Jakarta, September 1, 2026 – The Europe Today: Indonesia’s Culture Ministry has launched five volumes of an 11-volume national history book series titled “Sejarah Indonesia: Dinamika Kebangsaan dalam Arus Global” (Indonesia’s History: National Dynamics in the Global Current), aimed at presenting a comprehensive and authoritative account of the country’s history.
Culture Minister Fadli Zon said the publication fulfilled a long-standing aspiration of historians and related organizations to develop a comprehensive national history based on academic research and scholarship.
He said the Culture Ministry acted solely as a facilitator throughout the drafting process, while the historians and writing team were given full freedom over the content and narratives of the books.
“The substance, ideology, and narrative were left to the historians and writing team to preserve creativity, academic freedom, and integrity,” the minister said at a press conference in Jakarta.
Fadli Zon emphasized that the state also has a responsibility to ensure public access to historical research, academic scholarship, enrichment and preservation.
He said the series seeks to move beyond the traditional approach of treating history primarily as a collection of dates to memorize, instead promoting critical thinking and a deeper understanding of citizens’ rights.
The minister said the books present Indonesia as an active historical subject through an Indonesia-centric perspective rather than a colonial interpretation.
A total of 123 writers contributed to the project, including historians, archaeologists, philologists and epigraphists, along with researchers from 34 universities and 11 non-university institutions.
The complete series will comprise 11 volumes. The remaining six volumes are scheduled to be launched in September 2026.
The five volumes launched so far are Volume I, “Roots of Nusantara Civilization”; Volume II, “Nusantara in the Global Network”; Volume III, “Nusantara in the Global Network: The Middle East”; Volume IV, “Early Interaction with the West: Competition and Alliance”; and Volume V, “Indonesian Society and the Formation of the Colonial State.”
The complete book series is available to the public through the digital platform pustakabudaya.id and is intended to serve as a reference for historical research and education across Indonesia.
The ministry also emphasized the importance of safeguarding the digital manuscripts against manipulation and cyberattacks to preserve the integrity and authenticity of the historical records.
