Page 10 - INDONESIA ISLAMIC CULTURE

Introduction

Taufik Abdullah

I
When you think about history, sometimes you may feel a bit funny. People
say that history is about the real narrative or the true reconstruction of
events or series of happenings a community experienced at a specific
locality in the past. That past event usually has no longer any empirical
reality in the present. Historical research tries to tell and, if possible, explain
the causality of past events and happenings. However, in retrospect, it is
common that efforts to construct a string of words that tell of events in the
past depart from an awareness of present realities. Sometimes, or even
often, attempts to reconstruct past events come with the hope that valuable
lessons may be learned.

This may the case when someone is curious about historical events and
past dynamics. But when dealing with contemporary events the problem is
somewhat different. Since their start, series of events or happenings offer
themselves to be noted and even remembered. When questions or new
insights enter the consciousness system, this reconstruction of events can
also be repeated. When only part of the entire process is captured, other
scientific disciplines will fill in the gaps of information about the events in
question. Frequently, contemporary events seem to provide the whole “self”
that may be reconstructed at any time, though, of course, merely in series
of words. It may be said that we reconstruct different stories about how
events may have begun, continued, and ended. So, it is understandable
that there are to frequent debates about the validity of the reconstruction of
contemporary events.
Indeed, historical reconstruction can provoke debate. The more important
the event is perceived, the more likely it provokes debates especially about
what evidence should be deemed valid or what happenings should be
reconstructed in series of words? Is the reconstruction of events a true
reflection of these past events or occurrences? The more important the
events are in the system of public awareness, the more poignant the view on
the level of truth that can be expressed. The more fundamental the sense
of responsibility given to the result of the reconstruction, the higher the
possibility that debates will be provoked.

The scars and debris of past relics can also lead to curiosity. At first the
answers to our questions may be mythological as if they originate from
the days of “nowhere” and happened upon the aid of supernatural powers.
But then, in accordance with scientific development, the answers became
increasingly academic as well. Thus for example, when unoccupied
remnants of temples are found scattered in isolated forests, they will be

VIII Indonesian Islamic Culture in Historical Perspectives Indonesian Islamic Culture in Historical Perspectives 1