Sophie Lemière

Political Anthropologist, Researcher, Consultant and Social Entrepreneur.

Sophie Lemière’s research focuses mainly on Malaysia and Southeast Asia since 2006. She has also conducted extensive research in post-revolutionary Tunisia and the Caribbean region. She obtained her Master’s and PhD from Sciences-Po Paris and has received fellowships and grants from prestigious research institutions in Europe, Asia and the US. As of 2021, Sophie is permanently based in Malaysia where she has launched World Wonderers a global non-profit social enterprise for the political empowerment of minorities and SoCo a political consulting firm offering services to private and public entities. She is currently an Adjunct Fellow at the Center for Strategic Research and International Studies (CSIS-Washington DC), a Senior Fellow at The Steven J.Green School of International and Public Affairs (SIPA)-Florida International University (Miami-USA), an Associate Researcher at Collège de France, Fondation pour la Recherche Stratégique (Paris-France) and at The History Workshop at the University of Witwatersrand (Johannesburg-RSA) in Washington DC.

Photo by: Alexandra Radu

Featured Works

A Tumultuous Year in Malaysian Politicking

Malaysia’s intricate political games have intensified since 2018, and the tectonic politics have shifted back and forth. The democratic transition many had hoped for with the end of 61 years of single-party rule did not materialize. The unexpected resignation of...

Forget 1MDB, could Najib Razak be Malaysia’s next prime minister?

Three years after being booted from office amid a global financial scandal, the disgraced former leader’s brand, and that of his Umno party, is resurrecting Najib’s second coming has parallels to Mahathir’s messianic return. In his case it is based on an appeal to...

Malaysia’s political pendulum has already swung back to Umno. Is Muhyiddin next?

The country has a new prime minister in Ismail Sabri, but its cabinet is mostly the same as Muhyiddin’s – signalling a return to conservative Malay politics The former premier’s position heading the National Recovery Council is another sign of his survival instinct....

Spotlight – Malaysia: March 24, 2023

Anwar Ibrahim became the tenth prime minister of Malaysia in November 2022. His popularity is at an all-time high with an approval rating of 68 percent, according to a recent poll by the Merdeka Center. This number at best nuances or at worst contradicts the November...

Spotlight – Malaysia: January 19, 2023

Malaysia’s 15th general election did not disappoint and has resulted in a series of unprecedented events. The alliance between Pakatan Harapan (PH) and Barisan Nasional (BN) to form a government and counter the electoral weight of Perikatan Nasional (PN) left...

Anwar Ibrahim: Between Campaign Promises and Real Politics

With the rise of Anwar Ibrahim as Malaysia’s 10th prime minister and the fall of Mahathir Mohamad, whose once-in-a-lifetime defeat expedited the 97-year-old leader to an overdue retirement, Malaysia has entered a new political era. Since 2018, Malaysia’s tectonic...

The (Final) Rise of Anwar Ibrahim

The democratic icon’s path to prime minister has been tortuous and long. But is Malaysia’s pluralism slipping away precisely when Anwar is getting his shot to lead the nation? In 1998, Anwar Ibrahim was the icon of the reformasi movement, the largest democratic...