comprehend their own identity. Being a key subject, history
provides useful information necessary for understanding the common allusions in daily reading-
names, places, dates and events etc. Thus the knowledge of history is a part of the self-
awareness and realization of our environment.

To give proper conception of time, space and society: History gives a proper understanding of
the concept of time, space and society. It reveals the relationship of the present with the past,
the local with the distant and personal and national life with the lives and the cultures of men
and women in other countries, in time and space. History is a link uniting each of us as an
individual with a whole greater than ourselves.

To enable the pupils to assess the values and achievements of their own age: History provides
the youths the standards of reference against which they can measure the values and
achievements of their own age. This enables them to have an enlightened awareness of the
problems of modern communities, political, social and economic.

To teach tolerance: History teaches tolerance-tolerance with different faiths, different loyalties,
different cultures, different ideas and ideals.

To develop right attitudes: Development of right attitudes is based on an appreciation of things

which are worth-while in life. Attitudes depend upon intellectual and emotional factors.
Scientific attitude is intellectual, like, judgment based on facts are unaffected by personal
feelings. The teacher has to help his pupils in building up the right attitudes. But before being
able to develop desirable attitudes among his pupils by his himself must exhibit self-control,
patient, sympathy and self-respect.

To foster national feelings: An Important objective of teaching history is the emotional and
national integration of Indian people. Emotional integration is a feeling of oneness among the
people of different cultures, religions, castes and languages. It is the sharing of certain common
objectives, ideals and purposes and giving them high place over smaller and sectional loyalties.
History can play a very important role in realizing this aim.
To develop international understanding: The swift grown of means of communication among
various nations has hastened the exchange of ideas and dependence on each other on various
aspects of life. History is one subject that can promote international understanding the best
possible way. It can destroy prejudices existing among nations; it can also overplay the
fundamental unity and interdependence among nations and underplay the sources of disunity.

To give training for handling controversial issues: Teaching history helps pupils to handle
controversial questions in a spirit that searches for truth-insists on free discussion and permits
compromise. It can expose the pupils to a vast knowledge which will enable them to tackle
controversial issues objectively.
To impart mental training: History can stimulate thought, judgement and discrimination and
create a scientific attitude in the adolescent as a counterbalance to his emotional instability. It
trains the pupils to be accurate in comprehension and expression.

To teach moral principles: History teacher is in an excellent position to inculcate moral values
in pupils' mind. Life stories of great saints, heroes and reformers, like Shankracharya, Buddha,
Rama, Maharana Pratap, Guru Nanak, Swami Dayananda, Swami Vivekananda and Mahatma
Gandhi, etc. encourage pupils to be truthful, courageous, just and selfless. To help resolve our
contemporary social and individual problems: History helps in resolving our contemporary
social and individual problems and developing mature judgments on immediate social issues,
trends and prospects in the field of commerce, industry, international affairs, regional politics
and other aspects of the contemporary society.

To promote socialization among pupils: An important aim of history teaching is the

socialization of pupils in order to make them well informed and enlightened citizens, capable of
promoting common welfare. Socialization awakens a sense of developing confidence, courage
and happiness within oneself. It develops individual and social virtues of initiative,
thoughtfulness, righteousness, constructive thinking, critical judgment, justice, tolerance, co-
operation, fellow feeling and sacrifice etc.

VALUES OF TEACHING HISTORY

Value is that experience or fruit which one gets in the path of achieving aim whereas aim is a
conscious and active purpose that we always keep before our mind. It always remains before us
in the path of achievement.

History is valuable as a study in more ways than one. Some of the values are general that is they
apply to the teaching of the subject in all circumstances. Other values are limited and specific.
They apply to particular types of history, hold for a particular level of schooling or are the
necessary result of teaching if carried out in a particular way.
The values of teaching history may be stated as under:

Disciplinary value: History is quite fruitful for mental training. It trains the mental faculties such
as critical thinking, memory and imagination. It quickens and deepens understanding gives an
insight into the working of social, political, economic, and religious problems.

Informative value: History is a wonderful treasure-house of information and can offer guidance
for the solution to all human problems pertaining to science and art, language and literature,
social and political life, philosophical speculation and economic development. History shows us
the roots without uprooting the tree. A mere emotional attachment to our past can do us little
good, unless it is accompanied with a sober, matured and rational assessment of the values
involved. History is a path finder of man's future.

