What Was Life Like for South Asian Students in Imperial England? One Fulbright Recipient Aims to Find Out
Beenish Ahmed recently completed a dual BA with highest honors in spring 2009. She is the recipient of a U.S. Department of State Student Fulbright Fellowship.
Q: What prompted you to apply for the U.S. Department of State Student Fulbright program?
The opportunity offered by the Fulbright program is absolutely unparalleled. I was awestruck by the idea of developing research questions for a country and potentially finding myself there searching for answers. I knew I had to put in the effort to apply—if only for the slightest chance of being selected.
Q: What city and country will you be living in?
I will be living in the United Kingdom and attending the University of Cambridge, but I will be traveling to London regularly to facilitate arts workshops with young people in South Asian communities.
Q: Could you describe the research you’ll be doing overseas?
Since colonialism is often said to have conquered the minds of people as well as their land, my research will consider education as a form of imperial encounter for South Asian students in the United Kingdom between 1850 and 1950. Through individual accounts and an examination of teaching methods and curriculum, I hope to document the very slight personal shifts that made Indian students so complicit with the British Empire that they returned to their country to further its aims. My research will be paired with art workshops meant to cultivate a sense of importance for personal history as it unfolds in South Asian communities.
Q: What are you most looking forward to about this opportunity?
It’s hard to overlook history at a school that just celebrated its eight hundredth year in existence, and I am eager to consider the lives of students a hundred years ago who were in many ways very similar to me. Additionally, I’m very excited about all of the opportunities offered by the UK Fulbright Commission—from theater events to a tea party with the House of Lords! I’m extremely honored to have the chance to represent the United States as a Fulbright Scholar.
Q: What do you hope to contribute to your field and to the global community from your work?
While letters and diaries written by English men and women in India abound, we know very little about the experience of Indians in England aside from such prominent figures as Gandhi, Nehru, and Jinnah. Scholarship has only recently shifted its focus to this form of imperial encounter, and I hope to be able to contribute this body of knowledge over the course of my Fulbright year and beyond.
Q: What role did the International Institute play in helping you realize this opportunity?
The International Institute was essential in assisting me through every phase of the Fulbright competition. I first consulted with the institute about potential plans for research the year before I applied, and I continued to speak with the staff as I finalized my proposal. When I was notified that my application had moved on to the final stage of the selection process, I contacted the institute to run through a mock interview which was immensely helpful in preparing me for the actual one.
Q: What advice would you give to other students interested in pursuing the Student Fulbright Program?
Begin thinking about the application early. Don’t be afraid to work through your statements with professors and mentors an infinite number of times. Just be sure not to compromise your personal message for the sake of clarity, brevity, or some obscure sense of propriety. We’re taught how to best approach application essays, but in my opinion, it’s imperative to break that mold and prove that you’re intensely passionate about research you hope to pursue.
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