Lightnews — Scholar-powered news

Reposted by Kamil Bernaerts

DFUTURE @dfuturevub.bsky.social · 22d

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

2 4

Kamil Bernaerts @kamilbernaerts.bsky.social · Aug 18

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.

DFUTURE @dfuturevub.bsky.social · Aug 18

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

1 3

Reposted by Kamil Bernaerts

Cas Ⓜ️udde @casmudde.bsky.social · Jun 22

How many people will die because two corrupt men are trying to stay out of jail?

390 1.2K

Reposted by Kamil Bernaerts

DFUTURE @dfuturevub.bsky.social · May 26

Marie Curie Call for Postdoctoral Fellowship is still open:
‼️ DEADLINE 31/05 ‼️

DFUTURE @dfuturevub.bsky.social · May 5

🚨 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?
1/4

5 4

Kamil Bernaerts @kamilbernaerts.bsky.social · Apr 17

Although my presentation focused on understanding how polarisation can be theoretically linked with democracy and thus not entirely fit in the bigger theme of the panel, I’m very grateful for the opportunity and interesting questions! #PSA25

Populism Specialist Group @populismpsa.bsky.social · Apr 17

The seventh #PSA25 panel on populism explored its histories and theories in the Global South, with rich contributions from Felipe Linden, Joanildo Burity, @kamilbernaerts.bsky.social, and Robert Upton.

4

Reposted by Kamil Bernaerts

Hannah Oorts @hannahoorts.bsky.social · Apr 14

✨My first academic piece is out! ✨
In "Blending In and Sticking Out: Performing legitimacy claims to become (a) representative", I write about how minoritised representatives perform their role within institutions. Read about it in @ejcs-journal.bsky.social

1 5 8

Reposted by Kamil Bernaerts

DFUTURE @dfuturevub.bsky.social · Apr 15

🆕 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...

2 3

Reposted by Kamil Bernaerts

Natalia Mehlman Petrzela @nataliapetrzela.bsky.social · Apr 4

“The termination of your grant represents an urgent priority for this administration”

My NEH grant has been terminated

Incredible when the funding for your book about the educational culture wars is cut as a result of the educational culture wars

You can’t say history isn’t relevant

130 1.2K 4.6K

Reposted by Kamil Bernaerts

Guy Grossman @guygrossman.bsky.social · Apr 4

🚨 working paper alert🚨

@carotorreblanca.bsky.social, Will Dinneen, and I have published an updated draft of "The Evolving Landscape of Political Science: Two Decades of Scholarship in a Growing Discipline." We hope you will find it interesting.

osf.io/preprints/os...

5 33 100

Kamil Bernaerts @kamilbernaerts.bsky.social · Apr 3

Wow congratulations!

1 1

Reposted by Kamil Bernaerts

V-Dem Institute @vdeminstitute.bsky.social · Mar 13

📢 Out Now! V-Dem Dataset v15 and the V-dem Institute Democracy Report 2025

The Dataset: v-dem.net/data/the-v-d...
DR25: "25 Years of Autocratization - Democracy Trumped?": v-dem.net/publications...

#DR25 #DemocracyReport2025 #VDemDatasetV15 #polisky #PoliticalScienceData #PoliSciSky
🧵1(3)

3 57 85

Reposted by Kamil Bernaerts

Maurits Meijers @mauritsmeijers.bsky.social · Mar 8

The silence of associations like APSA, MPSA and SPSA as well as university provosts on the end of academic freedom in the US is deafening.

Steffen Mau @steffenmau.bsky.social · Mar 8

The list of Trump's forbidden words that will get flagged at the US National Science Foundation. Most of them are social science standard terms like polarization, socio-economic or minority. gizmodo.com/the-list-of-...

The List of Trump's Forbidden Words That Will Get Your Paper Flagged at NSF

It's fascism, plain and simple.

gizmodo.com

3 15 39

Kamil Bernaerts @kamilbernaerts.bsky.social · Feb 7

“Perhaps it is time to (…) find passions of our own: (…) to imagine a world in which government supports health and education for all, where we all live without fear, knowing that our interconnected lives are equally valuable.”

shorturl.at/NvU4s

Trump is unleashing sadism upon the world. But we cannot get overwhelmed | Judith Butler

Those who celebrate his defiance and sadism are as claimed by his logic as those who are paralyzed with outrage

www.theguardian.com

1

Kamil Bernaerts @kamilbernaerts.bsky.social · Feb 6

“Het tegenovergestelde van liefde is niet haat, het is onverschilligheid”.

Een democratie wordt niet alleen ondermijnd door gevaarlijke leiders als Trump, maar vooral ook door hun gedachtegoed te normaliseren.

