Pierre Le Roux

Pierre Le Roux is a Full Professor of Ethnology at the Institute of Ethnology, Faculty of Social Sciences, University of Strasbourg. He is a leading specialist in Southeast Asian cultures, particularly the Jawi people of southern Thailand, with decades of fieldwork and interdisciplinary research experience. His roles include directing master’s programs in ethnology and social sciences, serving on scientific commissions, and leading research seminars bridging ethnology with archaeology and prehistory.

• Specialization: Southeast Asia, Jawi people, ethnoscience, human trafficking, symbolic systems
• Academic Leadership: Director of Studies for ethnology and social sciences programs, member of national and international research councils
• Research Affiliations: SAGE (UMR 7363 CNRS & University of Strasbourg), IRASEC, Réseau Asie Pacifique

Le Roux’s research interests span social anthropology, ethnolinguistics, ethnohistory, and environmental anthropology. He explores cultural identity, ritual practices, cosmogony, symbolic technologies (e.g., architecture, metallurgy), and the interplay between nature and culture. His work on human trafficking, slavery, and prostitution in Southeast Asia adopts a holistic, interdisciplinary lens, examining historical, cultural, and structural factors.

His recent publications reflect broad thematic trends, including human-animal relations (especially bears), megalithic traditions, metrological systems, and oral literature. These works demonstrate a sustained commitment to comparative, panchronistic analysis across Southeast Asia, often integrating archaeological, linguistic, and ethnographic data.

Scientific awards and honors include:

• Prix Dufrenoy, Académie d’Agriculture de France
• Fellowships from Singer-Polignac, Bleustein-Blanchet, Fyssen, and Ushuaia-Nicolas Hulot foundations
• Bourses Lavoisier, Rotary International, CNRS, and EHESS
• Prix littéraire Gayan Lecture (2007)

Le Roux has supervised PhD and master’s students such as Caroline Grillot and Nicolas Lainez. He played a key role in establishing the Louise Beyrand and Olivier Toussaint doctoral scholarship in ethnology. His research has been supported by grants from CNRS, IRASEC, French Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and international foundations. He co-founded SevenOrients, a cultural production house, to disseminate ethnographic films and publications. He leads major interdisciplinary seminars like 'Ethnology and Archaeologies' and has co-organized international conferences on megalithism and human-animal relations.