phd thesis
Title: La fabrique religieuse de la coréanité : religions, nationalismes et politique en Corée du Sud
PhD Supervisor: Jean-François Bayart
PhD CO Supervisor: Samuel Guex (Université de Genève)
Expected completion date: 2026
Adrian's PhD investigates how the relations between Buddhism, Christianity and politics contribute to the process of nation-state formation in South Korea. By looking at the intersection of nationalism and religion, his research aims to overcome two assumptions that are firmly anchored in academic literature and in South Korea's social space. According to the first, Korea and Koreans constitute a racially and culturally homogeneous nation that was founded thousands of years ago, and according to the second, South Korean society has achieved "religious peace" on its soil. However, studies in historical sociology have recently shown that the sense of belonging to the Korean nation is a recent phenomenon, a contingent one and a source of conflict, since the very notion of "Koreanness" is open to debate. Meanwhile, the relationship between the State, Korean Buddhists and certain evangelical movements has been increasingly tense since 2008, giving rise to protests without precedent in the social history of the Korean republic. Faced with the injunction to prove their Koreanness, tensions between religious groups suggest that new modes of belonging and action are at play in the interstices of the national and religious. At the junction between, on the one hand, historical and comparative sociology of politics and religion, and on the other, anthropology of religion, Adrian plans to conduct fieldwork during three widely popular religious celebrations in South Korea, namely Buddha's Birthday, Christmas and Chuseok. This ethnography will allow him to sketch a panorama of the discourses and practices that Buddhists and Christians express in relation to these three celebrations as well as to other religious groups, to the State and to the Korean nation.
profile
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-Asie 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. He is also a member of the Société Suisse-Asie (SAG/SSA).
Publications and Works
Gasser, Adrian. “Que Dieu préserve la Corée du Déluge: Rencontre avec des protestants qui soutiennent Yoon Seok-yeol.” Religioscope, 15 août 2025.
Gasser, Adrian. “May God Protect Korea from the Deluge: An Analysis of Protestant Support for Yoon Seok-yeol’s Martial Law (2024).” Asiatische Studien – Études Asiatiques, vol. 79, no. 1, 2025, pp. 149-185.
research interests
- South Korea; Historical sociology
- Nationalism
- Religion and Politics (South Korea)
- Protestant conservatism (South Korea)
FELLOWSHIPS, GRANTS AND AWARDS
- Petram Foundation, 2024: fieldwork grant
- Armand Vannaz Foundation, 2024: fieldwork grant
- Geneva Graduate Institute, 2022: PhD scholarship
- Genève-Asie Association, 2021: study grant
- MKS Foundation, 2021: study grant
- Valifonds Foundation, 2021: study grant
- Francis et Marie-France MINKOFF Foundation, 2020: study grant
afiliations
- Associate Researcher, Chaire Yves Oltramare Religion et politique dans le monde contemporain
- Member, Société Suisse-Asie