- Where
- ISEAS_Yusof Ishak Institute
- Level
- Mid
[What the role is]
The Malaysia Studies Programme (MSP) at the ISEAS - Yusof Ishak Institute invites applications for the following Visiting Fellowships for the Financial Year 2027-2028.
[What you will be working on]
A) Visiting Fellow – Future of Malay-based Political Parties (2-12 months)
Once dominated by the United Malays National Organisation (UMNO), Peninsular Malaysia’s constituency-rich Malay heartland is now contested by several Malay-based parties. Competition among UMNO, PAS and Bersatu has intensified as parties seek to consolidate existing strongholds while making inroads into new constituencies and demographic groups. This project will examine how Malay-based parties compete for support, with particular attention to their issue positions, geographic and demographic targeting, candidate selection, political narratives, organisational strategies, and use of traditional and digital media. Particular attention may be given to economic narratives: how parties frame questions of cost of living, jobs and wages, subsidies, social protection, development, investment and economic opportunity, and how these messages are adapted to different constituencies and social groups. It may also consider how these approaches vary across elections and between national and state-level contests.
B) Visiting Fellow – Social Cohesion (2-12 months)
Malaysia is a diverse and relatively young society whose social cohesion continues to be shaped by ethnicity, religion, language, region, class and generation. At the same time, patterns of urbanisation, migration, educational experience and digital media consumption are changing how Malaysians understand community and belonging. This project will examine contemporary narratives and conceptualisations of citizenship, national identity and social cohesion, and how these vary across social groups and generations. It may also explore the institutions, policies and everyday practices that strengthen social trust and shared belonging, as well as the sources of social division and contestation. Research need not be confined to electoral politics: studies of inter- and intra-community relations, changing class structures, migration, social mobility, or differences within Malaysia’s major ethnic communities would also be welcome.
C) Visiting Fellow – Malaysia’s Demographic Trajectory (2-12 months)
Malaysia is undergoing significant demographic change, with implications for the economy, politics, public services and patterns of settlement. This project will examine how the country’s population is likely to evolve towards 2050, including changes in overall population size and age structure, ethnic composition, household formation, migration and urbanisation. Particular attention may be given to the geographic distribution of different age and ethnic groups across states and between urban and rural areas. The project should consider the wider implications of these trends for labour markets, social policy, electoral politics and Malaysia’s longer-term development trajectory.
D) Visiting Fellow – Institutions and Governance (2-12 months)
Malaysia’s institutions of state — including the civil service, judiciary and monarchy — provide continuity across changes of government and play important roles in the formulation, implementation and oversight of public policy. Their significance has become more visible amid greater electoral competition, coalition governments and narrower parliamentary majorities. This project will examine changes within one or more of these institutions, including questions of institutional capacity, autonomy, accountability and adaptation. It may also analyse their evolving relationships with elected political leaders and assess how these relationships shape policy implementation, administrative reform and governance outcomes.
E) Visiting Fellow – Political Islam (2-12 months)
Political Islam remains an important dimension of Malaysia’s political competition. Debate over the recent…