Robert Williamson shares about his research in Cultural Studies in Asia, a PhD programme established in 2009.This is the only such programme taught in English in Asia.

“My research concerns documentary filmmaking in Southeast Asia, with an emphasis on how young people use the medium to formulate political positions and identities in societies where the public discussion of recent political history remains regulated or restricted. This topic is positioned at an intersection of political science, law, education, social memory and film aesthetics. The Cultural Studies in Asia program is designed to help students negotiate these kinds of complex interdisciplinary questions and construct theoretical frameworks that cut across traditional academic disciplines. It allows real flexibility and freedom to explore issues from a number of perspectives, encouraging students to take classes and choose advisors from any number of the departments within the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences. I feel I can approach my topic in a much more comprehensive way than a Film Studies program would normally allow, and the resulting work should be of interest to a wider range of readers.”

For this and more on Cultural Studies in Asia – please refer to http://www.fas.nus.edu.sg/soc/