On Thursday, October 16, 2025, the Department of History, Faculty of Cultural Sciences (FIB), Universitas Gadjah Mada (UGM), in collaboration with the Doctoral Program in Humanities at FIB UGM, organized a seminar and study session on the theme “Language and the Characteristics of Dutch Colonialism in the Indonesian Archipelago.” The seminar featured Joss Wibisono, a journalist and researcher with expertise in colonial practices in the Dutch East Indies, examined through the lens of language and post-independence Indonesian history. He is also widely recognized as a contributor to online media platforms such as Tempo, Historia.id, and Indoprogres. The session was moderated by Uji Nugroho Winardi, S.S., M.A., a lecturer at the Department of History, FIB UGM. The event opened with remarks from Dr. Abdul Wahid, M.Hum., M.Phil., Head of the Department of History at UGM.
The seminar sought to explain and explore how language functioned as an instrument deeply intertwined with colonial practices in the Dutch East Indies, and how its legacy continues to shape Indonesian society after independence. Language was a crucial tool in understanding the socio-political context of the colonial period. The discussion began by comparing colonial realities in other parts of the world, such as French colonialism in Morocco and British colonialism in Malaysia and Singapore, where political and economic influence was accompanied by the spread of metropolitan culture and language. In contrast, the Dutch colonial experience in the East Indies—later Indonesia—left relatively little cultural and linguistic imprint on local society. This was largely due to the rigid social segregation imposed by the colonial administration, where Dutch functioned as the official language of government but was mastered only by a small elite of indigenous and European communities with high social and political standing. Meanwhile, the majority of the population used Bahasa Melayu Pasar (Market Malay), which after independence was absorbed into the national language, Bahasa Indonesia, though it initially carried significant limitations in vocabulary and semantic range.
The seminar highlighted that language should not be understood merely as a medium of everyday communication, but also as a system and instrument of legitimizing social and political structures within colonial practice, particularly in the Dutch East Indies. It further offered reflections on the role and capacity of Bahasa Indonesia as the national language and medium of instruction in public life. As emphasized, the language must continue to evolve to meet the demands of changing times and remain relevant to the growth of society and its shifting modes of thought.
Author: Mochamad Rizky Saputra
