Abstract:
The aim of this thesis is to examine the process of writing Indonesias national history between 1957 and 1975. After independence, the government of the Republic of Indonesia urged Indonesian historians to write an Indonesian-centric history and to produce history text books for state educational institutions to replace Euro-centric history books produced during the colonial era, which fail to explain the origins and development of Indonesian society in the independent era. The government of the Republic of Indonesia assigned the Ministry of Education and Culture, together with Gadjah Mada University, to formulate a committee for writing the national history. The Committee was responsible for the arrangement of two national history seminars in 1957 and 1970, in order to search for appropriate approaches in writing the Republics national history. The result of the first seminar saw an agreement in writing the history in nationalist narrative. However, the second seminar was supported by the New Order Government under President Suharto. The success of the National Army in subduing the Gestapu incident of 30 September 1965 was a crucial starting point of the Armys role in the Republics administration. Under the New Order, nationalism and militarism guided the narrative of national history writing. The New Order version of Indonesias national history was published in 1975.