Zeus A. Salazar

Born on April 29, 1934 in Tiwi, Albay, he is the eldest in the seven children of Luz Atayza-Salazar and Ireneo Salazar (his father being the first lawyer in their town). He went to San Beda College, where he finished his primary education as valedictorian in 1947, before going to Albay High School (which will become Bicol State University) for his secondary education. Salazar then proceeded to enter University of the Philippines Diliman where he took up Bachelor of Arts in History. Graduated in 1955, he was the first summa cum laude of the history program of UP.

After a year of service as an assistant instructor in the Department of History, Salazar went to Paris, France where he stayed 12 years (1956-1968) for his graduate studies. The numerous academic credentials that he obtained includes various diplomas and licenses in French language and civilization, Malay-Indonesian language and civilization, Russian language and civilization, general linguistics, history of religions, prehistoric archaeology, ethnology, and cultural anthropology of Oceania, from different institutions such as Ecole Nationale des Langues Orientales Vivantes, Musée de l’Homme, and Sorbonne Universite de Paris. His European sojourn culminates in his attainment of Doctorat en Ethnologie (Ph.D. in Ethnology) from Sorbonne. Working under his Ph.D. adviser Roger Bastide (a French sociologist-anthropologist who is well known for the study of Afro-Brazilian native religions), he wrote a dissertation that bears the title “Le concept AC+ ‘anitu’ dans le monde austronesien: vers l’etude comparative des religions ethnique austronesiennes” (The Common Austronesian Anitu in the Austronesian World: Toward a Comparative Study of the Ethnic Austronesian Religions). Unfortunately, this valuable study is still unpublished in the Philippines, due to the fact that it was written in the French language. One could just speculate on how Salazar's scholarship might have a wider impact in the Philippine and Southeast Asian anthropology if it was published in the 1970s. His more than a decade of study in Europe made him a polyglot, who could speak and write in various languages including Spanish, French, German, Russian, Bahasa, among others.

After his rigorous training in Paris, Salazar returned to the Philippines and joined the faculty of UP Department of History, where he taught for 30 years. He used Filipino as a medium of communication from the very start of his teaching career in 1969, following the tradition that was started in 1965 by his mentor Guadalupe Fores-Ganzon. Although Pantayong Pananaw (PP) as a term would only be existent in 1989, its leading proponents argue that its seed was already sown in the publication of Salazar's essay in 1970 entitled “Ang Pagtuturo ng Kasaysayan sa Pilipino.” Continuing his insistence on the use of Filipino, Salazar would emerge as one of the main figures in the indigenization movement in UP-Diliman, particularly in the College of Social Sciences and Philosophy, where he worked closely with like-minded scholars such as anthropologist Prospero Covar (Father of Pilipinolohiya) and Virgilio Enriquez (Father of Sikolohiyang Pilipino). Together with Enriquez, Covar, Leonardo Mercado (the last being a leading proponent of Filipino philosophy) and others, he would also become a founding member of Pambansang Samahan sa Sikolohiyang Pilipino (National Association of Filipino Psychology), established in 1975.

Zeus Salazar speaking at the Tasaday International Conference, 1986.

It was in the 1970s that his conflict with President Ferdinand Marcos began. Writing the essay “Notes on Tasaday,” he was the very first scholar who doubted the myth proliferated by the government that the Tasaday group is a stone-age civilization, which maintained their culture by being isolated from the rest of Philippines. This conflict escalates when Salazar became a major participant in an uprising in UP historically known as Diliman Commune. It leads to his imprisonment when Marcos declared Martial Law. His 3-year sentence was reduced into 3 months when Leticia Ramos-Shahani (sister of would-be president Fidel Ramos), who happened to be a friend of Salazar, interceded. Some years after his release, the writing of the multi-volume history book commissioned by Marcos would begin. Entitled “Tadhana: The History of the Filipino People,” it was ghostwritten by Salazar together with other historians (the majority of which came from the University of the Philippines) like Serafin Quiason, Samuel Tan, Fe Mangahas, and Reynaldo Ileto. This would be a source later on of polemics against Salazar. But some defended him, asserting that instead of looking at the event as “Marcos using Salazar,” it is more appropriate to treat it as “Salazar using Marcos.” After all, as the National University of Singapore professor Portia Reyes notes, “Salazar’s participation in the project allowed him to conduct research, to travel abroad and to contribute to the production of scholarly tomes.” Salazar himself would argue, in a heated debate with Patricio Abinales, that it does not matter who would commission the writing of a Philippine history book (be it Marcos, Estrada or Aquino), as long as it is done for nation-building then it is justified.

