Erik Isaksson, MA
Ernst Mach Fellow
Erik Isaksson is an Ernst Mach Fellow at the oiip, conducting a project on narratives of neutrality in Austria and pacifism in Japan. His main research interests are the role of narratives, discourses, identity, status, and knowledge regimes in international politics, with a particular focus on Japan and East Asia. He is also a researcher and PhD candidate at Freie Universität Berlin, working on narratives of “universal values” in contemporary Japanese foreign policy, and an Associate Fellow at the Swedish Institute of International Affairs. He received his MA in Asian Languages and Cultures (focus on Japan) from Stockholm University in 2016 and worked at the Stockholm-based Institute for Security and Development Policy (ISDP) 2017-2020.
Vita
Education
- PhD, Japanese Studies, Graduate School of East Asian Studies, Freie Universität Berlin, Germany, 2020-
- MA, Asian Languages and Cultures, Stockholm University, Sweden, 2016
- BA, Japanese Studies, Stockholm University, Sweden, 2014
Professional positions
- Ernst Mach Praedoc Fellow, Austrian Institute for International Affairs, Austria, 2023-
- Researcher, Institute of Japanese Studies, Freie Universität Berlin, Germany, 2022-
- Associate Fellow, Asia Program, Swedish Institute for International Affairs, Sweden, 2020-
- Visiting PhD Student, European Institute of Japanese Studies, Stockholm School of Economics, Sweden, 2020-
- Research Coordinator / Outreach Coordinator / Junior Research Fellow – Institute for Security and Development Policy, Sweden, 2017-2020
Publications
- Isaksson, E. (2023). Japan’s New NSS: Zeitenwende or Time-Tested Tradition? H-Diplo|RJISSF Commentary Series (February). Available at: https://issforum.org/ISSF/PDF/RJISSF-Commentary-I-4.pdf
- Isaksson, E. (2022). ‘Sweden-Japan Relations: From economic partners to geopolitical allies?’ in Brinza, A., and Lungo, A. (eds.) Developing the EU-Japan Strategic Partnership: An analysis of European Union Member states' relations with Japan. Bucharest: Research Institute for the Study of the Asia-Pacific (RISAP), pp. 574-603. Available at: https://risap.eu/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/Developing-the-EU-Japan-Strategic-Partnership.pdf
- Isaksson, E. (2022) Grand Strategy or Grand Identity? Narratives of “Universal Values” and Autonomy in Japanese Foreign Policy. Quaderni di Scienze Politiche 21/2022, pp. 95-113. Available at: https://www.qdsp.it/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/QDSP_21-2022-Grand-Strategy-or-Grand-Identity-Erik-Isaksson.pdf
- Isaksson, E. (2022). Longtime Democrat, Future Leader: The Particular Logic of Japan’s Values Discourse. UI Brief, no 2. 2022. Available at: https://www.ui.se/globalassets/ui.se-eng/publications/ui-publications/2022/ui-brief-no.-2-2022.pdf
- Hagström, L. and Isaksson, E. (2019) Pacifist Identity, Civics Textbooks, and the Opposition to Japan’s Security Legislation. The Journal of Japanese Studies, 45(1), pp. 31-55. Available at: https://muse.jhu.edu/article/717648