Muhammad Suhail Mohamed Yazid, PhD
Tagline:Postdoctoral Fellow, Harvard University Asia Center
Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA
Bio
I am a historian of global and international history. I'm currently serving as a Postdoctoral Fellow at the Harvard University Asia Center and as a Senior Tutor at the Department of Malay Studies in the National University of Singapore (NUS).
My research examines the efforts of the 'Global South' to remake the international system after 1945. I am finalizing my second book, which recovers mid-century Malaysian initiatives to reform the Commonwealth, the United Nations, and the wider Islamic world.
I completed my doctorate in history at Trinity College, University of Cambridge, as a Prince of Wales Student. My first monograph, He Who is Made Lord: Empire, Class and Race in Postwar Singapore, was co-published by ISEAS Publishing and University of Hawai’i Press in 2023.
I welcome correspondence via email. Please, call me Suhail.
Education
Doctor of Philosophy
from: 2020, until: 2025Field of study:HistorySchool:University of CambridgeLocation:Cambridge, United Kingdom
DescriptionPrince of Wales Student, Trinity College
Master of Arts (Research)
from: 2017, until: 2019Field of study:Malay StudiesSchool:National University of SingaporeLocation:Singapore
DescriptionTun Dato Sir Cheng-Lock Tan Master of Arts Scholar, ISEAS-Yusof Ishak Institute
National University of Singapore Malay Studies Graduate ScholarBachelor of Arts with Honours (Highest Distinction)
from: 2013, until: 2017Field of study:HistorySchool:National University of SingaporeLocation:Singapore
DescriptionWinner of the Benjamin Batson History Prize for Top Graduating History Student
Research Interests
- Cold War
- Commonwealth of Nations
- Decolonization
- Indian Ocean
- International Organizations
- Islam
- Malay-Speaking Diasporas
- Southeast Asia-Africa
- United Nations
- Westminster Model
Selected Publications
Between Bandung, Suez, and Nehru's Feet: Singapore and Global South Solidarities in the Commonwealth
Journal ArticlePublisher:The Journal of Imperial and Commonwealth HistoryDate:2026Authors:Muhammad Suhail Mohamed Yazid‘For the common good of all’: Global decolonization and the Malaysian initiative for a Muslim Commonwealth, 1961–69
Journal ArticlePublisher:Journal of Global HistoryDate:2026Authors:Muhammad Suhail Mohamed YazidReview of Cold War Asia: A Visual History of Global Diplomacy by Matthew Phillips and Naoko Shimazu (eds.)
ReviewPublisher:Cambridge Review of International AffairsDate:2025Authors:Muhammad Suhail Mohamed YazidSingapore's First Malay Minister: The Political Life of Abdul Hamid Bin Jumat
Book ChapterPublisher:Heritage, Culture and Society: Critical Voices of Young MalaysDate:2021Authors:Muhammad Suhail Mohamed YazidReview of Aristocracy of Armed Talent: The Military Elite in Singapore by Samuel Ling Wei Chan
ReviewPublisher:Sojourn: Journal of Social Issues in Southeast AsiaDate:2020Authors:Muhammad SuhailA Malay Woman in the House: Recovering Sahorah Ahmat's Legacy in Singapore's History
Book ChapterPublisher:Beyond Bicentennial: Perspectives on MalaysDate:2020Authors:Muhammad Suhail Mohd Yazid
Work Experience
Postdoctoral Fellow
from: 2025, until: presentOrganization:Harvard University Asia CenterLocation:Cambridge, MA
Doctoral Candidate
from: 2020, until: 2024Organization:University of CambridgeLocation:Cambridge, United Kingdom
Research Associate
from: 2019, until: 2020Organization:Institute of Southeast Asian Studies (ISEAS-Yusof Ishak Institute)Location:Singapore
Graduate Tutor
from: 2017, until: 2019Organization:National University of SingaporeLocation:Singapore
Contact
Address
mbinmohamedyazid [at] fas.harvard.edu