Rethinking Ourselves

Co-published with Hurst Publishers

A groundbreaking exploration of justice, democracy and Islamophobia, inviting us to reconsider our assumptions and build a more equitable future.

Change has run amok! Technology advances by the minute, and much of what we think we know about the world fades in front of our eyes. How we are, how we know, how we live our daily lives—all shifting quicker than we can cope with.

Anwar Ibrahim, Malaysia’s tenth Prime Minister, asks how we might rethink ourselves for these confusing, uncertain and volatile times, and shape fairer, more sustainable futures. Anwar’s passion is rooted in experience: he spent, in total, over a decade behind bars after three separate miscarriages of justice, from his days as a student activist to his time as Leader of the Opposition.

Alongside reflections on his time in prison are critical investigations into truth, justice, post-colonialism, Islamophobia, democracy and global order. Anwar assembles ideas from East and West, North and South, to explore how we can create a new inclusive synthesis for a good society and world. Vividly expressed, expertly dissected, this is a timely book for our turbulent age.

Anwar Ibrahim, Malaysia’s Prime Minister, is a public intellectual and founder of the People’s Justice Party. He endured a decade of imprisonment for his staunch anti-corruption and reformist politics. Formerly based at the University of Oxford, and Georgetown and Johns Hopkins Universities, he is the author of The Asian Renaissance.

‘A transformative manifesto from Malaysia’s Prime Minister, Anwar Ibrahim, forged through decades of political struggle and three periods of incarceration, Rethinking Ourselves transcends memoir to deliver a vital blueprint for navigating our chaotic era.’

—Shin Keong Cheong, Hong Kong Economic Journal

‘A compelling account by a courageous leader who has triumphed over prosecution, harsh prison life and attempts to ban him from public office. This book sets out the values that shape his life and work and how he proposes to lead Malaysia into the future.’ 

—Gordon Brown, former UK Prime Minister

‘Its intellectual and policy contributions offer a masterclass in holistic governance, justice, and societal resilience in the 21st century so-called post-normal, multipolar, globalized world.’

—Patrick Lau, Hong Kong Trade Development Council

‘The brilliant insights of Anwar Ibrahim radiate here in eloquent prose, now more accessible and necessary than ever. For truth and justice to prevail, we must look to the core human values etched in this enthralling, impassioned manifesto from the foremost Muslim statesman of our time.’

—Bruce B. Lawrence, Duke University