Faizah Zakaria
My broad research interest is the social evolution of Southeast Asian communities and their multiple identities - how they develop and bond and also, how and why they break down. I have generally approached this theme from two angles – common spaces and social rupture – with my most recent work focusing on mass violence against the political left in Indonesia from 1965 to 1968. I am also interested in the relation between writing, history and literature in shaping narratives that emerge in a community’s sociopolitical consciousness.
I majored in Mathematics as an undergraduate, obtained a postgraduate teaching diploma and spent the subsequent years struggling to shape young minds without losing my own. Teaching was an experience that was invaluable in making me realize how much I like the exchange of ideas and detest disciplining students with short skirts and long hair. Personal reading, traveling and an inspiring time earning my M.A in Southeast Asian Studies in the National University of Singapore, drove my interest in history. I love to spend time with family and friends, write perishable poetry, read frivolous fiction and watch Korean dramas.
