Dr Julian Lee
Senior Lecturer
Global, Urban and Social Studies
RMIT University
Australia
Biography
"Dr Julian CH Lee is a senior lecturer in Global Studies in RMIT's School of Global, Urban and Social Studies.Julian CH Lee completed his PhD in Anthropology in 2007 during which he conducted research with a number of civil society activists in Kuala Lumpur. The work that informed his PhD thesis was later published in 2010 as Islamization and Activism in Malaysia. This book examines how some activists had sought to engage in their advocacy work using an array of methods including legal activism and political engagement. In the course of his research, Julian has observed at close quarters the conduct of Malaysian elections, as well as the work of a number of civil society movements in Malaysia. Julian’s later research focused on women’s rights activists, including those involved in the Women’s Candidacy Initiative, which sought to improve the representation of non-partisan women in Malaysia’s parliament. He has also described the work of activists seeking to raise awareness of issues facing Malaysians who face discrimination or criminalisation on the basis of their sexual orientation and gender identity. Among other publications, this research resulted in his second book, Policing Sexuality: Sex, Society and the State (2011), which was completed during his time at the University of Kent as an ESRC Postdoctoral Fellow."
Research Interest
Civil society, human rights
Publications
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 On the origins of culture and change: Stochastic processes in Malaysia and South Africa
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The great confabulation: Bearing the brain in mind when considering the formation of narratives
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On culture and hybridity: 'Gangnam Style' and the inventiveness of tradition
