Welcome Message

rcw_second_workshop

Our project, "Reconceptualizing the Cold War: On-the-ground Experiences in Asia," aims to build an online archive of oral history collections concerning the Cold War and decolonization in Asia, with a particular focus on East, Southeast, and South Asia. Based on oral history interviews and archival research across Asia, we aim to capture the emotions, enthusiasms, and fears of the era, and explores experiences and memories of ordinary people who witnessed various kinds of real and imagined wars.

Featured Collections


Recently Added

Interview With Nur

A former high-ranking member of the Moro National Liberation Front, Nur recollected how leaders of the Front collaborated with the Philippine communists and employed Maoist tactics to conduct actions in Mindanao.

Interview With Maria

A daughter of a coast guard in the Philippine Marines during the Battle of Jolo in 1974, Maria recounts the chaos and destruction that ensued when the Philippine Air Force commenced bombings against the rebels during the battle.

Interview With Malik

A soldier in the Philippine military during the 1970s, Malik witnessed the burning of Jolo in 1974 when rebel forces from the Moro National Liberation Front invaded the city. He also provides insight on various abuses that the military did during the early years of martial law.

Interview With Khalid

Khalid, a member of the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) who quit the Front shortly before the Battle of Jolo in 1974, recounts how Sulu became militarised when martial law was imposed in 1972.

Interwith With Hussein 2

Hussien discusses how his experiences from the Battle of Jolo in 1974, together with his father’s death from an aerial strike by the Filipino Air Force in the late 1970s, prompted him to join the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF). He is currently the administrator of one of the biggest mosques in Metro Manila.

Interview With Hussein

Hussien, a freshman in high school when the Battle of Jolo erupted in the Philippines, discusses his experiences and observations of life immediately before and after martial law was declared in the country, as well as how he and his family faced the challenge of war and violence.

Interview With Chen

Chen, a Tausug with Chinese ancestry, speaks about his experience living through the Battle of Jolo in 1974. He discusses how the ethnic Chinese in Sulu were affected by the outbreak of hostilities between the Filipino government and the Moro National Liberation Front.

Interview With Al Caluang

Al Caluang discusses his experience fighting for the Moro Islamic Liberation Front, including how he was sent to places like Malaysia, Cuba and Angola to train how to mount resistance operations.


Browse Archives

asia-map-feature

Learn about the Cold War through our oral archives.

Workshops

china_interviews_10

Learn about our past and forthcoming workshops.

Project Members

RCW 4th Workshop group photo

Learn about present and past members of our project.