The VUB Centre for Democratic Futures (DFUTURE) focuses on studying contemporary democratic challenges and exploring innovative solutions to improve democratic processes. DFUTURE gathers more than 50 junior and senior researchers, whose research spans critical topics, including declining trust in democratic institutions, political inequality, polarization, and citizen disengagement from formal politics. The group examines key political actors, such as representatives, political parties, and civil society, across various democratic systems and structures, with a strong focus on the quality of democracy in Western Europe and interest in democratic backsliding. DFUTURE also has extensive experience with managing large research projects (EOS, ERC, ERA-NET, FWO, Horizon Europe, Innoviris, …).
DFUTURE is characterized by its interdisciplinary and multi-methodological approach. Researchers employ qualitative, quantitative, experimental, and comparative methods to address political issues from diverse democratic paradigms, including participatory, deliberative, and representative democracy. The group’s research also addresses the intersectionality of democratic inclusion, analyzing how factors like gender, ethnicity, and migration status affect political participation and representation.
The primary goal of DFUTURE is to develop a framework for democratic design that integrates research across these domains to propose solutions aimed at strengthening democratic governance. The group is dedicated to both identifying problems and advancing solutions, leveraging the expertise of its scholars and fostering synergies between their research areas.
EVENTS
NEWS
Press release: VUB research nuances the role of Islam in Belgian prisons
Islam in European prisons is often framed primarily as a security concern and a potential breeding ground for radicalisation. However, new doctoral research by BIRMM member Elias Woodbridge (Vrije Universiteit Brussel) paints a more nuanced picture.
Article by Enduena Klajiqi - Feminist Archival Activism in Kosovo
This article turns the gaze toward the practice of feminist archival activism in Kosovo. It aims to analyze whether and how feminist archives and archival activism are challenging and problematizing mainstream historical threads in Kosovo.-
Article by Vjosa Musliu & Gëzim Krasniqi - Beyond the ‘(Post-)Conflict Case Study’
A new Special Issue by Vjosa Musliu and Gezim Krasniqi argues that treating Kosovo as a fixed “case study” in international relations has turned it into a black box defined mainly by ethnic conflict and external intervention.It calls for shifting attention toward everyday social, cultural, and trans... 
Article by Jihane Sliti & Iman Lechkar - On altar boys and good-hearted guys
New work by Jihane Sliti and Iman Lechkar. Their article in "Identities: Global Studies in Culture and Power" examines Belgian media coverage of male converts in the context of “foreign fighters,” with a focus on processes of whitening and de-Othering.
Karen Celis in De Afspraak (15/1) over online geweld tegen vrouwelijke politici
Na de aankondiging dat Vlaams minister Melissa Depraetere op doktersadvies onmiddellijk met zwangerschapsverlof moest, werden sociale media overspoeld met negatieve en ronduit beledigende commentaren.