After the Martial Law years, Pantayong Pananaw would gain an upper hand in the historical discourse of UP, following the rise of Salazar as the chairperson of the history department, the office that he will occupy from 1987–1989. He led in 1989 the first national conference in Filipino historiography, which gave way to the publication of its proceedings that are written in Filipino: “Paksa, Paraan, Pananaw sa Kasaysayan” (Topic, Method, and Perspective in History). He also organized during his chairmanship a colloquium on the use of Filipino in the social sciences and philosophy, which was participated by faculty members of different colleges in UP such as College of Social Sciences and Philosophy, College of Law, and the National College of Public Administration and Governance. It is in this colloquium that Salazar expressed his dream of having a 50-volume (or more) collection of documents in Philippine history, like that of Blair and Robertson, written in the Filipino language. He only served as a chairperson for 2 years since he was appointed as the dean of the College of Social Sciences and Philosophy (1989-1992). The use of Filipino was reinforced during his deanship, as he mandated that Filipino be used in all official transactions within the college. Together with Covar, Salazar changed the name of the program Ph.D. Philippine Studies into Ph.D. Pilipinolohiya (Pilipinology) which also change the perspectives employed in the study of the field.

As of 2019, Salazar is the writer of 32 authored/co-authored/edited books and 125 articles published in various books and journals. His broad academic interests is retribution in the wide range of topics of his publications which includes anthropology (Anthropology: Range and Relevance), historical linguistics (Pilipinong Banua/Banwa sa Mundong Melano-Polinesyano), archaeology (Ang Saysay ng Inskripsyon sa Binatbat na Tanso ng Laguna and Liktao at Epiko: Ang Takip ng Tapayang Libingan ng Libmanan, Camarines Sur), psychology (Sikolohiyang Panlipunan at Pangkalinangan), Asian history (Asya: Kasaysayan at Kabihasnan and Kabihasnang Asyano: Isang Pangkasaysayang Introduksyon), Philippine history (Kasaysayan ng Pilipinas: Isang Balangkas, Ang Pagsalakay ni Bonifacio sa Maynila, and Talaarawan 1996. Handog sa Sentenaryo. Himagsikang 1896), biography (Pangulong Erap: Biograpiyang Sosyo-Pulitikal at Pangkalinangan ni Joseph Ejercito Estrada), translation of works (Manipesto ng Partido Komunista and Pagguho ng Troya), film studies (Unang Pagtingin sa Pelikulang Bakbakan), and poems (Mga Tula ng Pag-iral at Pakikibaka. Salin at Akda). His explanations and expositions of Pantayong Pananaw can be found in the anthology of his essays collected by his former students and published under the title, Pantayong Pananaw: Ugat at Kabuluhan. Having no sign of retirement, Salazar currently works for the publication of 5 more books on different topics: one on the Muslim participation in the Katipunan revolt in Mindanao, one on the place of Pantayong Pananaw in the K12 system of education in the Philippines (completed in 2017), one on Baybayin and on two Butuan artifacts located in a museum in Antipolo both written with Geronimo Cristobal, and another one on the period of “pamayanan” (Philippine history before 1588).

