On Monday, October 27, 2025, the Department of History held the launch and discussion of the book Nusakambangan Luar Dalam, a historiographical work by Dr. Klaas Stutje, historian and researcher at NIOD and the University of Amsterdam, the Netherlands. His research focuses on the social history of communities in the Dutch East Indies, viewed from a grassroots perspective, with particular attention to marginalized groups as central actors in historical narratives. The event also featured Dr. Wildan Sena Utama and Joss Wibisono from the Department of History at UGM, who served as moderator and respondent in the academic discussion. Undergraduate and graduate students, along with members of the Faculty of Cultural Sciences, attended the session.
In his presentation, Dr. Klaas Stutje offered insights into the social, topographical, political, and economic conditions of Nusakambangan Island, which has been known since the colonial period as a “Prison Island.” He began by explaining the colonial government’s persistent struggle to establish stability in the colony—a goal never fully achieved. From the 19th century onward, increasing resistance and uprisings among indigenous communities created a growing demand for prisons to house captured rebels. Nusakambangan emerged as a strategic site to meet this need. Over time, the island became stigmatized as a place associated with crime and illicit activities, reinforcing negative perceptions among the wider public. Yet, in his book, Dr. Stutje goes beyond the legal and penal aspects, highlighting the social and economic dynamics between prisoners, local communities, and prison staff who lived on the island.
One of the seminar’s most compelling discussions concerned the island’s economic activities and horizontal social conflicts. In the early 20th century, Nusakambangan became a center for rubber production, supplying materials for industrial uses such as tires and machine seals in the Dutch East Indies. Much of the labor force consisted of prisoners, who worked under strict colonial supervision. These forced labor practices were widely documented as part of the punitive system imposed on inmates. Additional insights included accounts of transactional activities and conflicts between prisoners and colonial guards, ranging from bribery for extended time outside cells to instances of sexual violence and criminal interactions with indigenous residents of the island. The prison system itself reflected broader colonial social segregation, as most inmates were indigenous men without kinship ties or positions of privilege within the priyayi elite.
During the discussion, participants raised questions and critiques of Nusakambangan Luar Dalam. Some noted that the book does not sufficiently address the fate of prisoners after completing their sentences. Others suggested that future research could expand the narrative by incorporating oral histories, archival studies, and press materials written from indigenous or non-European perspectives. Such sources would enrich the historiography, offering a more comprehensive and nuanced understanding of Nusakambangan.
Author: Mochamad Rizky Saputra
