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Welcome to NORCA

NORCA (Nordics – Central Asia) is a research platform based at Lund University that brings together EU-funded projects, scholars, and partners working on law, governance, migration, and social transformation in Central Asia and beyond.

Our Projects

hands pouring tea into a tea cup from a tea pot

POLCA

The Political Economy of Legal and Governance Reform in Non-Western Societies. Insights from Central Asia

Map of Central Asia with colored push pins. Photo.

SOCIAL

Sociology of Authoritarian Law: Insights from Central Asia

Cartoon of a man giving a document to an official, with cash hidden below the desk.

MOCCA

Multilevel Orders of Corruption in Central Asia (link to another website)

People moving in a line into a dusty desert. Photo.

MARS

Non-Western Migration Regimes in a Global Perspective (link to another website)

The entrance top corner of an Islamic madrassah or a masjid. Photo.

Central Asian Law

Central Asian Law: Legal Cultures and Business Environments in Central Asia (link to another website)

Website banner featuring Islamic architectural landmarks from Central Asia, the Middle East, North Africa, and Southeast Asia, with an open manuscript in the foreground and the title “A Sociology of Post-Imperial Islamic Legal Cultures” displayed on the left.

MINARET

A Sociology of Post-Imperial Islamic Legal Cultures: Insights from Central Asia, the Middle East, North Africa, and Southeast Asia

Link to RSS

News

Person presenting in front of the screen
24 Sep 2026 | News

MOCCA Seminar Examines Corruption in Uzbekistan Through Institutional, Historical, and Cultural Perspectives

Lund, Sweden – 24 September 2026

Dzeneta Karabegovic presenting in front of the audience in a lecture room, screen, people, desks
23 Sep 2026 | News

MARS Guest Seminar on Diaspora Mobilization and Transitional Justice

Lund, Sweden – 23 September 2026

a room with a speaker and screen and the audience
14 Sep 2026 | News

NORCA Conference Expands Research Capacities and Interdisciplinary Collaboration

Lund, Sweden – 14 September 2026

Michelle von Dach in front of the audium, people, desks, a screen on the wall
7 Sep 2026 | News

MARS Guest Seminar on Migrant Stuckedness in Rome

Lund, Sweden – 2 September 2026

Business meeting in a conference room, with attendees seated at tables watching a presentation on a projected screen; attentive, professional atmosphere.
2 Sep 2026 | News

POLCA Research Presented at the EGPA 2026 Conference

More news

Our Team

Portrait of Rustamjon Urinboyev.

Rustamjon Urinboyev

Head of NORCA and Principal Investigator of SOCIAL, POLCA, MARS, MOCCA, CENTRAL ASIAN LAW
rustamjon [dot] urinboyev [at] soclaw [dot] lu [dot] se

Associate Professor of Sociology of Law at Lund University. His research focuses on migration, governance, corruption, and informal legal orders in Russia and Central Asia. He coordinates several EU-funded projects on law, political economy, and social transformation.

The portrait of Sherzod Eraliev.

Sherzod Eraliev

Senior Researcher
sherzod [dot] eraliev [at] soclaw [dot] lu [dot] se (sherzod[dot]eraliev[at]soclaw[dot]lu[dot]se)

Senior Researcher at the Sociology of Law Department, Lund University. His work examines migration, informality, civil society, and authoritarianism in Eurasia, with extensive experience in international research and policy-oriented projects.

The portrait of Chekhros Kilichova.

Chekhros Kilichova

Project Assistant
chekhros [dot] kilichova [at] soclaw [dot] lu [dot] se

Project assistant for EU-funded research projects at NORCA. Her background is in economic governance, development, and project management, with a regional focus on Central Asia.