Muhammad Suhail Mohamed Yazid, PhD

Tagline:Postdoctoral Fellow, Harvard University Asia Center

Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA

personal photo of Muhammad Suhail Mohamed Yazid, PhD

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: 2025

    Field of study:HistorySchool:University of CambridgeLocation:Cambridge, United Kingdom

    Description

    Prince of Wales Student, Trinity College

  • Master of Arts (Research)

    from: 2017, until: 2019

    Field of study:Malay StudiesSchool:National University of SingaporeLocation:Singapore

    Description

    Tun Dato Sir Cheng-Lock Tan Master of Arts Scholar, ISEAS-Yusof Ishak Institute
    National University of Singapore Malay Studies Graduate Scholar

  • Bachelor of Arts with Honours (Highest Distinction)

    from: 2013, until: 2017

    Field of study:HistorySchool:National University of SingaporeLocation:Singapore

    Description

    Winner 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

  • He Who is Made Lord: Empire, Class and Race in Postwar Singapore

    BookPublisher:Institute of Southeast Asian Studies and University of Hawai'i PressDate:2023
    Authors:
    Muhammad Suhail Mohamed Yazid
    Description:

    Shortlisted for the ‘Spirit of Singapore’ Book Prize

  • Between Bandung, Suez, and Nehru's Feet: Singapore and Global South Solidarities in the Commonwealth

    Journal ArticlePublisher:The Journal of Imperial and Commonwealth HistoryDate:2026
    Authors:
    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:2026
    Authors:
    Muhammad Suhail Mohamed Yazid
  • Review of Cold War Asia: A Visual History of Global Diplomacy by Matthew Phillips and Naoko Shimazu (eds.)

    ReviewPublisher:Cambridge Review of International AffairsDate:2025
    Authors:
    Muhammad Suhail Mohamed Yazid
  • Singapore's First Malay Minister: The Political Life of Abdul Hamid Bin Jumat

    Book ChapterPublisher:Heritage, Culture and Society: Critical Voices of Young MalaysDate:2021
    Authors:
    Muhammad Suhail Mohamed Yazid
  • Review of Aristocracy of Armed Talent: The Military Elite in Singapore by Samuel Ling Wei Chan

    ReviewPublisher:Sojourn: Journal of Social Issues in Southeast AsiaDate:2020
    Authors:
    Muhammad Suhail
  • A Malay Woman in the House: Recovering Sahorah Ahmat's Legacy in Singapore's History

    Book ChapterPublisher:Beyond Bicentennial: Perspectives on MalaysDate:2020
    Authors:
    Muhammad Suhail Mohd Yazid

Work Experience

  • Postdoctoral Fellow

    from: 2025, until: present

    Organization:Harvard University Asia CenterLocation:Cambridge, MA

  • Doctoral Candidate

    from: 2020, until: 2024

    Organization:University of CambridgeLocation:Cambridge, United Kingdom

  • Research Associate

    from: 2019, until: 2020

    Organization:Institute of Southeast Asian Studies (ISEAS-Yusof Ishak Institute)Location:Singapore

  • Graduate Tutor

    from: 2017, until: 2019

    Organization:National University of SingaporeLocation:Singapore

© 2026 Muhammad Suhail Mohamed Yazid, PhD