A network of leaders committed to bridging across difference to build belonging, strengthen democracy, and counter authoritarian populism in Europe and North America.
FEATURED CONTENT
(En)Gendering Authoritarianism
A Six-Strategy Framework Examining How Political and Cultural Leaders Weaponize Gender in Ways that Advance Authoritarianism.
This project explores how authoritarian movements leverage and weaponize gender to divide society and opposition movements, launder and normalize social hierarchies, reshape cultural norms, and lay the groundwork for authoritarian power consolidation and violence.
Visit our dedicated microsite, where you can access:
The full (En)Gendering Authoritarianism report
An overview of the six strategies
Snapshots that illustrate the six strategies in practice
Newly Added: Resource Library
The resources in this repository aim to complement our (En)Gendering Authoritarianism report by providing in-depth analysis of different aspects of how political and cultural leaders weaponize gender and sexuality. Whether you want to explore how gender issues are used to construct a threat or to divide societies and opposition movements, or explore how anti-gender activists, religious, and secular actors came together to create a big tent, you’ll find resources here that explain how this happens. Discover the full library here.
News & Announcements
Paper Series: Bridging in Practice
Essays & Interviews
What we do
We aspire to build a world where everyone belongs. And we believe that the best way to make that aspiration a reality is through strong democratic systems that foster visibility, inclusion, agency, and connection. But democracies in Europe and North America today are straining under the weight of toxic fragmentation, high mistrust towards faltering public institutions, and the scapegoating of marginalized communities—divisions that are all-too-often cultivated and exploited by authoritarian populist leaders and movements to degrade democratic norms to consolidate power.
The Democracy & Belonging Forum is a network and research hub that connects and resources civic actors in Europe and North America to counter authoritarian populism and advance democracy rooted in belonging through bridging approaches. We recognize both that othering can’t be countered through more othering and that democracy rooted in belonging means engaging with those different from ourselves—and are committed to grappling with the tensions inherent in both seeking to counter injustice while building bridges towards a larger “Us”.
2025 Network Catalyzers Interviews
Insights from Forum leaders