Cultural and social values: It is essential that one should understand the importance of his/her
own cultural and social values. We should also develop attachment towards our cultural
heritage. History makes us able to understand our present culture. It expounds the culture of
the present time by describing the past. It explains the origin of existing state of things, our
customs, our usages, our institutions. It enables us to understand that the transformations in
human history were brought about by change of habits and of innovation. One of the main
motives of history teaching has been to convey to the pupils the rich heritage of the mankind. It
develops an understanding of the different forces which have shaped the destiny of man and
paved the way for his development in society.

Political values: History is regarded to be the past politics. According to T.S. Seeley, "The
historian is a politician of the political group or organization, the state being his study. To
lecture on political science is to lecture on history." History stands as a beacon of hope when
some nation is overcast with dark clouds. History is extremely necessary for completing the
political and social sciences which are still in the making. History supplements them by a study
of the development of these phenomena in time.

Nationalistic value: History teaching renders an effective service in imbibing the young minds
with a sense of patriotism. It is through history alone that an Indian child comes to know of the
various deeds performed by such patriots as Shivaji, Rana Pratap, Guru Gobind Singh, Rani
Lakshmibai, Bhagat Singh, Gandhiji, Nehru, etc. By reading their great lives and deeds, the child
can easily be inspired to emulate them. A proper teaching of history can prepare the way for
sober nationalism.

Internationalistic value: History shows the dependence and interdependence of nations which
is the root of internationalism. The domain of history is very extensive and wide. Through a
survey of world history, the young learners will come to realize that although different peoples
had and still have different customs, habits, laws, and institutions; they have been striving
towards the same end. The realization of essential unity of human race is the first step towards
fostering universal understanding based on the virtues of tolerance, kindliness, love, sympathy,
and goodwill.
Educational value: History has unique value and importance because it is the only school
subject which is directly and entirely concerned with the behavior and action of human beings.
The imagination of the children is developed through the teaching of history. It is logical to treat
history as a temporal canvas against which the facts learned in other subjects can be arranged.
History is a veritable mine of stories-stories can illustrate even subject of curriculum- the only
condition is that the teacher should know enough stories and should know how to narrate
them.

Intellectual value: A large number of Intellectual values accrue from the teaching of history. It
sharpens memory, develops the power of reasoning, judgement and Imagination. It cultivates
the qualities of reading, analyzing, criticizing, and arriving at conclusions. In historical writings
our past is alive and treasured in the form of chronicles, biographies, stories and other forms of
literary tradition. Once the pupils' curiosity is aroused and interest awakened, he can easily
browse the vast pastures of historical knowledge.

Ethical value: History is important in the curriculum because it helps in the teaching of morality.
Through it a child comes close to the valuable thoughts of saints, reformers, leaders, important
persons and sages. The children get inspired by the life stories of these great leaders. There are
other arguments that go against this notion that history gives ethical teaching.

Vocational value: History has its vocational value. There are several openings for persons well
qualified in the subject. They can get jobs of teachers, librarians, archivists, curators of
museums, secretaries of institutions, social service workers, and political journalists etc.

SUMMARY
History is the basis of all subjects of study which fall under the category of Humanities and
Social Sciences. It is often said to be the "queen" or "mother" of the social sciences. History is
considered an indispensible subject in the complete education of man and it has been defined
differently by different scholars. According to modern concept, history does not only contain
the history of kings and queens, battles and generals, but also the communities and the
societies are the subject of study of history as well. History is a unique subject possessing the
potentialities of both science and art. As an enquiry after truth, history is a science and as a
narrative account of the past, it is an art or a piece of literature.

History is a study of man. It is concerned with man in time and space. It explains the present in
the light of the past. Continuity and coherence are the necessary requisites of history. The
scope of history is vast; it is the story of man in relation to totality of his behavior. It starts with
the past; makes present its sheet-anchor and points to the future.

The aims and objectives of teaching history have undergone changes with the shift in the
philosophical thinking of the time and changes in the social and political practices.
Determination of aims and objectives is necessary. Instructional objectives need to be clearly
defined. The pupils should acquire knowledge, should develop specific understandings,
attitudes, Interests and appreciations, relevant to history.
History is valuable as a study in more ways than one. The values of teaching history are
disciplinary, Informative, educational, ethical, cultural, intellectual, political nationalistic,
internationalistic and vocational.

COLONIALISM AND HISTORICAL THEMES IN THE PHILIPPINES

The islands of the Philippines in ancient times had the closest links culturally to Southeast Asia
and China. With the exception of Mindanao, and the islands south of it, influence from the
islands that now make up Indonesia is thought to have been minimal.