معرفی
Timo Korstenbroek is a Research Associate and PhD candidate at the Department of Sociology, Faculty of Social Sciences and Humanities, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam. His work is affiliated with the Institute for Societal Resilience's (ISR) Polarisation Lab and the Refugee Academy, where he contributes to innovative research on societal polarization and refugee inclusion.
His educational background includes an MSc in Sociology from VU Amsterdam (graduated cum laude in 2017) and an MSc in Politics and Communication from the London School of Economics and Political Science (graduated with distinction as best of his year in 2018).
Korstenbroek's research focuses on addressing societal polarization within public debates concerning national identities and belonging in the Netherlands. He employs diverse qualitative methods, including traditional interviews and discourse analysis, as well as creative approaches like storytelling and arts-based practices. Currently, he's working on the 'Common Ground Dialogues' project across four countries (France, Hungary, Slovakia, and the Netherlands), which addresses contentious issues through memory sharing and fictional storytelling.
His publications reveal a consistent focus on societal polarization, refugee inclusion, and radical-right populism, with his most recent work examining citizen-led initiatives for refugees and empathetic approaches to understanding political anger. His research demonstrates a commitment to developing methodologies that bridge divides and create space for marginalized perspectives within public discourse.
- Johannes van der Zouwen Master Thesis Prize (2017)
- Dutch Sociological Association (NSV) Master Thesis Award (2018)
- Honourable mention Internet Thesis Award (2018)
- MSc Best Overall Performance Prize (LSE, 2018)
Korstenbroek actively supervises Master's and Bachelor's thesis students and serves as a mentor in the Sociology Masters program. He teaches Qualitative Research Methods in the 'Interventions in Social Participation' and 'Research Lab' courses. His current projects include the Inclusive Knowledges Lab (2024-2026) and CREA-CULT-2022-COOP-1 (2023-2024), focusing on European cooperation and refugee inclusion initiatives.
He is particularly engaged with arts-based methodologies and community-driven approaches to addressing societal challenges, working closely with local communities and artists across multiple European countries to develop innovative dialogue frameworks that address polarization while respecting diverse perspectives.
