Damien du Preez

Research: As a young scholar, my research focus includes both a theoretical and empirical interest in the topics of deliberative and participatory democracy, democratic innovation, democracy and the climate crisis, self-governance and democracy beyond the state, global governance, and radical politics. In my role as Research Coordinator with the Centre for Research on Democracy (CREDO) at Stellenbosch University, I initiated (and now co-chair) the Citizens' Assembly Working Group, the first such research initiative on the African continent. 

Education: In October 2024, I'll begin an MA in Comparative Democracy at the Goethe-Universität Frankfurt (Germany). I hold a BA in Politics, Philosophy, and Economics from Stellenbosch University (South Africa), which included a six-month academic exchange at the Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam (the Netherlands).

Public Work: Uniting much of what I do is a desire to understand and engage with the world, as well as a fascination with how we might create a better one for ourselves and future generations. A natural offshoot of this is Bright Skies, a radical intellectual project exploring ideas for a better world. I sometimes write op-eds and think pieces on the topics of my research.