DFUTURE
@dfuturevub.bsky.social
66 followers 12 following 42 posts
This is the official Bluesky page of the Research Centre for Democratic Futures (DFUTURE) at the Vrije Universiteit Brussel (VUB). All information about our publications, events and milestones can be found back here.
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Marco's project explores this through migrants’ lived experiences and Albania’s role as co-constructor of Europe’s borders. 🌍
The EU’s migration policy is increasingly outsourced to the Western Balkans. Deals like the Italy–Albania Protocol and EU–Albania FRONTEX raise big questions: whose rights are at stake, and who shapes “EUrope”?
Congratulations to @marcozampieri.bsky.social for receiving a PhD Fellowship from @fwovlaanderen.bsky.social. We're over the moon to be able to continue to work with Marco and engage with his interesting, important and timely project.
The research group will miss Benjamin's presence. We are grateful for our time together and proud of the person he has become. And even though we wish him all the best, we are also slightly envious of his future colleagues.

Congratulations, Dr. Benjamin Blanckaert! 👨‍🎓
Congratulations to promotors Silvia Erzeel and Didier Caluwaerts, and many thanks to jury chair @elinesevers.bsky.social
Benjamin gave a very engaging and accessible presentation, sharing his knowledge and enthusiasm with a captivated audience. The Q&A with the jury members @dkavadia.bsky.social, @emilievh.bsky.social, @robindevroe.bsky.social, Joost Vaesen and Min Reuchamps was spirited and insightful.
Another festive week at @dfuturevub.bsky.social 🎉

Benjamin Blanckaert succesfully defended his dissertation "Holding Together or Falling Apart? Electoral Politics Across the Linguistic Divide in the Brussels-Capital Region."
About last night...

🎉 Congratulations Dr. @kamilbernaerts.bsky.social ! 🎓

📖 Dr. Bernaerts defended his dissertation on polarisation and its complex, dynamic relationship with democracy and institutions.

Needless to say, it was fantastic!

Find out more about Kamil's work via kamilbernaerts.com
New publication by DFuture’s Nino Junius et al.: “Why top politicians are pessimistic or optimistic about democracy and its evolution”.

What makes political leaders lean one way - optimism or pessimism - and how does that shape democracy’s direction?

Link: www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10....
Why top politicians are pessimistic or optimistic about democracy and its evolution
Amid widespread concerns about the crisis of democracy, scant scholarly attention has been given to the views of elite politicians who are at the helm of democracy and, for instance, have the abili...
www.tandfonline.com
Reposted by DFUTURE
Presented two papers at #ecpr25 in Thessaloniki:

1️⃣ Brussels youth & their perceptions of democracy: ecpr.eu/Events/Event...
2️⃣ Urban youth’s expectations of political representation (with prof. @elinesevers.bsky.social): ecpr.eu/Events/Event...

Thanks to discussants & chairs for the feedback.
Reposted by DFUTURE
New publication in International Political Science Review! Together with Didier Caluwaerts, I found that the relationship between polarisation and violence was weaker in countries with a federal system and/or a rigid constitution. Important contribution regarding polarisation's impact on democracy.
New article by DFuture colleagues @kamilbernaerts.bsky.social & Didier Caluwaerts in International Political Science Review:

Fight or unite? Consensus institutions, polarization, and political violence in 113 democracies (1900–2023).

🔗 journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/...
Sage Journals: Discover world-class research
Subscription and open access journals from Sage, the world's leading independent academic publisher.
journals.sagepub.com
New article by DFuture colleagues @kamilbernaerts.bsky.social & Didier Caluwaerts in International Political Science Review:

Fight or unite? Consensus institutions, polarization, and political violence in 113 democracies (1900–2023).

🔗 journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/...
Sage Journals: Discover world-class research
Subscription and open access journals from Sage, the world's leading independent academic publisher.
journals.sagepub.com
Analysing JD Vance’s speech at the Munich Security Conference earlier this year, Yunus describes how US foreign policy under Trump depicts Europe as being led by a corrupt elite which refuses to listen to its conservative people. This, he argues, further legitimises Europe’s own right-wing populists
She analyses how politicians (re)imagine, (re)mobilise and (re)construct national symbols in the aftermath of disasters across three countries.

#VUB #UAntwerpen #DFUTURE #DiscourseNet #DiscourseStudies
Her work is titled “(Re)imagining, (re)mobilising, (re)constructing nationalisms: A comparative analysis of politician discourse during the post-disaster scenes of Belgium, Turkey and United States."
Our colleague, Ebru Akgün, from VUB @dfuturevub.bsky.social and @uantwerpen.be, presented her doctoral research at the 6th DiscourseNet Congress, held at @ulbruxelles.bsky.social (ULB) from 7-10 July.
🚨 Reminder 🚨

🎉 Call for 2 postdoctoral research mandates (1 year) at Vrije Universiteit Brussel (VUB) 🎉

🎯 Deadline: 20/6/2025
🚨 Call for 2 postdocs!

The EDGE team at VUB is hiring! We’re looking for researchers to rethink democracy in Europe: climate, representation & inequality 🔍🌍

Start: Fall 2025
Location: Brussels 🇧🇪
Deadline: 20 June

Info & how to apply 👉 tinyurl.com/zpw3p6z7
🚨 Call for 2 postdocs!

The EDGE team at VUB is hiring! We’re looking for researchers to rethink democracy in Europe: climate, representation & inequality 🔍🌍

Start: Fall 2025
Location: Brussels 🇧🇪
Deadline: 20 June

Info & how to apply 👉 tinyurl.com/zpw3p6z7
Reposted by DFUTURE
Had a packed week at #EUIA25: presented my work on EU (in)security in post-2020 Armenia (coming soon @jcms-eu.bsky.social -stay tuned!) & discussed brilliant papers by @dfuturevub.bsky.social colleagues. We also stood in solidarity with Gaza & against academic complicity in the ongoing genocide.
Reposted by DFUTURE
😇 Want to get inspiration? Our latest PhD summary by Daan Vermassen is available #openaccess plc-journal.eu/article/view... and the review by Karen Celis plc-journal.eu/article/view...
@dfuturevub.bsky.social
Marie Curie Call for Postdoctoral Fellowship is still open:
‼️ DEADLINE 31/05 ‼️
🚨 Call for Postdocs! 🚨

VUB’s Democratic Futures Research Centre is looking for candidates for the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Postdoctoral Fellowships 2025!

Want to boost your research career in Brussels with top training & international mobility?
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