Where the archive meets the present.

Nusantara Research Institute studies the history of diplomacy, economic history, and politics of Indonesia and the wider archipelago, and brings that evidence to the policy questions of today.

Explore our research Latest publications

01History of Diplomacy 02Economic History 03Politics

Our purpose

Policy is written in the present, but argued from the past. We recover the evidence in treaties, trade records, and parliamentary debates so that those who shape the region's future can read its history in full.

About the Institute

Research areas

Three lenses on a connected history.

History of Diplomacy

From the trade networks of the sultanates to a free and active foreign policy, read directly from the archives of its negotiations.

Economic History

Maritime trade, the colonial economy, development, and monetary crisis: how power and markets have shaped prosperity.

Politics

Institutions, parties, and ideas: Indonesia's political history as material for weighing the policies of today.

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The documentary record

Photographs from the archive, credited and dated.

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Research timeline

Six turning points that shaped how Indonesia engages the world.

1602The VOC is founded, opening an era of monopoly trade in the archipelago.

1945The Proclamation of Independence begins the diplomacy of defending sovereignty.

1955The Asian-African Conference in Bandung.

1961The Non-Aligned Movement is established in Belgrade.

1967ASEAN is founded, making regionalism a new foundation.

1998Economic crisis and Reformasi transform the political order.

Upcoming events

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