A History Worth Telling

Life in D.C. is exciting. I’ve spent every weekend strolling through museums and galleries, traveling through space and time when moving from one exhibit to the next. The “Nature’s Best™” international photography awards exhibition at Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History was a journey across the world to capture the most stirring and achingly beautiful photos of nature at its incredible best. The National Museum of American History gave me an insight into the lives of soldiers in the Civil War and World War II while the National Museum of African American History and Culture told a tale of unimaginable suffering, injustice and bravery. These experiences cemented the importance of preservation of memory in my mind which inspired me to galvanize my efforts at work to tell the history of the Asia Foundation.

My main task this summer has been to outline and formulate a monograph on the history of law and justice efforts that the Foundation has undertaken since its inception in the 50s. Alongside digging through archives to find the right documents to include in this project, I’ve gotten the chance to talk to some amazingly passionate and driven individuals; the law program directors who I have interviewed have all had one trait in common: an unwavering determination to improve the lives of other people. When Skyping one such legal adviser in Mongolia, I was told fascinating tales about the challenges of providing greater access to justice for disadvantaged communities, building stronger institutions and protecting human rights. These conversations helped bridge the gap between theory and practice of legal development; rule of law literature is unable to capture the complexity and unpredictability of legal transitions, especially in developing countries with limited individual rights. My experience working on this project has been challenging but positive. Sixty years is a long and difficult period of time to cover, especially when the best sources of information are Foundation employees scattered across the world with understandably limited memories of the programs I’m hoping to interrogate them about.

As I make progress with this project, I find myself increasingly keen to do a good job and tell the story of this organization and its people. Everyone I’ve spoken to has inspired me with their passion for their work and determination to keep going. The first few weeks were tough because of the daunting task of trying to choose the right case studies to illustrate the multifaceted nature of the Asia Foundation’s work. There are thousands of projects to choose from, and no index or list to help me navigate. Thankfully, my supervisor has a truly phenomenal memory; every single conversation we have includes a “Eureka” moment and a new name or project for me to follow up on. I What makes each interaction even nicer is that after every discussion, as I walk back to my desk, she worriedly calls out, “Are you having fun? Are you sure?”, to which my response is always a wide grin and two thumbs up!

Suffice it to say, the internship is going well.

An evening at the Kennedy Center with other D.C. interns

Written by Vivan Malkani ’19, Political Science major, FSI Global Policy Intern at The Asia Foundation in Washington, D.C.

FSI Internships

We provide placement, mentorship and a stipend to students engaging in off-campus internships at international policy and international affairs organizations. For 2018 and on please visit: https://medium.com/freeman-spogli-institute-for-international-studies/fsi-students/home

FSI Student Programs

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The Freeman Spogli Institute for International Studies at Stanford offers engaging, policy-focused Stanford student opportunities.

FSI Internships

We provide placement, mentorship and a stipend to students engaging in off-campus internships at international policy and international affairs organizations. For 2018 and on please visit: https://medium.com/freeman-spogli-institute-for-international-studies/fsi-students/home

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