The Dactyloscopy Archives consist of vital records documenting the lives of plantation workers brought from Java during the colonial period. These archives offer critical insights into the social and labor histories of the plantation system, making them an essential resource for researchers and scholars. Despite their significance, the collection remains largely unorganized.

Output

Museum Perkebunan Indonesia will launch a book and website, alongside a public exhibition featuring the Dactyloscopy Archive that will remain open to the public for one year.

EXPERT COLLABORATORS

Jajang Nurjaman

Jajang Nurjaman is an archivist at the National Archives of the Republic of Indonesia. He completed his postgraduate studies at Leiden University in the Netherlands, majoring in History with a specialization in Archival Studies. He also serves as editor for several academic journals, including Jurnal Kearsipan (National Archives of Indonesia) and Jurnal Diplomatika (Gadjah Mada University).

He is an active member of the International Council on Archives (ICA). His research primarily focuses on archives and cultural heritage, colonial and global history, the decolonization of archives, records and information management, as well as information culture and recordkeeping informatics. In addition to his work as an archivist, he teaches and serves as a visiting lecturer at several universities, including Gadjah Mada University, Surabaya State University, and Brawijaya University.

Alexander Enzlin

Alexander Enzlin has worked at the National Archives of the Netherlands (NAN) since 2020. Currently, he holds the position of Project Leader within the International Heritage Cooperation Programme, often working together with Indonesian partners. Earlier, he worked at the Education and Presentation Department of NAN. His education includes a BA in Liberal Arts from Leiden University College in The Hague and an MA in Political Philosophy from Leiden University.

Preserving the Historical Records of Plantation Workers in East Sumatra

Images: Museum Perkebunan Indonesia

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MUSEUM FORWARD 2025

Open Call for Indonesian experts

This year's EUNIC initiative seeks to facilitate knowledge & experiences exchange through connecting diverse museums with collaborators and experts, as well as realize a co-creation through hands-on experiences & collaborative efforts between stakeholders in the creative sector. This is intended as a response to the feedback, insights and urgencies identified by the local museum participants in the last year’s forum. Following the first open call—focusing on Indonesian museums—now we are looking for the Indonesian museum experts and cultural heritage professionals!

As a collaborator and facilitator, you will closely work with Galeri Lokananta, Museum Perkebunan Indonesia, and Museum Nyah Lasem also international experts on an assigned project in an intensive, intimate, productive setting & longer term.

Please fill out the form in English.

MUSEUM FORWARD is co-created & co-organized collaboratively by: Goethe-Institut Indonesien, Embassy of Austria in Indonesia, European Union Delegation in Indonesia, Institut Français Indonesia, Embassy of Ireland in Indonesia, Istituto Italiano de Cultura, Erasmus Huis, Embassy of Poland in Indonesia, Embassy of Spain in Indonesia, British Council Indonesia.