mr Adrian Gasser

Adrian Gasser is a PhD candidate in the Department of Anthropology and Sociology. He holds a BA in Political science from the University of Lausanne (2017) and a MA in International affairs from the Geneva Graduate Institute (2020). 

 

During his master’s studies, Adrian conducted historical sociological research on the formation of national identities in South Korea. His work examined how the Korean Peninsula evolved from a region shaped by Chinese civilization into the modern nation-state of South Korea, grounded in ethnoracial conceptions of Koreanness. He analyzed the rise and political significance of early nationalist movements between the late 19th century and the end of the colonial era.

 

Wishing to deepen this initial research, Adrian enrolled in the Master Asia program at the University of Geneva and spent several stays in South Korea, notably at Seoul National University, where he refined his knowledge of Korea and took Korean language classes.

 

In 2022, he began his doctoral project at the Geneva Graduate Institute, adding a religious dimension to his reflection on South Korean national identity. His research examines the historical intersections of politics, religion, and nationalism in Korea. Through the study of major religious festivals — Buddha’s Birthday, Christmas, and Chuseok — he explores how people’s religious trajectories shape their identities and political orientations. Drawing on fieldwork conducted between December 2024 and June 2025, he is currently analyzing the religious foundations of the recent political crisis that has shaken South Korea, with a particular focus on conservative Protestant communities.

 

Since 2022, Adrian has also served as a research associate at the Yves Oltramare Chair, where he coordinates academic events and oversees the Entretiens de la Chaire Yves Oltramare, a series of filmed interviews with visiting scholars.