Asia Studies

China Studies

China Studies at the University of Copenhagen is one of the largest centres for China-related research in the Nordic region. We study China and the sinophone world from various disciplinary perspectives, including anthropology, political science, cultural studies, media studies, and history. Our current research focuses on politics, urbanization, intellectual history, religion, bodies, food, minorities, modern media, and cultural production.

See more on the developments of China Studies in Denmark.

India and South Asia Studies

Grounded in interdisciplinary research, the India and South Asia section focuses on a range of cross-cutting fields of specialisation. These include thematic research on nation and nationalism in the 21^st Century, postcolonial state making; histories of capitalism, cultures of work, climate politics, media and publicity, and cultural memory.

Japan Studies  

Japan Studies focuses on historical and contemporary processes that have been shaping Japanese society and the country’s role in the broader Asian region and beyond. We represent several disciplinary perspectives: history, cultural studies, and anthropology. Our specific focus areas include architecture, body, Buddhism, care work, cultural heritage, cultural history of nineteenth- and early twentieth-century Japan in a global context, education (including in the SDGs), global citizenship, migration, museums, and yōkai/monsters. 

Korea Studies

Over the past decade, Korea Studies at the University of Copenhagen has been the leader of Korea-related activities in Denmark with its vibrant programs of research and teaching, community involvement, and international exchange. It was established to facilitate research on Korea through multidisciplinary approaches and now has faculty members focusing on Korean language, popular culture, literature, history, political science, and music.

Transnational themes

Asia section is engaged in research themes that are not confined within national borders. One example is the collaborative research within Contemporary Buddhist Studies with religious studies, anthropology, environmental humanities, and language-based area studies research in India, Nepal, Mongolia, China, Japan, and Oceania.

• Korean Studies Online
• Indological Manuscript Collection
• Critical Pali Dictionary

• Nordic Himalayan Research Network
• South Asia across the Nordic Region
• Nordic Association for the Study of Contemporary Japanese Society
• Modernizing Rural China Network
• Nordic Korean Studies Days
• The Danish Chinese Research Network