Jakarta - The Ministry of Culture held a History Talk entitled Emphasizing Indonesianness in the Global Current at the A Building of the Ministry of Culture, Jakarta, Saturday, January 3. This forum highlights the importance of strengthening historical literacy and writing national narratives by the Indonesian nation in the midst of global dynamics.
The Minister of Culture, Fadli Zon, emphasized the need to strengthen the culture of writing national history seriously and sustainably. He assessed that, so far, many records about Indonesia have been written by outsiders, while the tradition of documentation and writing history in the country still needs to be strengthened.
"History is often said to be important, but we often don't write it. In fact, other nations have written a lot about Indonesia since hundreds of years ago. Therefore, we need to write our own history so that it belongs to and becomes a reference for our generation," said Fadli.
This lecture title is based on the publication of the book History of Indonesia: National Dynamics in Global Currents which was launched by the Ministry of Culture on the Anniversary of History Day, December 14, 2025. The book is a foothold for re-reading Indonesia's position in world history while affirming national identity in the midst of globalization.
Fadli emphasized that the book was compiled by Indonesian historians based on academic expertise and was not intended as an official government narrative. According to him, the book should be an open discourse space that can continue to be debated and developed.
"This history book is not meant to be something final. Debates, dialectics, and scientific forums are important so that our history writing continues to live and develop based on new data and findings," he said.
He also highlighted the need for the continuation of comprehensive national history writing, ranging from the history of the War to Defend Independence 1945-1949, the kingdoms of Nusantara, to the history of science, culture, and the environment, which have not been worked on much.
According to Fadli, history has a strategic role in building national identity. "No nation can be separated from the past. To understand Indonesia today and design the future, we must understand its historical journey," he said.
This activity is also a tribute to Prof. Dr. Taufik Abdullah's long contribution to the development of Indonesian historiography. The main discussion discusses the dynamics of Indonesian nationalism in the global flow as well as critical reflection on Indonesian historiography over the past nine decades.
The title of Wicara History was followed by historians, academics, researchers, educators, and cultural communities. A number of leaders of archival and research institutions and the Ministry of Culture were also present at the forum.
Through this activity, the Ministry of Culture emphasizes its commitment to encouraging contextual and critical historical literacy, and placing history as an important foundation in strengthening national identity in the midst of global change.
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