Timur Dadabaev is a Professor of International Relations, the founding Director of the Special Program for Japanese and Eurasian Studies at the University of Tsukuba in Japan, and the current editor of the Palgrave Macmillan series Politics and History of Central Asia.
He is an internationally recognised scholar in Central Asian international relations, post-authoritarian governance, and non-Western migration studies. His work engages with the intersections of legal cultures, informal practices, and institutional reform in Central Asia, with comparative insights from East Asia.
The visiting professorship is realised through a grant from the Swedish Research Council.
What made you accept the guest professorship at the Sociology of Law Department at Lund University?
Lund University’s Sociology of Law Department stands out for its ability to engage critically with law as a social phenomenon, particularly in relation to power, informality, and everyday practice. This resonates strongly with my own work, which looks at how governance often unfolds beyond formal legal frameworks.
At the same time, I saw this appointment as an opportunity to connect different academic and regional conversations. My research and institutional engagements in Central Asia and East Asia can contribute to Lund’s international and comparative outlook, while Lund provides an intellectually rigorous and collaborative environment in which these ideas can further develop.
What made the decision particularly compelling was the sense that this is not simply a short-term exchange, but a setting where meaningful academic dialogue and cooperation can evolve in more sustained ways.
How do you describe your current research?
My research focuses on how governance and legal order are produced not only through formal institutions, but also through informal practices, non-decisions, and what remains unarticulated. I have been working with concepts such as strategic silence and “quiet legality” to better understand how individuals and institutions navigate complex regulatory environments without always relying on formal legal mechanisms.
Empirically, I work on Central Asia and on migration from the region to countries such as Japan and South Korea. These contexts provide insight into how legal norms are adapted, negotiated, or quietly circumvented in practice. More broadly, my research seeks to contribute to ongoing discussions in sociology of law and international studies by bringing in perspectives from regions that are still underrepresented in these debates.
What will be your main focus during your time at Lund University?
During my time at Lund, I aim to actively engage in the department’s research and teaching activities while also contributing to the development of new collaborative directions. This includes working closely with colleagues and doctoral students on themes related to informality, governance, and law in practice, particularly in comparative and non-Western contexts.
I also plan to advance ongoing research projects and develop joint initiatives, including potential grant applications and publication collaborations. An important aspect of my focus will be to strengthen connections between Lund and academic and policy institutions in Central Asia and East Asia, creating opportunities for longer-term academic exchange.
More broadly, I see this period as part of a wider process of building intellectually and institutionally meaningful links that can continue to develop over time.