William Henry Scott (historian)

William Henry Scott (July 10, 1921October 4, 1993) was a historian of the Gran Corillera
Central an !rehis"anic !hili""ines# $e "ersonally re%ecte the escri"tion anthro"olo&ist as
a""lyin& to hi'self#
Early life
(illia' $enry )cott was born on 10 July 1921, in *etroit, +ichi&an, where he was
christene Henry King Ahrens# $is fa'ily, of *utch,-utheran escent, soon returne
to .ethlehe', !ennsyl/ania, where )cott s"ent his boyhoo# 0n 1931, )cott won a three,year
scholarshi" to the 2"isco"alian,affiliate Cranbroo3 )chool in +ichi&an 4)5, where he e6celle
acae'ically an beca'e intereste in "ursuin& a career as an archeolo&ist# 0n 1939, after
&rauatin&, he chan&e his na'e to (illia' $enry )cott# 0n 1942, )cott %oine the 4) 7a/y, ser/in&
throu&hout (orl (ar 00 until 1941# $e was recalle to ser/ice in the na/y for ei&hteen 'onths
urin& the 8orean (ar# 0n 1941, )cott %oine the 2"isco"al Church 'ission in China# $e tau&ht an
stuie in )han&hai, 9an&chow an .ei%in& until 1949#
(ith the &eneral e6"ulsion of forei&ners fro' China in 1949, he followe so'e of his
teachers to 9ale 4ni/ersity where he enrolle, &rauatin& in 19:1 with a .5 in Chinese lan&ua&e
an literature#
(illia' $enry )cott at )a&aa (19;9)
Born (illia' $enry )cott
July 10, 1921
*etroit, +ichi&an, 4nite )tates
Died October 4, 1993 (a&e <2)
)t# -u3e=s +eical Center
>ue?on City, !hili""ines
Resting place
)aint +ary @he Air&in Ce'etery
)a&aa, +ountain !ro/ince
Nationality 5'erican
Other names $enry 8in& 5hrens
Occpation $istorian
0''eiately u"on &rauation he was recalle to acti/e uty an ser/e in the na/y for
ei&hteen 'onths urin& the 8orean (ar# 0n 19:3 he was a""ointe lay 'issionary in the !rotestant
2"sico"al Church in the 4nite )tates of 5'erica# 5lthou&h he wante to teach in Ja"an until he
coul return to China, he acce"te an a/ailable "ost as teacher of 2n&lish an history in
the !hili""ines, an was assi&ne to )t +aryBs )chool in )a&aa, +ountain !ro/ince, !hili""ines#
5fter "re"aratory stuies in the 4nite )tates, he reache )a&aa in January 19:4#
!n the "hilippines
@he 2"isco"al Church beca'e well establishe in
the Corillera 'ountain re&ion of 7orthern -u?on urin& the
4) colonial "erio, an it was here that )cott settle# $e
s"ent 'uch of the re'ainer of his life in the 8an3ana,ey
town of )a&aa# 8nown to his friens as C)cottyC, he
beca'e a focus for "il&ri'a&e by nu'erous forei&n an
Dili"ino acae'ics, entertainin& the' in his boo3,line stuy
while he "uffe away on his trae'ar3 ci&ar#
)oon after Derinan +arcos eclare 'artial law in
19<2, )cott was arreste as a sub/ersi/e an "lace in 'ilitary etention# )e/eral of the boys )cott
ha tau&ht an s"onsore o/er the years he ha li/e in )a&aa belon&e to the anti,+arcos
o""osition, an )cott was alle&e to be a co''unist sy'"athiser# 5s an 5'erican citi?en )cott
coul ha/e easily left the !hili""ines, but he ecline, an so face e"ortation "roceein&s#
+arcos= outwar co''it'ent to le&al for'alities resulte in )cott bein& "ut on trial for sub/ersion# 0n
court, Cresounin&ly su""orte an efene by friens, stuents, an collea&ues, an by )cott=s
own brilliant testi'onyC, he was e6onerate with the court is'issin& the char&es in 19<3#
)cott was &i/en Ca 'e'orable an triu'"hant welco'e bac3 in )a&aaC followin& his
