Nathan Hu

  

Volume 8 | Issue IV | December 2024

The Lawrenceville School ’25

New Jersey, USA

  

As a Canadian with Chinese-Indonesian heritage who lived in Vancouver and Hong Kong before studying at an American boarding high school, I’m deeply interested in the colonial histories of Canada, Indonesia, Hong Kong, and the US. In 2023, a visit to the Malaysian National Museum expanded my interest in Malaysia as well. Learning about the struggles of rubber tappers who were enslaved under British colonial rule motivated me to undertake extensive research on the subject. Over the last two summers, I examined more than 300 declassified archives from Britain, Malaysia, and the United States. While finding parallels between America and Malaysia under British colonial rule, I noted a key difference: Americans revolted, whereas Malaysians remained submissive. Out of empathy and driven by American anti-colonial ideology, four US presidents – Franklin Roosevelt, Harry Truman, Dwight Eisenhower, and John Kennedy – urged British prime ministers to decolonize Malaysia, further motivated by US national security interests and economic hegemony. Encouraged by the interdisciplinary research in The Schola, a publication community that resonated with me, I was delighted to share my findings by submitting my research article. I’m grateful for the editorial comments that helped elevate my article. Drawing inspiration from The Schola, I founded a publication club at my school to promote interdisciplinary research. Besides history, I am fascinated by psychology, particularly how it influenced the decisions of historical political leaders. I am passionate about bridging history and psychology. Outside of research, I enjoy playing tennis and hanging out with friends.