ABSTRACT
The history syllabus under colonial rule reflected changing notions of British imperialism. In the interwar period, the concept of imperial citizenship was promoted by the colonial state in order to gain the loyalty of the English-educated elite. By the 1930s, the colonial history syllabus had been adapted to Malaya and Singapore by Richard O. Winstedt, a historian and director of education. Winstedt used the history syllabus to encourage a stronger sense of belonging to the empire by having it focus more on the Asian backgrounds of the people under its rule. He incorporated Asian history and Asian historical figures into the syllabus. Students studied the local history of Malaya and Singapore. However, the emphasis was on the study of Asia and Asians under the rule of the British Empire and how the students were a part of the empire.
