Dr. Floris Vermeulen is associate professor (universitair hoofddocent) and chair of the department of political science at the University of Amsterdam . He has been co-director of the Institute for Migration and Ethnic Studies (IMES) and co-programme group leader of Challenges to Democratic Representation of the Amsterdam Institute of Social Science Research (AISSR). He studied Economic and Social History at the University of Amsterdam. His dissertation (Cum Laude) was published in the IMISCOE-AUP publication programme, entitled The immigrant organising process. Turkish organisations in Amsterdam and Berlin and Surinamese organisations in Amsterdam 1960-2000.