🎉 We are delighted to announce the release of our @dfuturevub.bsky.social colleague Ebru Akgün's book, “Sürdürülebilir Tarım Hayali: Gül Yetiştiriciliğinin Sosyal Ekolojisi” (A Dream for Sustainable Agriculture: The Social Ecology of Rose Cultivation), published by Bağlam Yayınları.

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

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.

🚨 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

🎉 Big congrats to DFuture’s Nino Junius & David Talukder — both awarded a FWO Postdoc Fellowship! 🧠🎓

🗣️ Nino: Can political parties foster inclusive, reflective deliberation?
🗳️ David: What happens when citizens feel underrepresented in democracy?

We’re proud of this inspiring future research!

🗳️ What’s next for democracy?

📍 June 05 in Brussels → Join the BRIAS Public Forum on Democratic Governance – Challenges & Innovations.

👥 Free, open to all, packed with sharp minds & bold ideas.
🔗 brias.be/en/brias-pub...

🆕 New article by Nino Junius!

Can mini-publics resist elite capture? If elections struggle, what about citizen deliberation? 🗣️

His study of the Ostbelgien model shows: yes, capture is a risk—but smart institutional design can seriously limit it. 💡

🔗 www.cambridge.org/core/journal...

🚨 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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🆕 New article by @hannahoorts.bsky.social in European Journal of Cultural Studies!

🔹 “Blending In and Sticking Out” explores how politicians like Assita Kanko navigate race & gender in performing political legitimacy—before being accepted as representatives.

journals.sagepub.com/eprint/9PI82...

🎓 Onze 3e Bachelor Politieke Wetenschappen bezochten gisteren het Vlaams Parlement! 🏛️ Een inspirerende blik achter de schermen van onze democratie en de politiek.
#VlaamsParlement #PolitiekeWetenschappen #DFuture #VUB

📢 New Publication!

Didier Caluwaerts, Lien Smets and i.a. VUB's @bramspruyt.bsky.social have co-authored a new article in @ispp-pops.bsky.social, exploring the psychological aspects of voter behavior. Check it out now!

🔗 onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/...

📢 New book chapter by colleague Nadège Boels!

She analyses the EU’s use of sanctions in Belarus in EU Geopolitical Actorness in a Changing World. A must-read on foreign policy! 📖🇪🇺

🔗 link.springer.com/chapter/10.1...

#EU #Sanctions #Geopolitics #Belarus #DFuture

🚨 New article!

Colleagues Henry Maes, Ambroos Verwee and Lien Smets published an article in @plc-journal.bsky.social toghether with V. Van Ingelgom & L. Knops.

'Affective Polarisation in Citizens’ Own Words: Understanding Group Construction'

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