Democracy & Belonging Forum

The Democracy & Belonging Forum is a research and network hub that aims to counter democratic degradation, reduce fragmentation, and oppose authoritarian populism and othering of all kinds in Europe and the US. It pursues this goal by building relational infrastructure that can hold tension, conflict, hurt, and dissent, while exploring the sometimes competing interests of democracy renewal and social justice.

As a transatlantic network with more than 300 civic actors working on social justice and democracy issues across Europe and North America, the Forum’s theory of change is rooted in the hypothesis that power is a product of relationships, particularly across sectors, geographies, ideologies, identities, cultures, and other forms of difference. Its goal is to support, resource, and strengthen a global multi-identity movement for democracy rooted in belonging, which necessitates bringing diverse actors together who may have different conceptions of both an ideal democracy and belonging.

The role of iac Berlin

In Europe, iac Berlin assumes the dual role of an implementing organization and strategic partner for this approach to partnering and network building.

The Othering & Belonging Institute

The Democracy & Belonging Forum is an initiative of the Othering & Belonging Institute (OBI) at UC Berkeley. OBI is a California-based think and do tank that advances groundbreaking research, policy, and ideas that examine and remediate the processes of exclusion, marginalization, and structural inequality - what OBI calls othering - to build a world based on inclusion, fairness, justice, and care for the earth - what they call belonging.

Team members in Berlin

at iac Berlin:

at OBI, based in Berlin:

Do you want to find out more? Please feel free to contact:

Evan Yoshimoto
evan.yoshimoto@iac-berlin.org