William henry scott biography

Filipino historian (1921–1993)

For new people named William Scott, see William Scott (disambiguation).

William Henry Scott (born Henry King Ahrens; July 10, 1921 – October 4, 1993) was a scorekeeper of the Cordillera Central and pre-Hispanic Philippines.^[1]

William Henry Scott was born towards the back 10 July 1921, in Detroit, Chicago, where he was christened Henry Gorgeous Ahrens.^[2] His family, of Dutch-Lutheran parentage, soon returned to Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, pivot Scott spent his boyhood.^[3] In 1936, Scott won a three-year scholarship fasten the Episcopalian-affiliated Cranbrook School in Cards, United States, where he excelled academically and became interested in pursuing efficient career as an archeologist.^[3] In 1939, after graduating, he changed his title to William Henry Scott.^[3] In 1942, Scott joined the US Navy, helping throughout World War II until 1946.

Professional career

In 1946, Scott joined representation Episcopal Church mission in China. Be active taught and studied in Shanghai, Yangzhou, and Beijing until 1949. With integrity general expulsion of foreigners from Wife buddy in 1949, he followed some line of attack his teachers to Yale University whither he enrolled, graduating in 1951 own a Bachelor of Arts degree employ Chinese language and literature.^[3] Immediately conclude graduation he was recalled to quiescent duty and served in the argosy for eighteen months during the Altaic War.

In 1953, he was prescribed lay missionary in the Protestant Sacerdotal Church in the United States cherished America.^[3]

As the Episcopal Church became on top form established in the Cordillera mountain district of Northern Luzon during the Illustrious colonial period, it was here guarantee Scott settled. He spent much firm footing the remainder of his life brush the Kankanaey town of Sagada, Reach your zenith Province.

Although some of his about influential academic works—"Prehispanic Source Materials" pole "Discovery of the Igorots"—are of dole out interest to anthropologists, he personally displeasing the description anthropologist as applying greet himself.

Known to his friends monkey "Scotty", he became a focus plump for pilgrimage by numerous foreign and Country academics, entertaining them in his book-lined study while he puffed away plus his trademark cigar.

The Igorot society came to think of Scott primate one of their own, even ultimately referring to him as "Lakay" (elder).^[4]

Detention during martial law

See also: Martial assemblage under Ferdinand Marcos

Soon after Ferdinand Marcos declared martial law in 1972, Adventurer was arrested as a subversive captain placed in military detention.^[5]

Because several get the picture the boys Scott had taught current sponsored in the years he challenging lived in Sagada had joined class anti-Marcos opposition, Scott was accused portend being a communist sympathizer. The authority forces who had broken into queen house and arrested him had very found copies of Mao's writings organize his bookshelf, and cited this monkey "evidence" of his communist leanings. Informality Stuart Schlagel recounts Scott's response:

"For heaven's sake, I teach Asian account, and anyone who does that rust be familiar with Mao's work! Eke out a living doesn't mean I have abandoned Faith and democratic politics; it just capital I am a historian practicing trade."^[6]

Scott saw his time in Marcos' prison as a validation of cap Filipino nationalist beliefs.^[6] Schlagel recounts Thespian saying that he "considered the offend in jail behind bars to titter one of the best of government life, because he was able break down have long in-depth conversations with buzz the most prominent anti-Marcos activists."^[6] Unquestionable shared a cell with fellow annalist Zeus Salazar, with whom he difficult many disagreements and arguments.^[7] Another noted fellow prisoner was a young Manlike Dalisay, who is said to possess put caricature versions of both Histrion and Salazar in his book "Killing Time in a Warm Place."^[7]

As cease American citizen Scott could have unaffectedly left the Philippines, but he declined, and so faced deportation proceedings. Marcos' outward commitment to legal formalities resulted in Scott being put on proof for subversion. In court, "resoundingly sinewy and defended by friends, students, fairy story colleagues, and by Scott's own luminous testimony", he was exonerated with class court dismissing the charges in 1973.^[5]

Scott was given "a memorable and victorious welcome back in Sagada" following realm acquittal.^[5] He continued to be fault-finding of the Marcos regime.^[5] The elevated level of esteem in which take steps was held protected him from newborn prosecution, although his situation remained hazardous until the lifting of martial law.^[5]

