Erik Johan Mobrand

Research areas

• Democracy and law
• International scientific collaboration
• Theoretical insights from Asia

Ongoing research

Social theory is based overwhelmingly on concepts developed from reflection on Western experiences. Yet many social science ideas travel more poorly than we think: context limits the overestimated scope of supposedly universal claims. I do what might be called translational work to address this issue. My research examines how concepts – democracy, corruption, law – take on distinct meanings in specific non-Western places. Pulling from Korean (and other Asian) contexts, I strive to show how global diversity can enrich our conceptual understandings.

An ongoing project examines the use of legal techniques to undermine or manoeuvre around democratic processes. In deploying these techniques, political actors perform theatrically for multiple audiences. Legal exhortations and political performances have different meanings for these various audiences. This phenomenon calls, therefore, for context-sensitive research to decipher the signals and underlying political meanings. The work points toward tensions within democracy and toward lessons about communication.

In another stream of research, I work with colleagues at Lund University to examine contemporary geopolitical and technological challenges to international scientific collaboration. Where science was once infused with a spirit of cosmopolitanism, suspicion and security concerns have grown rapidly. Our research studies how researchers and policymakers in different places respond to perceived challenges; the programme also attempts to draw lessons relevant to policy at the university and governmental levels.

My primary window into world affairs is South Korea’s politics. It’s a quirky window – all the better for finding fresh insights. Sometimes the politics in Korea is deceptively familiar. At other times, events are downright puzzling. My goal in investigating and writing about Korea’s politics is to make the place relatable. Once it is relatable, then we can find fascinating and widely relevant lessons about democracy, power, and the world today.