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  2. Léon Acar

Léon Acar

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I am an optimistic, caring and engaged person, which has coloured my previous experiences, and will certainly continue doing so in the future - my thesis supervisor in Amsterdam once told me ‘we’re all humans before we’re researchers, or anything else for that matter’. I have always liked to move - to keep the mind sane, perhaps - and love to cook - there is something very soothing about feeding people and gathering stories around the table. I like poetry, music, arts and good conversations. Grateful for what has come my way, taking life day by day. Greeting strangers is underrated. Remember, we are all humans before we are anything else. After human, I am European. Please, indulge in my varied academic background below. I started of my academic journey with a bachelor’s degree in philosophy, strengthening my critical thinking and self-reflexivity as well as analytical skills immensely. By studying the history of human thought, I learned to appreciate the importance of nuance in discourse, but also understood the complexities of studying abstract concepts. Then, I completed a MA degree in European Studies focusing on EU External Relations. Finding myself devouring literature concerning civil representation in the EU aiming to understand shifts to populism/extremism in recent years, I came to understand the challenges of democratic governing. Understanding the theoretical complexities of democratic representation and decision-making, I felt I needed more answers. Therefore, I decided to pursue my keen interest for democracy by enrolling in the MSc Political Science at the Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, focusing on ‘Democracy, Power and Inequality’. I was particularly interested in the effects of direct/participatory democracy on political support amongst citizens and power relations in the digital era. Also because of my experiences at ScienceWorks, an intermediary between science and society, I learned to deeply appreciate a fruitful exchange between passionate academics, driven practitioners and citizens. This led me to pursuing a joint Ph.D in Public Governance at Ghent University and KU Leuven. Focusing on representative and participatory democracy at the local level in Belgium, I will be researching the effects of (non)participation in co-production and co-creation initiatives on the attitudes of citizens, public service workers and local politicians for the years to come. Always in for a coffee, reading recommendations (also non-academic, thanks!) or a run. Hit me up!
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