David Van Reybrouck has been described as ‘one of the leading intellectuals in Europe’ (Der Tagesspiegel). His highly-acclaimed books on colonial history, Congo and Revolusi, have become international bestsellers. In 2025, he was named “Philosopher Laureate" in the Netherlands and Flanders.

Van Reybrouck is a pioneering advocate of deliberative democracy. He founded the G1000 Citizens' Summit, and his work had led to trials in participatory democracy throughout Belgium, The Netherlands, and France.

In 2021 he was a Distinguished Visiting Fellow at the Hannah Arendt Center for Politics and Humanities of Bard College, New York. In 2024, he was Arne Naess Professor at the University of Oslo, named after Norway's most famous philosopher.