Thursday, 26 February 2026 — President University organized a Seminar & Discussion of The Defense Heritage Newest Book under the theme “Unpacking Defense Heritage Through Literature.” The forum brought together academics and practitioners to examine defense heritage from multiple perspectives.

One of the key insights was delivered by Dr. Wuri Handoko, a Senior Researcher in Historical Archaeology at the National Research and Innovation Agency. He highlighted how historical archaeology offers a comprehensive approach to understanding defense heritage by combining multiple sources, including material evidence, colonial archives, manuscripts, ancient maps, and oral traditions.

Through this interdisciplinary approach, he explained that defense heritage can reveal various aspects of past societies, such as defense strategies and patterns of regional control, conflict dynamics and power relations, as well as the use of landscapes and engineering for strategic purposes. He also emphasized how defense systems were often integrated with settlements and economic activities, reflecting their broader role beyond purely military functions.

He further emphasized the need to expand the scope of research on defense heritage. “While studies have largely focused on tangible elements such as forts and physical structures, understanding defense heritage as a complete system remains limited. In addition, intangible aspects such as navigation skills, local knowledge of warfare, and traditional strategic practices have not been widely explored,” he stated.

The discussion, which was held in President University Movieland Campus, underscored that defense heritage encompasses a broad and interconnected landscape, extending beyond physical remains to include cultural knowledge and systems that shaped historical defense practices.