Indonesia's History Rewritten: Public Involved, Indonesia Sentris Narratives Prioritized
The Indonesian Ministry of Culture held a Public Discussion on the Writing of the Indonesian History Book at the Faculty of Cultural Sciences, University of Indonesia, Friday, July 25. This agenda is an open space for the public to provide input on the national history rewriting project that prioritizes the Central Indonesia approach.
Three general editors were involved in this project: Prof. Dr. Susanto Zuhdi, Prof. Dr. Singgih Tri Sulistiyono, and Prof. Jajat Burhanudin. They describe the concept of writing ten volumes of books that are composed thematically and chronologically. Each volume is written by experts in their fields, from Prof. Cecep Eka Permana to Dr. Amurwani Dwi Lestariningsih.
The content of the book includes the long phase of Indonesia's history, from the roots of the archipelago civilization, global interactions with India, China, Persia and Arabia, colonial period, national movement, struggle to defend independence, to the era of reform and consolidation of democracy in 1998 2024. Historical narratives no longer center on colonialism, but place Indonesia as the main actor in its own history.
The community was also actively involved. Asep Kambali from the Indonesian Historia Community hopes that the writing of history will not only be based on books, but also through archivals and historical sites that may be forgotten. He assessed that the Ministry's steps were very important for the nation's identity.
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Meanwhile, Eva Riana, a student of the UI History S3, encouraged the trade history of the VOC and EIC to be worked on more deeply. According to her, the competition between the two major trading partnerships is the key to understanding the dynamics of colonial economic power in Asian territory.
Minister of Culture Fadli Zon emphasized that this project will continue to absorb public input. "The editors and writers are maestros in their fields. We want Indonesia's history to be written not from the eyes of the invaders, but from our own view as an independent nation," he said.