3 - Shifting Narratives of Rivers in the Indonesian Historiography

Rivers have long been a part of the Indonesian historical narratives. The ways in which rivers have been presented in the historical narratives reflect both actual and cultural developments. This paper seeks to examine changes in the river representations in the Indonesian historiography. Drawing upon historical scholarships that have been produced, it is argued that there has been a notable shift in the ways in which rivers have been presented in the Indonesian historiography. From merely an illustrative element mentioned in passing, rivers have obtained a growing space in the discussion and emerge as a primary focus of historical scholarship. The shift is a reflection of the changing human-riverine relationship marked by the growing uses of rivers and the disastrous consequences of human activities on the conditions of river environments. The shifting narratives of rivers in the Indonesian historiography has been greatly contributed by the growing number of studies on socio-economic history of Indonesia, especially agricultural history. More importantly, the trend has been pushed by the development of environmental history in Indonesia. This article is expected to stimulate more studies on river histories that in the long run could pave the way for the emergence of river historiography as an important field of historical study in Indonesia and to inspire historical research on various major rivers in Indonesia to produce what is called eco-biography of Indonesian rivers.