UNAIR NEWS The Department of History Faculty of Humanities (FIB), (UNAIR), organized a book discussion on titled 淛ejak Masa Lalu di Masa Kini dan Masa Depan漛y Prof. Bambang Purwanto on Tuesday (March 31, 2026) at the Sriwijaya Room, ASEEC Tower, Campus B-Dharmawangsa. The event featured Prof. Purnawan Basundoro, a professor of urban history, as the main discussant and was attended by History Department students. The session focused on critically reviewing the book while also encouraging reflection on the contemporary role of historians.
Cyclical nature of history
Head of the History Department, Dr. Johny Alfian Khusyairi, S.Sos., B.A., M.Si., M.A., opened the discussion by referencing WS Rendra檚 poem 淜emarin dan Esok adalah Hari Ini. He emphasized that history tends to repeat itself in cyclical patterns, as illustrated in the poem. He also highlighted several recurring historical trends that often go unrecognized. In closing, Dr. Khusyairi highlights that historians have a responsibility to build and maintain public awareness of these recurring cycles.
Challenges facing historians in Indonesia
Prof. Basundoro explained that the book serves as a self-critical reflection for historians, structured around several key arguments. The first addresses the erosion of collective memory in society. He pointed to the COVID-19 pandemic as an example, noting that Indonesia檚 response was hindered in part by the lack of retained historical knowledge about the Spanish flu outbreak a century earlier. As a result, both policymakers and the public relied heavily on trial-and-error approaches.
淲hen the COVID-19 pandemic emerged in 2019, one of the main challenges was that we had almost no preserved memory of a similar event from a century ago, namely the Spanish flu pandemic, he said.
The second argument examines the role of history in legitimizing political decisions. Drawing on the book, Prof. Basundoro explained that Indonesia檚 plan to relocate its capital to Nusantara (IKN) represents not only a shift in political power but also carries historical and archaeological significance, particularly linked to the discovery of the Yupa inscriptions. From a historical standpoint, this discovery marks the transition from prehistory to recorded history, while the relocation signals a move away from a Java-centric perspective.
Prof. Basundoro also outlined three additional themes: political succession, multiculturalism, and mining. According to him, these five arguments remain highly relevant today and provide valuable grounds for self-reflection among historians. He concluded by encouraging historians to continue documenting history to prevent public confusion and the loss of historical records.
Author: Yongki Eka Cahya
Editor; Ragil Kukuh Imanto
