Ph.D. Jiayu Deng

Consultation

Deng Jiayu is a scholar specializing in Southeast Asian history, with a particular focus on the overseas Chinese communities in Malaysia and Singapore. She received a BA from South China University of Technology in 2013 and an MA by research in Overseas Chinese Studies from the University of Malaya in 2017. During her master’s studies, she served as a research assistant at the Institute of China Studies and Department of Chinese Studies, University of Malaya.

In 2021, she was awarded the PolyU Presidential PhD Fellowship and completed her PhD in History at The Hong Kong Polytechnic University in 2025. She has held visiting scholar appointments at the Centre for Chinese Language and Culture, Nanyang Technological University (June 2022-September 2022) and the Institute of China Studies, University of Malaya (June 2023–January 2024).

Her doctoral dissertation, among the first comprehensive studies of the collective political thought of the Chinese community in Malaysia, reconstructs the nation-building ideologies and imaginaries of diverse Chinese factions across historical periods, while also engaging perspectives from non-Chinese Malaysians, particularly Malays. The ethnic Chinese factions examined include the Straits Chinese, left-wing Chinese, and members of traditional Chinese associations. Her analysis addresses both points of contention and areas of convergence among these groups.

Her research interests include Southeast Asian history, overseas Chinese communities, ethnic relations, cultural identity, nation-building, Chinese associations, Overseas Chinese State Farms, and overseas Chinese museums and heritage.