acEuittal# $e continue to be critical of the +arcos re&i'e# @he hi&h le/el of estee' in which he was
hel "rotecte hi' fro' further "rosecution, althou&h his situation re'aine "recarious until the
liftin& of 'artial law# $e critici?e 4) colonial rule an continuin& 4) in/ol/e'ent in !hili""ine
"olitics after ine"enence, es"ecially 4) su""ort for +arcos# 0n this he "ursue a si'ilar line to the
Dili"ino nationalist historian Fenato Constantino#
)cott=s house in )a&aa, /iewe fro'
the for'er @rainin& )chool in 200<
Writer and lectrer
)cott obser/e the 0&orot "eo"le of the Corillera re&ion ha "reser/e ele'ents of "re,
colonial culture to a &reater e&ree, an o/er a wier area, than coul be foun elsewhere in the
!hili""ines# $e saw the resistance of 0&orots to atte'"ts by the +arcos &o/ern'ent to e/elo"
"ro%ects in the re&ion as a 'oel for resistance elsewhere in the country# $e i not su""ort the /iew
that the 0&orot "eo"le are intrinsically ifferent to other Dili"inos, or the /iew that the Corillera
shoul beco'e an ethnic "reser/e#
)cott was scathin& of /iews that i/ie Dili"inos into ethnic &rou"s, escribin& $enry Otley
.eyer=s wa/e 'i&ration theory as re"resentin& settle'ent by =wa/e after better wa/e= until the last
wa/e which was =so a/ance that it coul a""reciate the benefits of sub'ittin& to 5'erican
rule=# Aiews li3e these resonate with the "ro&ressi/e nationalist o""osition to +arcos#
)cott hel a .achelor=s e&ree fro' 9ale 4ni/ersity, a +asters fro' Colu'bia
4ni/ersity an a !h* fro' the 4ni/ersity of )anto @o'as# )cott=s issertation was "ublishe by the
4ni/ersity of )anto @o'as !ress as Prehispanic Source Materials for the Study of Philippine
History in 191;# 5 re/ise an e6"ane secon eition was "ublishe in 19;4# $e ebun3e
the 8alantiaw le&en in this boo3# *atu 8alantiaw was the 'ain character in a historical fabrication
written in 1913 by Jose 2# +arco# @hrou&h a series of failures by scholars to critically assess
+arco=s re"resentation, the in/ente le&en was ao"te as actual history# 5s a result of )cott=s
wor3, 8alantiaw is no lon&er a "art of the stanar history te6ts in the !hili""ines#
)cott=s first well 3nown acae'ic wor3 is The Discovery of the Igorots# @his is a history of the
Corillera 'ountain re&ion o/er se/eral centuries of )"anish contact, constructe fro'
conte'"orary )"anish sources# )cott ar&ues that the ifficulties the )"aniars encountere
e6tenin& their rule in the face of local resistance resulte in the inhabitants of the re&ion bein&
classifie as a =sa/a&e= race se"arate to the 'ore tractable lowlan Dili"inos# )cott ao"te a si'ilar
a""roach inCracks in the Parchment Curtain in which he tries to &lean a "icture of "re,colonial
!hili""ine society fro' early )"anish sources# @his "ro%ect was critici?e by the 5sianist .eneict
5nerson who ar&ue that it yiele a /ision of !hili""ine society filtere throu&h =late 'eie/al=
)"anish unerstanin&# )cott was aware of this li'itation, but ar&ue )"anish recors "ro/ie
&li'"ses of Dili"ino society an nati/e reaction to colonial o'inion, often inciental to the intention
of the )"anish chronicler, which were the crac3s in the )"anish "arch'ent curtain#
0n 1994, the 5teneo e +anila 4ni/ersity "osthu'ously &a/e )cott the #angla$ ng %ahi
