The purpose of this article is to examine the characteristics of Maluku-centric historiography that has emerged since the mid-2010s. It analyzes the elements of this new approach―particularly the perspective that positions Maluku as a center of world history―and explores how these ideas have been applied to narratives of cultural exchange both within Indonesia and between Maluku and the wider world. In addition, it investigates the relationship between this historiographical shift and Indonesia’s nationalist historical discourse. Building on this analysis, the article argues that although the new historiography on Maluku incorporates certain postcolonial perspectives, it ultimately functions as an extension of Indonesia-centric nationalist historiography. This suggests that, rather than disappearing in response to changing socio-cultural conditions, nationalist historiography may persist by reappearing in new forms grounded in different thematic motifs.