HIST 01. MODULE ONE.

Lesson 1.4. Content and Context Analysis

Hi, guys! In the three previous lessons for Module 1, we talked about how history is an
interpretation, an argument, and an instrument, how sources of history can be either
primary or secondary, and how we can initially identify historical perspectives from one
another. Now we go to our final lesson for this module, which is on content and context
analysis. Ready?

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HIST 01. MODULE ONE.
Lesson 1.4. Content and Context Analysis

Let’s begin with a recap of the previous lesson. When identifying perspectives in history,
we already said that the 4 basic things to look out for are: a document’s author, content,
audience, and language.

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HIST 01. MODULE ONE.
Lesson 1.4. Content and Context Analysis

We discussed pantayong pananaw as the most pro-Filipino of all historical perspectives,

but we also said that even if two authors are both using this perspective, it still does not
guarantee that their views of the past would be the same. Again, this is because of many
other factors shaping and influencing the way we are biased. Since we are in a college-
level history class, we have to be aware of our biases now more than ever. Our version of
Philippine history has to be more intelligent than how it was in grade school and high
school.

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HIST 01. MODULE ONE.
Lesson 1.4. Content and Context Analysis

So how do we go about a college-level study of Philippine history? Well, we said two

lessons ago that we want to discover for ourselves what primary sources have to say, and
we said that secondary sources will help us figure out how different primary sources fit
together.

When we study what a primary source says, we are looking at its content. When we study
what’s around that primary source, such as events and maybe even other primary
sources, we are looking at context.

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HIST 01. MODULE ONE.
Lesson 1.4. Content and Context Analysis

Let’s differentiate the two terms: content and context. When we say content, with an N,
we’re referring to what’s literally inside the primary source: the who, what, when, where,
etc. We’re also interested in what the primary source is, by itself. More on that in the
next slide.

When we say context, with an X, we’re referring to the surroundings or outside of the
primary source, or the bigger picture to which the source belongs. Context is what gives
meaning to the content of a primary source.

If you need to visualize this some more, think of a jigsaw puzzle piece. By itself, the
purple puzzle piece already has something to say: it has a fabulous color, a texture, a
shape that all mean something. But by knowing how it fits with the orange, white, and
yellow pieces, we can understand better and verify its meaning.

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HIST 01. MODULE ONE.
Lesson 1.4. Content and Context Analysis

Is this clear? By analyzing both content and context, our understanding of history is much
deeper. If you practice this method of analysis long enough, you also learn not to take
any slice of knowledge for granted, which is always a plus.

Now, let’s go through the pre-set guide questions for analyzing content and context. All
this is available in a downloadable format you can access from the main page. There are
three sets of questions, two for analyzing content, and one set for analyzing context.

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HIST 01. MODULE ONE.
Lesson 1.4. Content and Context Analysis

Set 1 asks the questions that will establish the authenticity and provenance of a primary
source. In other words, it will help us determine whether a source is genuine or legit, by
asking where it comes from.

So the questions for Set 1 are:

• What type of primary source is it? What are its physical characteristics? Is it made of
paper, wood, stone, etc.? Is it 3.51 inches long and 5.79 inches wide?
• Then, when and where was it produced?
• What was its original form? If you’re only studying a photocopied version, was it
originally a printed book or a piece of cloth or a moldy parchment paper?
• Then who was the author or maker of the primary source? This is the part that requires
extra research, because we’re looking for the factors shaping our author’s biases, and
we’ll need to find out more about their background to be able to do that.

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HIST 01. MODULE ONE.
Lesson 1.4. Content and Context Analysis

Set 2 asks the questions that will determine the credibility of the primary source,
meaning whether it is believable.

That is why we ask:

• What are the primary source’s main points? What is it about?
• For whom was it intended? And what historical perspective does it use? Does it use
pantayong pananaw, or something different?
• Then, what are the author or maker’s possible motives for making the source?
Sometimes a document will say why it was made, so you will need to quote evidences
like that.
• Finally, are any parts of the source inconsistent with each other? Does Josefina say
something on page 1 but then suddenly say the opposite on page 12? This last part
matters because it tells us if the item we’re studying is a good source of information
or not.

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HIST 01. MODULE ONE.
Lesson 1.4. Content and Context Analysis

Lastly, set 3 asks the questions about context, or the bigger picture.

Here we ask:
• What does the primary source tell us about the period it is from? If a letter mentions a
number of people getting the same hairstyle, it tells you that hairstyle must’ve been
popular during that time. Or if a receipt indicates the price of a bottle of Coke, it gives
you an idea of how much items cost back then.
• Next, what questions would you personally like to ask the author or maker about the
primary source?
• Then, what questions does the primary source leave unanswered?
• And finally, does anything in the source contradict or not fit with the period it is from?
Does Paulito talk about using a telephone in 1632 when telephones were not yet
invented?

So these are all the guide questions for content and context analysis. Again, you can
download it from the main page and read the questions more carefully. When you finish
this video, you will unlock 3 familiar primary sources I would like you to practice on.

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HIST 01. MODULE ONE.
Lesson 1.4. Content and Context Analysis

As we wrap up, let’s connect all the lessons from module 1. What you learned just now is
a thorough way to analyze content and context, and we use this method of analysis to
understand primary sources, which you learned in Lesson 2.

What are the primary sources for? We use them in turn to construct a history about
Filipinos, that is by Filipino students, for Filipinos. This is the pantayong pananaw we
learned in Lesson 3. But then, so what if we write our own history? Why do we bother
with history at all?

Remember the GTKY question we have in Discord? I asked you to rate from 1 to 10 your
ability to imagine yourself into a scenario. Even though history is basically a record of real
events, we need imagination to learn from the histories we produce. Yep, I really said
imagination. If we are able to imagine ourselves into something we’ve never
experienced personally, we can understand better why some people are the way they
are, why our country could possibly be the way that it is.

We learn to see events from another person’s perspective or POV. We can understand
why and how certain things can happen to us, because they’ve already happened to
others before. For something that sounds childish, imagination is actually what will help
us learn the most from this history class. Keep that in mind.

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