The Department of History at the National University of Singapore is pleased to offer two graduate studies scholarships: one PhD scholarship and one MA scholarship, both beginning in August 2019. Successful applicants will take part in a new research project, “Reconceptualizing the Cold War: On-the-ground Experiences in Asia,”directed by Dr. Masuda Hajimu, and supported by the Academic Research Council, Ministry of Education, Singapore.

The research project aims to build an online archive of oral history collections concerning the Cold War and decolonization in Asia, with a particular focus on the Philippines, Vietnam, Thailand, Myanmar, Malaysia, and Singapore, as well as Taiwan, South Korea, and Japan. We aim to capture the emotions, enthusiasms, and fears of the era through exploring experiences of ordinary people who went through various real and imagined wars. Through this oral history project—in a sense, an attempt at history from below, and from Asia—we aim to draw attention toward diverse local struggles, social antagonisms, and culture wars, as well as gender, ethnic, and religious tensions, that have often been obscured under standard narratives of the Cold War. In doing so, ultimately, we hope to destabilize the conventional understanding of the Cold War as a single, international confrontation between the two superpowers, helping historians and scholars in other disciplines to rethink what the Cold War really was.

Successful applicants will work on their own topics pertaining to this overall project, and conduct field work and an oral history project, assisting the Principal Investigator in setting up an online archive of oral history collections. Communication and writing skills in any Asian language(s) are vital for these positions. These scholarships will provide full tuition fees, as well as a monthly stipend of approximately S$3,000 for two years (MA) and four to five years (PhD) subject to satisfactory progress by the candidates.

Applicants should apply online before the deadline, 1 November 2018. In addition, the following items should be submitted by email to the Principal Investigator: hishm@nus.edu.sg

• Description of your proposed research topic relating to the stated objectives of the overall project (750-1000 words, excluding references).
• Short CV (max. two pages)

For all enquiries, please contact the Principal Investigator, Dr. Masuda Hajimu, at: hishm@nus.edu.sg. For more details about the online application process, go to the NUS FASS website: http://www.fas.nus.edu.sg/research/application-info.html