Indonesia launches five volumes of national history series

Indonesia’s Ministry of Culture has launched the first five volumes of an 11-volume national history series titled ‘Sejarah Indonesia: Dinamika Kebangsaan dalam Arus Global’ (Indonesia’s History: National Dynamics in the Global Current). The project aims to provide an authoritative account of the nation's history using an Indonesia-centric perspective rather than a colonial interpretation.

Culture Minister Fadli Zon stated that the publication fulfills a long-standing goal of historians to develop a comprehensive history based on academic research. The series incorporates multidisciplinary studies, including environmental history, gender, collective memory, and post-colonial studies. The drafting process involved 123 contributors, including historians, archaeologists, philologists, and researchers from 34 universities and 11 non-university institutions.

The minister emphasized that the ministry acted as a facilitator, allowing the writing team full academic freedom regarding content and ideology. The remaining six volumes of the series are scheduled for release in September 2026.