Nordic Institute of Asian Studies

Nordic Institute of Asian Studies
Name	Nordic Institute of Asian Studies
Established	1968
Type	Research institute
City	Copenhagen
Country	Denmark
Affiliations	University of Copenhagen

Nordic Institute of Asian Studies is a Copenhagen-based research institute focusing on Asian studies and Nordic–Asian relations. It links scholarly work on China, Japan, India, South Korea, Southeast Asia, and Central Asia with Nordic academic networks across Denmark, Sweden, Norway, Finland, and Iceland. The institute hosts research, publications, and library services that support studies of contemporary politics, history, religion, law, and culture across Asia.

History

The institute was founded in 1968 during a period of expanding Nordic interest in Asia-Pacific, coinciding with scholarly attention to events such as the Vietnam War, the Cultural Revolution, and the normalization of relations between Japan and Western Europe. Early collaborations involved scholars from the University of Copenhagen, Aarhus University, Uppsala University, University of Oslo, University of Helsinki, and research centers linked to the Royal Library, Copenhagen and the National Library of Sweden. Throughout the 1970s and 1980s it broadened ties with institutes focused on China studies, Japan studies, and South Asian studies in institutions like SOAS University of London, the School of Oriental and African Studies, Harvard University, Columbia University, and the Australian National University. Institutional changes in the 1990s reflected shifts after the end of the Cold War and the rise of Asia-Pacific economic integration, leading to renewed emphasis on globalization, human rights, and development topics. In the 21st century the institute adapted to digital scholarship, aligning collections with standards promoted by organizations such as the International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions and networks like the European Association for Asian Studies.

Mission and Organisation

The institute's mission foregrounds scholarly research on Asian societies and transregional connections involving Nordic countries, with governance structures drawing on boards affiliated with the Nordic Council of Ministers and academic partners including the University of Copenhagen. Administrative leadership has coordinated programs across faculties such as the Faculty of Social Sciences and the Faculty of Humanities, while advisory committees have included representatives from national research councils like the Danish Agency for Science and Higher Education and funding bodies such as the Norwegian Research Council and the Swedish Research Council. Its organisational model supports visiting scholars, postdoctoral fellows, and doctoral candidates, and integrates project funding from entities like the European Research Council and the Horizon Europe framework.

Research and Publications

Research areas cover politics, history, religion, law, literature, and media studies, engaging topics from Chinese Communist Party policy and Japanese modernization to Indian independence movement, Korean peninsula security, and ASEAN regionalism. The institute publishes monographs, edited volumes, and journals, and collaborates with presses and periodicals such as Routledge, Brill Publishers, Cambridge University Press, Oxford University Press, Palgrave Macmillan, Journal of Asian Studies, and Modern Asian Studies. Project outputs have addressed themes including migration flows between Asia and Europe, trade relations exemplified by the Belt and Road Initiative and EU–China investment agreements, legal studies on instruments like the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, and cultural analyses referencing figures such as Murasaki Shikibu, Rabindranath Tagore, Li Bai, Rabindranath Tagore and B. R. Ambedkar. The institute also contributes to edited series on Asian history, collaborates with the Asian Development Bank on development studies, and disseminates working papers through networks including the Nordic Network for Asian Studies.

Academic Programs and Education

Educational activities include seminars, summer schools, postgraduate courses, and doctoral workshops in partnership with universities like the University of Copenhagen, University of Oslo, Stockholm University, University of Helsinki, and Aarhus University. Programs attract students researching topics such as Confucianism, Buddhism, Hinduism, contemporary literature by writers like Haruki Murakami and Kenzaburō Ōe, and political studies involving leaders and events like Mao Zedong, Deng Xiaoping, Indira Gandhi, and the Korean War. The institute organizes guest lectures featuring scholars from institutions such as Princeton University, Yale University, Peking University, Tsinghua University, University of Tokyo, Seoul National University, and Jawaharlal Nehru University.

Library and Archives

The institute maintains a specialist library and archives with collections on area studies, holding monographs, serials, and archival materials related to Asian history, diplomacy, and culture. Holdings complement national collections like the Royal Danish Library and collaborate on cataloguing standards used by the European Library and WorldCat. Special collections include materials in languages such as Mandarin Chinese, Japanese language, Hindi, Bengali language, Korean language, Thai language, and Malay language, and archival partnerships have linked to repositories such as the British Library, the National Diet Library (Japan), the National Archives of India, and the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences.

Collaborations and Partnerships

The institute collaborates with regional centers including the Asia-Europe Foundation, the European Association for South Asian Studies, the Nordic Centre in India, and research networks like the European Consortium for Asian Studies. It has partnered on projects with international organizations such as the United Nations Development Programme, the World Bank, and the International Labour Organization and with research hubs at SOAS University of London, Leiden University, Heidelberg University, University of California, Berkeley, and National University of Singapore. Collaborative programming has also involved cultural institutions including the Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts, the Danish Film Institute, and museums like the National Museum of Denmark.

Notable Directors and Scholars

Directors and affiliated scholars have included figures who held positions at universities and institutes such as University of Copenhagen, Aarhus University, Uppsala University, SOAS University of London, Peking University, Tsinghua University, Seoul National University, and University of Tokyo. Prominent affiliated researchers and visiting fellows have included specialists in Sinology and Japanology as well as scholars of South Asian studies and Southeast Asian studies from institutions like Harvard University, Columbia University, Princeton University, Yale University, Australian National University, National University of Singapore, Jawaharlal Nehru University, University of Hong Kong, and City University of Hong Kong.

Category:Research institutes in Denmark Category:Asian studies