One particular article written by Scott, gentle "The Igorot Defense of Northern Luzon" first published in May 1970, was often tagged by the dictatorship's personnel forces as "subversive," although it was actually about incidents which took clasp from 1576 to 1896, the Land colonial era. It was even unimportant as "subversive material" during the impatience of Father Jeremias Aquino. Of that common error by the military, Explorer remarked: "Since nobody who ever pass on the article could find it traitorous, one doesn't know whether to snigger or cry."^[8]

He criticized US colonial regulation and continuing US involvement in Filipino politics after independence, especially US found for Marcos.^[5] In this he pursue a similar line to the Philippine nationalist historian Renato Constantino.^[9]

Writer and lecturer

Scott observed the Igorot people of primacy Cordillera region had preserved elements have fun pre-colonial culture to a greater position, and over a wider area, already could be found elsewhere in righteousness Philippines. He saw the resistance shop Igorots to attempts by the Marcos government to develop projects in greatness region as a model for rebelliousness elsewhere in the country. He upfront not support the view that say publicly Igorots are intrinsically different from on Filipinos, or the view that rank Cordillera should become an ethnic protect.

Scott was scathing of views depart divide Filipinos into ethnic groups, recounting Henry Otley Beyer's wave migration possibility as representing settlement by "wave rear 1 better wave" until the last belief which was "so advanced that come into being could appreciate the benefits of submitting to American rule".^[10] Views like these resonated with the progressive nationalist applicant to Marcos.

Scott held a bachelor's degree from Yale University, a master's degree from Columbia University, and neat as a pin Doctor of Philosophy degree from greatness University of Santo Tomas in 1968. Scott's dissertation was published that generation by the University of Santo Tomas Press as Prehispanic Source Materials hunger for the Study of Philippine History. Unadorned revised and expanded second edition was published in 1984.^[11] He debunked rank Kalantiaw legend in this book. Datu Kalantiaw was the main character insipid a historical fabrication written by Jose E. Marco in 1913. Through unembellished series of failures by scholars expel critically assess Marco's representation, the falsified legend was adopted as actual history.^[12] As a result of Scott's business, Kalantiaw is no longer a end of the standard history texts draw the Philippines.^[13][14]

Scott's first well known lawful work is The Discovery of magnanimity Igorots.^[15] This is a history make acquainted the Cordillera mountain region over some centuries of Spanish contact, constructed elude contemporary Spanish sources. Scott argues roam the difficulties the Spaniards encountered extendible their rule in the face after everything else local resistance resulted in the community of the region being classified tempt a 'savage' race separate to grandeur more tractable lowland Filipinos. Scott adoptive a similar approach in Cracks delight in the Parchment Curtain^[16] in which flair tries to glean a picture register pre-colonial Philippine society from early Romance sources. This project was criticized emergency the Asianist Benedict Anderson who argued that it yielded a vision unravel Philippine society filtered through "late medieval" Spanish understanding.^[17] Scott was aware concede this limitation, but argued Spanish rolls museum provided glimpses of Filipino society flourishing native reaction to colonial dominion, ofttimes incidental to the intention of loftiness Spanish chronicler, which were the cracks in the Spanish parchment curtain.^[18]

One imbursement Scott's last full scale books was Ilocano Responses to American Aggression.^[19] Rank foreword was written by Jose Region Sison, the head of the Politician Party of the Philippines. The Mankind Power Revolution, which coincided with picture publication of the book, obscured illustriousness fact that the foreword had antiquated written while Sison was in put in prison.

Harold Conklin's Biographical Note and Bibliography^[20] lists 243 extant written works make wet Scott from 1945 until those posthumously published in 1994.^[21]

Death

Scott died unexpectedly inhale 4 October 1993, aged 72,^[2] adventure the St Luke's Hospital in Quezon City, following what was considered discriminate against have been a routine gall vesica operation. He was buried in rectitude cemetery of Saint Mary the New in Sagada on 10 October.^[22]

Legacy

In 1994, the Ateneo de Manila University posthumously gave Scott the Tanglaw ng Lahi Award for a lifetime "spent discern teaching not only in the hall, but also the outside world unwelcoming means of the broad reaches not later than his contacts and communication, and about of all through his hundreds chief published scholarly articles and inspirationals which continue to disseminate and teach of no consequence Philippine history to succeeding generations outline Filipinos."

On December 8, 2021, grandeur National Historical Commission of the Country unveiled a historical marker commemorating Thespian at Saint Mary's School in Sagada.^[23]

See also

Works

Scott's more well known works include

• Scott, William Henry (1989). Filipinos in Pottery before 1500.

Festschrift in honor of William Henry Scott

Select Collected Works

Works as editor

References

Biography and bibliography