A$ard for a lifeti'e Cs"ent in teachin& not only in the classroo', but also the outsie worl by
'eans of the broa reaches of his contacts an co''unication, an 'ost of all throu&h his
hunres of "ublishe scholarly articles an ins"irationals which continue to isse'inate an teach
honest !hili""ine history to succeein& &enerations of Dili"inos#C
One of )cott=s last full scale boo3s was Ilocano Responses to American Aggression#
G12H
@he forewor
was written by Jo'a )ison, the hea of the !hili""ine Co''unist !arty# @he 2*)5 re/olution,
which coincie with the "ublication of the boo3, obscure the fact that the forewor ha been
written while )ison was in %ail#
$arol C Con3lin=s iographical !ote and i"liography lists 243 e6tant written wor3s by
)cott fro' 194: until those "osthu'ously "ublishe in 1994#
Death
)cott ie une6"ectely on 4 October 1993, a&e <2, in )t -u3e=s $os"ital, >ue?on City,
followin& what was consiere to ha/e been a routine &all blaer o"eration# $e was burie in the
ce'etery of )aint +ary the Air&in, )a&aa, +ountain !ro/ince on 10 October 1993#
References
Scott&s more $ell 'no$n $or's inclde
)cott, (illia' $enry (19<4)# Discovery of the Igorots #revised edition$# >ue?on CityI 7ew
*ay !ublishers# 0).7 9<1,10,00;<,3#
)cott, (illia' $enry (19<1)# Hollo% Ships on a &ine'Dark Sea and (ther )ssays# >ue?on
CityI 7ew *ay !ublishers#
)cott, (illia' $enry (19;2)# Cracks in the Parchment Curtain and (ther )ssays in
Philippine History# >ue?on CityI 7ew *ay !ublishers# 0).7 9<;,9<1,10,0000,4#
)cott, (illia' $enry (19;4)# Prehispanic Source Materials for the Study of Philippine History#
7ew *ay !ublishers#0).7 9<1,10,0221,4#
)cott, (illia' $enry (19;1)# Ilocano Responses to American Aggression* +,--'+,-+#
>ue?on CityI 7ew *ay !ublishers#0).7 9<;,9<1,10,0331,4#
)cott, (illia' $enry (19;<)# Chips# >ue?on CityI 7ew *ay !ublishers# 0).7 9<;,9<1,10,
0331,9#
)cott, (illia' $enry (19;;)# A Sagada Reader# >ue?on CityI 7ew *ay
!ublishers# 0).7 9<;,9<1,10,0330,2#
)cott, (illia' $enry (19;9)# &ho are .ou* /ilipino .outh# >ue?on CityI 7ew *ay
!ublishers# 0).7 9<;,9<1,10,034:,1#
)cott, (illia' $enry (1991)# Slavery in the Spanish Philippines# +anilaI *e -a )alle
4ni/ersity !ress# 0).7 9<1,11,;102,9#
)cott, (illia' $enry (1992)# 0nion ("rera Democratica1 /irst /ilipino 2a"or 0nion# >ue?on
CityI 7ew *ay !ublishers# 0).7 9<;,9<1,10,04;;,0#
)cott, (illia' $enry (1992)# 2ooking for the Prehispanic /ilipino and (ther )ssays in the
Philippine History# >ue?on CityI 7ew *ay !ublishers# 0).7 9<1,10,0:24,<#
)cott, (illia' $enry (1994)# arangay1 Si3teenth Century Philippine Culture and Society#
>ue?on CityI 5teneo e +anila 4ni/ersity !ress# 0).7 9<1,::0,13:,4#
(estschrift in honor of William Henry Scott
!eralta, Jesus @, eitor (2001)# Reflections on Philippine Culture and Society1 /estschrift#
+anilaI 5teneo e +anila 4ni/ersity !ress# 0).7 9<;,9<1,::0,31;,1#
Select )ollected Wor's
4c,8un&, .e?alie .autista, &eneral eitor (2001)# 4reat Scott1 the !e% Day &illiam Henry
Scott Reader# >ue?on CityI 7ew *ay !ublishers# 0).7 9<1,10,1121,3#
Wor's as editor
)cott, (illia' $enry, eitor an annotator (19<:)# 4erman Travelers on the Cordillera
#+56-'+5,-$# +anilaI @he Dili"iniana .oo3 Guil#
Source : http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Henry_Scott_(historian)
Prepared By: RBA