Sartono: History provides a sense of collective identity<\/p>\n
By Tjahjono Ep.<\/p>\n
YOGYAKARTA (JP): As the threat of national disintegration
\nlooms, this nation must reinforce its national identity. This
\nidentity must be spelled out in the context of the nation's
\ncollective life through the different stages of its history.<\/p>\n
Inherent in this collective life is a common destiny:
\nsuperiority and decline, triumph and defeat, all cumulatively
\ncreate a sense of belonging on the part of the community members.
\nSo writes Sartono in his book entitled Indonesian Historiography,
\npublished by Kanisius Yogyakarta, during the book discussion
\nmarking his 80th birthday.<\/p>\n
His birthday celebration was organized on Thursday by the
\nDepartment of History, School of Letters, Gadjah Mada University
\nand was attended by some of his former students.<\/p>\n
Sartono Kartodirdjo is a man of small stature with works of
\ngreat significance. Born in Wonogiri, Central Java, on Feb. 15,
\n1921, the third child of the Tjitro Sarojos, Sartono is an
\nimportant figure trying to change the method of historical
\nwriting from a descriptive narration to descriptive analysis. It
\nis an attempt to describe facts in a multi-dimensional and multi-
\ndisciplinary manner with other approaches which are generally
\nadopted in social sciences serving as the auxiliary instruments
\nfor history as a science. \"History writing must no longer be
\npalace-centered,\" he said.<\/p>\n
Sartono said that every historical story revealed how
\nsomething happened and its root cause. When a new phenomenon
\noccurs in society, human beings try to identify this change by
\ntracing its background. This understanding will project an image
\nof an identity.<\/p>\n
In terms of structure and characteristics, Indonesian
\nHistoriography is arranged as a framework for a critical
\nhistorical study divorced from mythology and legends. Historical
\nreconstruction is established on the basis of critical selection
\nand analysis and logical and empirical reasoning and is expressed
\nin a discursive language.<\/p>\n
Known to his students as a firm and strict person, Sartono
\ncompleted his study of history in 1956 from the University of
\nIndonesia, Jakarta. He continued his studies at Yale University
\nand earned his doctorate degree in 1966 from the University of
\nAmsterdam with Professor WF Wertheim as his thesis advisor. He
\ndefended his dissertation, entitled The Peasant's Revolt of
\nBantam in 1888 with distinction.<\/p>\n
Sartono studied at Hollands Inlandsche School (HIS) between
\n1927 and 1934 in his hometown of Wonogiri. He then continued his
\nstudies at Meer Uitgebreid Lager Onderwijs (MULO) in Solo. He
\ncompleted teachers' training college in 1941 in the Central
\nJava's town of Muntilan. \"I've been true to my calling as a
\nteacher since 1941,\" he said, his face beaming with pride.<\/p>\n
He first became a teacher at Schakel school in Muntilan. When
\nthe revolution broke out, he had to lead the life of a wanderer
\nand stayed in Yogyakarta from July 1947 to 1959. It was during
\nthis period that he married Sri Kadaryati on May 6, 1948. While
\nin Yogyakarta, he went on teaching while involving himself in a
\npolitical party led by Kasimo, a noted political leader among the
\nCatholics.<\/p>\n
In 1950, Sartono began to study history at the University of
\nIndonesia. He said that he was nearly the sole student in the
\nhistory department as some of his peers moved to other
\ndepartments. Sartono said that, considering the future, it was
\nstrange that out of 80 million to 90 million Indonesians, there
\nwere few who would like to devote themselves to the study of
\nhistory.<\/p>\n
Sartono's steadfastness as an intellectual and historian has
\nbeen tested several times. In 1992 he refused the request made by
\nthe State Secretariat to edit the white book on the controversial
\nSept. 30, 1965 (Communist) movement. From the very start, this
\nbook contained political subjectivity to justify the regime that
\nwas in power at the time. For the same reason, he also withdrew
\nfrom the team of editors for the project of the writing of a
\nmulti-volume national history book.<\/p>\n
One of his former students, Djoko Suryo, dean of the School of
\nLetters of Gadjah Mada University, said that Sartono was really a
\nman of principle. Many of the students under his guidance have
\ncomplained about this.<\/p>\n
\"Once there was a student under his guidance who got annoyed
\nbecause Sartono rejected the 500-page dissertation he had written
\nand manually typed,\" Djoko Suryo said.<\/p>\n
Although he was strict as an advisor, Sartono will never
\nforget what happened on Nov. 1, 1966 at Lutherse Kerk, Spui,
\nAmsterdam, when he was going to defend his doctorate
\ndissertation. \"I was 3 minutes to 5 minutes late because of
\ntraffic congestion in Amsterdam,\" he recalled.<\/p>\n
Sartono, nicknamed by some of the students under his guidance
\nas the \"butcher\", has a long list of books to his credit. Some
\nwhich have been published are \"Protest Movement in Rural Java\"
\n(1973), \"Pemikiran dan Perkembangan Historiography Indonesia:
\nSuatu Alternatif (Thoughts about and Development of Indonesian
\nHistoriography: An Alternative, 1984), \"Perkembangan Peradaban
\nPriyayi (Development of Civilization of Javanese Aristocratic
\nClass, 1987), \"Pengantar Sejarah Indonesia Baru (An Introduction
\nto New Indonesian History, 1987 and 1992), Ungkapan-Ungkapan
\nFilsafat Sejarah Barat dan Timur (Philosophical Expressions in
\nOccidental and Oriental History, 1990), Pendekatan Ilmu Sosial
\ndalam Metodologi Sejarah (Social Science Approach in Methodology
\nof History, 1992), Pembangunan Bangsa: Tentang Nasionalisme,
\nKesadaran dan Kebudayaan Nasional(Nation Building: On
\nNationalism, Awareness and National Culture, 1993), Multidimensi
\nPembangunan Bangsa dan Etos Nasionalism Negara Kesatuan (Multi-
\ndimensional Nation Building and the Ethos of Nationalism of a
\nUnitary State, 1999), and Ideologi dan Teknologi dalam
\nPembangunan Bangsa (Ideology and Technology in Nation Building,
\n1999).<\/p>\n
Amid his great enthusiasm to write the history of this nation,
\nSartono once expressed his disappointment and concern because
\nnone of his three children were interested in history. Pointing
\nto the books stacked in all corners of the house, he, with
\nresignation said, \"I don't know who will ever read these books
\nagain.\"<\/p>",
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