Marijke Van Buggenhout

Marijke Van Buggenhout holds a master's degree and Ph.D in Criminology and is a post-doctoral researcher at the Crime and Society Research Group (CRiS) and Brussels Institute for Social and Population Studies (BRISPO) at the Vrije Universiteit Brussel. She recently published a book on her doctoral research, "Paper Borders. Children and young people inside the Belgian asylum procedure. A multi-voiced and performative study." This research unravels the daily reality of the asylum procedure and sheds a unique light on the challenges young people face before, during, and after their asylum procedure. Marijke integrated collaborative filmmaking into this ethnographic study, resulting in the impactful collaborative documentary "Paper Borders" (Papieren Grenzen).

A common thread throughout Marijke's work is an interest in participatory research, particularly research that seeks the active involvement of children in academic work. Currently, Marijke works as a senior researcher on the SBO project "Primary Prejudice," where she helps to build an empirical children's rights perspective by consulting children (4-12 year-olds) about their experiences with the research project, leading to the adjustment of new and innovative methodologies to the specific needs of young children.

Besides the monograph "Paper Borders" (2024), and various chapters in book compilations, such as contributions to Key Concepts on the Sociology of Childhood. Global Perspectives (2021) and Migration, Equality and Racism (2021), Marijke published her participatory research projects and children's rights-related work in the journals Children's Geographies (2020) and Ethnic and Racial Studies (2023).

Research Line

Youth Justice Studies

Current Research Projects

Primary prejudice. Tackling identity-based bullying in pre- and primary school