Reconsidering Revolutionary ‘Heroes’ and Histories of Violence in Indonesia

Grace T. Leksana

doi:10.51769/bmgn-lchr.19565

Reconsidering Revolutionary ‘Heroes’ and Histories of Violence in Indonesia

Grace T. Leksana^*

^*Corresponding author for this work

OGKG - Cultural History

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › Academic › peer-review

Abstract

How can Indonesians benefit from a publication about Dutch violence? Can a report about Dutch ‘extreme violence’ during the Indonesian Revolution ignite further conversations amongst Indonesians about their own historiography? This forum contribution tries to link the publication of Beyond the Pale with the future of writing histories of violence in Indonesia. Inheriting the state- and military-centric historiography since the New Order era (1966-1998), Indonesians are struggling to move away from a nationalistic historiography that tends to either silence violent histories, or to justify them under the banner of safeguarding the nation’s unity. The publication of Beyond the Pale adds to the growing effort by Indonesian historians and others to recognise violence as part of Indonesian history. At the same time, the publication also leaves tasks that scholars can continue in the future.

Original language	English
Pages (from-to)	69-79
Number of pages	11
Journal	Bijdragen en Mededelingen betreffende de Geschiedenis der Nederlanden
Volume	140
Issue number	2
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.51769/bmgn-lchr.19565
Publication status	Published - 30 Jun 2025

Bibliographical note

Publisher Copyright:
Copyright (c) 2025 Grace T. Leksana. This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/.

UN SDGs

This output contributes to the following UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)

SDG 16 Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions

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Cite this

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Reconsidering Revolutionary ‘Heroes’ and Histories of Violence in Indonesia

Abstract

Bibliographical note

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