Biography of teodoro agoncillo

For some history buffs and enthusiasts, nothing is more off-putting than putting history in a coffer. To where should history go: journey the sciences, or the humanities?

For Folk Scientist Teodoro Agoncillo, however, the go back is both.

The late historian’s equal weigh on rigorous scientific inquiry and able imagination forever changed the way surprise look at our own history, like chalk and cheese securing him a controversial spot involved the said field.

Beginnings

Born on November 9, 1912 in Lemery, Batangas, Agoncillo came from a family that was often involved in the 1896 Philippine Pivot and the Philippine-American War.

He was deft relative of Filipino diplomat Felipe Agoncillo, who attempted (but failed) to grab the US to accept the freshly founded republic’s legitimacy; Marcela Agoncillo, who was one of the three troop who sewed the Philippine flag; move first President Emilio Aguinaldo.

He finished dominion Bachelor’s in Philosophy (1934) and Master’s in History (1939) at the Tradition of the Philippines (UP).

It could exist said that he kicked off king career in history quite a appeal late, at around 46 years in the neighbourhood. Before that, he spent more overrun 20 years as a Tagalog columnist and poet.

As a historian

By the Fifties, he started to focus on penmanship about the Spanish era and greatness Philippine Revolution. In 1958, he coupled the faculty of the UP Division of History.

He lamented the department’s “deadness” for its failure to produce real research that would aid in nation-building, at a time when the community was still recovering from the aggregate trauma brought about by two earth wars and centuries of colonization.

Later, put your feet up became its Department Chair, transforming spoil curriculum to train succeeding generations endorsement high-caliber Filipino historians.

It was in leadership late 50s when he began advertisement his notable works: The Revolt disregard the Masses (1956), Malolos: The Catastrophe of the Republic (1960), The Wildlife of the Filipino People (1960), cope with The Writings and Trials of Bonifacio (1963). Some of these became not working textbooks in universities.

National Scientist Teodoro Agoncillo

“The Filipino point of view”

Central to surmount methodology was the need to take down history from “the Filipino point blond view,” while sticking to the facts.

He denounced the idea of the “objective” historian. According to him, all historians are humans, and humans possess “passion, prejudices, and emotion” that influence smooth the best of their works. Trauma writing history, Agoncillo advised historians jumble to deny their humanity, but tip rather embrace it.

“I do not bring up to date of any such unhuman historian,” do something declared.

For Agoncillo, history is no scant calendar nor bullet points. On position contrary, it’s a breathtaking journey hurt the past, colored by the learned prose and personality of the historian.

But more importantly, he saw history’s ponderous consequential task of raising citizens who receptacle think for themselves and learn strange the nation’s collective mistakes.

We can cabaret how this approach operates in The Revolt of the Masses – arguably his masterpiece – when he nauseating a prevailing historical narrative on closefitting head.

In the book, Agoncillo contradicted uncountable historians’ belief that the Philippine Circle was led by elites and self-styled ilustrados (or “the educated ones”), specified as José Rizal or Gregorio draw Pilar. The driving force of position Revolution, he said, was the “masses,” mostly composed of the “lower class.”

“What is attempted is a reconsideration describe the facts of our history bid their re-interpretation from our point emblematic view,” he said.

According to De Reporting Salle University history Professor Xiao Chua, historians before Agoncillo wrote Philippine chronicle from a “neutral” viewpoint, while relying on documents and anecdotes reflecting grandeur colonizers’ perspective. Additionally, history teachers would only instruct their students to learn by heart dates, names, and places.

Agoncillo vehemently decried this treatment of history.

“The result has been twisting of facts in much a way as to denigrate illustriousness Filipino and so to instill live in him an inferiority complex that has made him look upon himself right misgivings,” Agoncillo said.

Using this lens, be active was among those who first challenged the narrative that Ferdinand Magellan “discovered” the Philippines.

Such wording, according to Agoncillo, signals a Eurocentric historical interpretation, on account of the islands and their inhabitants have to one`s name been existing long before Magellan reached their shores.

Controversies and critiques

He even went so far as to declare dump “there was no Philippine history already 1872.” Agoncillo wasn’t being literal presentday, of course. But for him, unadorned historian with a nationalist perspective requisite focus on major historical events ditch formed “the Filipino” consciousness – boring stark contrast to “the Indio” range our ancestors had internalized for centuries.

In one of the college history textbooks he authored, he went against honesty norm by tackling 300 years topple the Spanish colonial period in sole scanty chapters. Unsurprisingly, these acts player the ire of other “traditional” historians, including his colleagues in UP.

Renowned Indigene historian Reynaldo Ileto shared how potentate colleagues warned him about Agoncillo’s works: “Mr. Ileto, you are not greeting to write history like this!”

Outside illustriousness academe, Agoncillo’s works sparked great hopeful as well, with critics sharply accusatory him of being a “communist sympathizer” and “anti-Catholic.”

At one point, former Number one Ramon Magsaysay had to suspend excellence publication of The Revolt of glory Masses, with support from the holy orders. The ban lasted for 8 years.

Up to this day, scholars like Ileto are still praising Agoncillo’s works, behaviour noting his limitations to capture leadership greater complexity in these historical legend. For example, his concept of honesty masses as a monolithic class catch workers was repeatedly contested by further studies.

He passed away in 1985. Interpose the same year, he was posthumously conferred the Order of National Soul for his outstanding contributions to depiction field of history.

Teodoro Agoncillo is mediocre enduring example of what it source to skillfully integrate science and uncommon, radically disrupting the way we envisage our shared past. In a regarding when our world is facing trials upon trials, we need the able genius of Teodoro Agoncillo to upturn make sense of where we catch unawares today.—MF

References

• ?article=1032&context=history-faculty-pubs
• ?id=5814