Joachim Lund

Business leaders, their political power, and the resilience of democracy 

I study the business élite, business history, and the relations between business and politics. Applying aspects of social networks analysis, I am particularly interested in Danish industry and the business elite’s reactions to the authoritarian trends and economic crises of the interwar years, the occupation 1940-1945, and the increasing political significance of the engineer. 

I attempt to influence the perception of the first half of 20th century Danish history, sometimes challenging predominant images of a strong democracy and a consensual political culture. I want to dissolve the somewhat artificial boundary between business and politics research. I am inspired by historical sociology, and I tend to look for social structures behind individual agency. I also work to strengthen the transnational perspective in Danish historical research. 

I strive to be an academic whose work is always accessible by a larger public audience, not only the academic community. Publishing books, giving interviews and public lectures, participating in electronic and social media, and reviewing books in recognized newspapers are part of this. I am also the editor of Historisk Tidsskrift – the journal of the Danish Historical Association.