Trump en alles waar hij voor staat is *niet* normaal.

shorturl.at/rdvSx

Het is wel degelijk vijf voor twaalf, niet alleen in Duitsland

Dirk Verhofstadt is moraalfilosoof en auteur van Dagboek 1933. Hij vreest dat we afglijden naar de jaren dertig en ziet op tal van plekken hoe de democratie ondermijnd wordt.

www.demorgen.be

1

Reposted by Kamil Bernaerts

David Ho @davidho.bsky.social · Feb 5

I don't know how else to put this: This is fucking insane.

NSF, a $10 billion grantmaking agency, is planning to lay off between a quarter and a half of its staff in the next two months.

Science funding agency threatened with mass layoffs

National Science Foundation staff heard the plans at a meeting Tuesday.

www.politico.com

28 190 540

Reposted by Kamil Bernaerts

Naomi Klein @naomiaklein.bsky.social · Feb 5

It's not a demolition site it's a mass grave. It's not a demolition site it's a crime scene. It's not a demolition site its a homeland. It's not a demolition site it's Palestine. It's not a demolition site it's a genocide.

Aaron Rupar @atrupar.com · Feb 4

Trump, with Netanyahu sitting next to him, says "Gaza maybe is a demolition site right now ... you can't live in Gaza right now. I think we need another location."

96 2.4K 5.8K

Reposted by Kamil Bernaerts

DFUTURE @dfuturevub.bsky.social · Feb 4

📢 Call for papers! Workshop "Polarising Performances or Re-engaging the Audience?" organised by @hannahoorts.bsky.social & @kamilbernaerts.bsky.social @uni-of-warwick.bsky.social

📝 Abstract deadline: 28/02/2025
🎤 Keynote: Prof. Paula Diehl
📍 Free & in-person (lunch provided!)

[SUBMISSION BELOW!]

1 1 3

Kamil Bernaerts @kamilbernaerts.bsky.social · Feb 4

Submit your abstract here: forms.office.com/e/EK9WryMhNT

Microsoft Forms

forms.office.com

1

Kamil Bernaerts @kamilbernaerts.bsky.social · Feb 4

Working on #polarisation or #performance in politics? Submit your paper for our workshop on the 25th of April the University of Warwick!

Hannah Oorts @hannahoorts.bsky.social · Feb 4

Join me and @kamilbernaerts.bsky.social at @warwickpais.bsky.social for a workshop combining our research interests: #performance 🎭and #polarisation ↔️! With a keynote by Professor Paula Diehl, discussed by Professor Michael Saward and YOUR paper presentations!

✨Hope to see you there!✨

1 5

Reposted by Kamil Bernaerts

Lily Mason @lilymasonphd.bsky.social · Feb 4

The word “political” is on the list of banned “D.E.I.” terms

Darby Saxbe @darbysaxbe.bsky.social · Feb 4

3 10 24

Reposted by Kamil Bernaerts

Darby Saxbe @darbysaxbe.bsky.social · Feb 4

🚨BREAKING. From a program officer at the National Science Foundation, a list of keywords that can cause a grant to be pulled. I will be sharing screenshots of these keywords along with a decision tree. Please share widely. This is a crisis for academic freedom & science.

1.3K 16K 28K

Reposted by Kamil Bernaerts

Claes de Vreese @claesdevreese.bsky.social · Feb 4

I hope scholars in Europe and political parties that support science are paying close attention to the unfolding US situation.

Institutions can easily come under pressure. Actions of individuals can have far reaching consequences. Robust resilience is hard once the attack happens.

6 86 540

Reposted by Kamil Bernaerts

DFUTURE @dfuturevub.bsky.social · Jan 22

🚨 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'

1/3

1 5 9

Reposted by Kamil Bernaerts

DFUTURE @dfuturevub.bsky.social · Dec 18

👋 Hello Bluesky!

The VUB Democratic Futures Research Centre is now here on Bluesky! 🎉

Stay tuned for updates on our latest research, insights, and news as we explore the future of democracy together.
#PoliticalScience #Democracy #Research

7 14

Reposted by Kamil Bernaerts

Fair Vote Canada 🗳️🍁 @fairvote.ca · Nov 19

Political division is tearing societies apart. But there’s hope.

On Nov. 20 at 1 PM ET, join experts Jennifer McCoy, Kamil Bernaerts & David Moscrop to learn how we can protect democracy from polarization.

Register now! us02web.zoom.us/webinar/regi...

Welcome! You are invited to join a webinar: Tackling Polarization and Strengthening Democracy. After registering, you will receive a confirmation email about joining the webinar.

Democracy in Canada and around the world is facing serious challenges, including polarized politics and a mistrustful and disengaged electorate. What can we do? Join this webinar to learn more about...

us02web.zoom.us

3 5 10