Setting the ground for Indonesian history writing<\/p>\n
Indonesian Historiography;
\nBy Sartono Kartodirdjo;
\nKanisius Publisher, 2001;
\n191 pp;
\nRp 25,000<\/p>\n
The writer of this work, a collection of 12 papers he wrote
\nbetween 1987 and 1998, needs no introduction as one of the
\ncountry's most prominent historians.<\/p>\n
While many, if not most, of the sources used for the writing
\nof Indonesian history are Dutch or Western-oriented, Sartono
\nbelieves Indonesian history must be written from the perspective
\nof Indonesia as a nation-state.<\/p>\n
In one of his papers, he praises the attempts of some younger
\nhistorians to focus on the socioeconomic history of the country,
\ntherefore attaching importance to the people. Social events and
\neconomic happenings are focused on people, and it is these people
\nthat must be the focus of a country's historiography.<\/p>\n
He believes Indonesians must be given the role of the
\nprotagonist in a historical plot, with Indonesian society as the
\nsetting. This is what he calls the decolonization of Indonesian
\nhistoriography.<\/p>\n
While the first part of the book deals with national history
\nas a symbol of national identity, the second deals with matters
\nrelated to historical approaches and perspectives.<\/p>\n
This part is more interesting and less philosophical than the
\nfirst. Here, Sartono writes about discrete fragments of
\nIndonesian history, such as rural conflicts and the aristocracy
\nof Java in the 19th century and 20th century.<\/p>\n
There is also an article on a historical novel written in
\nDutch by Indonesian Soewarsih Djojopuspito, Buiten het gareel
\n(Outside the Main Track). The novel is a blend of history and
\nliterature, with the author seeking to evoke the nationalist
\nideology of the characters by investigating their spiritual
\ndimensions. But of course, to understand this, one must have a
\ngood grasp of the social relationships of colonial society.<\/p>\n
This is an example of how history must be understood not only
\nat the macro level but also at the micro level, by delving deep
\ninto the mentality of the dramatis personae.<\/p>\n
In the last few pages of the book, Sartono writes quite
\ninterestingly about history and historians. He writes, \"A
\nhistorian should never forget, but, morally speaking, he has to
\nforgive\" (p. 180). Historical knowledge, he says, is derived from
\nconceptual reconstruction originating from living experience and
\nretrospection. Here the historian is the one who endures the
\nabove experiences and remembers it<\/p>\n
-- Lie Hua<\/p>", "url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/setting-the-ground-for-indonesian-history-writing-1447893297", "image": "" }, "sponsor": "Okusi Associates", "sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com" }