Josiah Ponnudurai ‘18

This profile was current as of 2018, when he was part of the on-campus Kellogg community.

Thesis: Religious Actors and their Responses to Persecution in Malaysia

My research interests broadly encompass the field of religion and global politics. More specifically, I am currently interested in investigating the factors that influence religious actors to respond to persecution in different ways. I am currently exploring this research topic through my senior thesis, where I will perform a comparative case study of religious actors from my home country of Malaysia. My other research interests include religious freedom in Muslim majority nations and global Christian responses to persecution.

I have had the privilege of receiving numerous grants from the Kellogg Institute. Through these grants, I have been able to travel to Malaysia in order to conduct research among the local Christian community. I have also been fortunate enough to have received an ISP conference grant, which I used to travel to D.C. to attend the unveiling of the Under Caesar’s Sword report. Finally, I have also been able to broaden my knowledge of international issues through grants provided by the Career Center and Political Science Department. These awards enabled me to intern at the Religious Freedom Institute in D.C., where I worked on compiling reports on religious freedom in Malaysia and Indonesia.