Because of his gigantic imprint in Philippine academia, many institutions grant him academic awards and honors. It includes Chevalier dans l’Ordre des Palmes Academiques (the academic highest award given by the French government), Gawad ng Pagkilala from the Pambansang Samahan sa Sikolohiyang Pilipino, Gawad ng Pagkilala from the Linangan ng mga Wika sa Pilipinas, Gawad Lope K. Santos from the UP Sentro ng Wikang Filipino, Bayani ng Wika from Wika ng Kultura at Agham Ink., Gawad Pambansang Alagad ni Balagtas from the Unyon ng mga Manunulat ng Pilipinas, Most Outstanding Bikolano Artist for Literary Arts from the Bicol Regional Council for Culture and the Arts, Tiwi Gawad CORON 2010 from the Local Government of Albay, Most Distinguished Bedan from the San Beda College, Gawad Kalatas by the Polytechnic University of the Philippines, Gawad BAKAS by the Bagong Kasaysayan Inc., among many others. The most recent prestigious award conferred upon him is the board resolution recognizing Zeus Salazar as the Prime Mover of the Pan-Malayan Identity, given by the Philippine Historical Association at the 4th International Conference of the International Council for Historical and Cultural Cooperation – Southeast Asia (ICHCC-SEA) on September 14, 2017. Two festschriften were also written in honor of him in 2015, "Pantayong Pananaw: Pagyabong ng Talastasan. Pagbubunyi kay Zeus A. Salazar" and "Towards a Filipino History: A Festschrift for Zeus Salazar."

Oathtaking of Dr. Zeus Salazar as Dean of the College of Social Sciences and Philosophy in UP Diliman.

In 2000, Salazar retired from UP in the age of 66, having the rank of Professor 12 (the highest professorial rank in UP). The retirement of Salazar, as well as the change of administration in the College of Social Sciences and Philosophy in general and in the Department of History in particular brought calamity for Pantayong Pananaw as a school of thought in UP. Some of those who hold the leadership started what can be considered as an ideological persecution, which led to the diaspora of Pantayong Pananaw proponents outside the Department of History. Many of them took refuge in the Department of Filipino in UP, as well as in the history department of De La Salle University (which can be considered as the bastion of Pantayong Pananaw, majority of its faculty being former students or mentored by Salazar himself). Salazar would later opine that the hammering which Pantayong Pananaw experienced in UP is not altogether negative, for it dispersed its influence in many other institutions. Today, some proponents and sympathizers of Pantayong Pananaw can be found in other institutions like Philippine Normal University, National Teacher's College, University of Makati, and Polytechnic University of the Philippines, among others. The induction of K12 in the educational system of the Philippines also proved to be beneficial to Pantayong Pananaw, as it is usually tackled in some Senior High School courses such as Disciplines and Ideas in the Social Sciences.

Even after he left UP, Salazar did not really “retire” from teaching. He was invited to teach in the Department of Psychology in De La Salle University, where he taught from 2000 to 2005. It is during this time that the publication of Sikolohiyang Panlipunan at Kalinangan occurred, a book which he edited and consists of papers written by his graduate students. In 2018, at the age of 84, he accepted the invitation of Raul Roland Sebastian (then chairperson of the Department of History) to teach in Polytechnic University of the Philippines, where he taught for 2 consecutive semesters, handling historiography and philosophy of history courses. These classes gave birth to a series of 8 books in historiography. Aside from teaching, he continues to write books and articles, accept speakership in various seminars and conferences, and lead in the conferences by Bagong Kasaysayan Inc. (BAKAS), an organization which officially upholds the aspirations of Pantayong Pananaw.

• Abrera Ma. Bernadette L., Dedina A. Lapar. Eds. Paksa, Paraan, Pananaw sa Kasaysayan: Unang Pambansang Kumperensya sa Historiograpiyang Pilipino. Quezon City. UP Departamento ng Kasaysayan, UP Lipunang Pangkasaysayan, and Bahay Saliksikan sa Kasaysayan, 1992.
• Navarro, Atoy M., Mary Jane B. Rodriguez-Tatel, Vicente C. Villan. Eds. Pantayong Pananaw: Ugat at Kabuluhan. Quezon City. Palimbagan ng Lahi. 1997.
• Navarro, Atoy M., Mary Jane B. Rodriguez-Tatel, Vicente C. Villan. Eds. Pantayong Pananaw: Pagyabong ng Talastasan. Pagbubunyi kay Zeus A. Salazar. Quezon City. Palimbagan ng Lahi. 2015.
• Reyes, Portia. “Celebrating Zeus Salazar.” In Portia Reyes. Ed. Towards a Filipino History: A Festschrift for Zeus Salazar. Quezon City. Palimbagan ng Lahi. 2015.