For millions of people in Southeast Asia, Buddhism is more than a religion in the Western sense; it is a lifestyle. Theravada Buddhism in Thailand is intimately connected to Thai governance,...Show moreFor millions of people in Southeast Asia, Buddhism is more than a religion in the Western sense; it is a lifestyle. Theravada Buddhism in Thailand is intimately connected to Thai governance, society, and culture. Since the 1980s Thai Buddhism has created links with environmentalist movements. The Buddhist Environmental movement in Thailand has two terms related to monks: firstly, Development Monks or phra nak phatthana, and secondly, Forest Monks or phra nak anuraksaa. By 1991, there were some 250-300 Development Monks, comprising an important network in village grassroots communities, especially rural communities, and premised the desire to introduce a ‘Buddhist way of sustainable development'.Show less
This paper explores why Hinduism acts as a source of empowerment for Hindu Surinamese women in The Netherlands following Sanātan Dharm to answer the research question: ‘Why does Hinduism act as a...Show moreThis paper explores why Hinduism acts as a source of empowerment for Hindu Surinamese women in The Netherlands following Sanātan Dharm to answer the research question: ‘Why does Hinduism act as a source of empowerment for Surinamese Hindu women in the Netherlands?’ Currently it is unknown how empowered Surinamese Hindu women pursue Hinduism in The Netherlands. This research investigates the cultural and religious aspects of Hinduism they implement to their lives, why Hinduism acts as a source of empowerment for Hindu Surinamese women, how they combine their Hindu lifestyle with the Western society and how they convey Hinduism. For this, interviews were conducted with twenty women. The outcome was that most respondents express themselves by implementing life lessons from the Bhagavad Gitā. Negative aspects of Hinduism are linked to the marginalization of lower caste and women, who believe everyone should be treated equally. The results indicate that all Hindus define Hinduism not only as a way of life but also connect Hinduism to various concepts such as dharma, arth, kām, moksh and more. Some respondents are vegetarian or do vrat once a week or on religious festivities. They mostly join and celebrate religious festivities. In difficult situations, Hinduism provides guidance, and various deities, such as Durgā Mā, Kāli Mā, Pārvati Mā, Sarasvati Mā, Lakshmi Mā, and Santoshi Mā, are a source of empowerment. Hinduism also brings family together with its culture and religion and provides solace in difficult situations. Although a part of the respondents think that Hinduism is marginalizing women, we can conclude that the positive influence of Hinduism to the extent that it empowers them outweighs this negative aspect. Besides empowerment Hinduism is linked to many more values, such as energy, love, confidence, and peace.Show less
Moderne wetenschappers hebben nog geen consensus bereikt over waarom de Alexandrijnse rellen van 38 n.C. uitbraken. De historische werken van Philo van Alexandrië zijn de enige directe bronnen over...Show moreModerne wetenschappers hebben nog geen consensus bereikt over waarom de Alexandrijnse rellen van 38 n.C. uitbraken. De historische werken van Philo van Alexandrië zijn de enige directe bronnen over dit conflict die zijn overgeleverd. Deze scriptie onderzoekt hoe deze bronnen leiden tot verschillende moderne interpretaties van de Alexandrijnse rellen. Waar de insteek ligt bij de uitdagingen in Philo's beschrijvingen van drie cruciale aspecten van de rellen die een consensus belemmeren. Het betreft de beschrijvingen van het decreet van gouverneur Flaccus, het bezoek van de Joodse koning Agrippa aan Alexandrië en Flaccus' bredere rol. Philo is regelmatig geheimzinnig, gebruikt meerduidige termen en is nogal verwijtend.Show less
The current paper examines the use of political violence during the Ruhr Uprising of 1920. Its main focus is the reaction of the SPD and the KPD to the uprising and its bloody suppression by the...Show moreThe current paper examines the use of political violence during the Ruhr Uprising of 1920. Its main focus is the reaction of the SPD and the KPD to the uprising and its bloody suppression by the Reichswehr and Freikorps. It also contextualises the Uprising and violence that followed by connecting local events in the Ruhr with national developments, such as the Kapp Putsch and international trends of post-war instability and brutality. The paper through its examination of Vorwärts and Die Rote Fahne argues that both the SPD and KPD changed their understanding of the role of violence in preserving or overthrowing the Weimar Republic, respectively. On the one hand, the KPD, weakened by the failures of 1919 did not push for the spread of revolutionary violence. On the other hand, the SPD shifted ideologically from its 1919 of understanding state-sponsored violence as necessary for preserving the integrity of the State. It now understood violence as a tool for protecting the well-being of Germany’s citizenry. A tool to be used sparingly and with restraint, because it needed popular support to be legitimate. This new understanding of state-sponsored violence was not shared by the men tasked with suppressing the Uprising. The result was another bloody chapter in the life of the young RepublicShow less
In deze scriptie is er onderzocht in hoeverre criminaliteit werd aangewend als overlevingsstrategie. Hiervoor zijn de confessieboeken en de vonnisboeken uit het Oud Rechterlijk Archief van Leiden...Show moreIn deze scriptie is er onderzocht in hoeverre criminaliteit werd aangewend als overlevingsstrategie. Hiervoor zijn de confessieboeken en de vonnisboeken uit het Oud Rechterlijk Archief van Leiden bestudeerd. Aan de hand van deze bronnen en achtergrondinformatie is onderzocht of delinquenten delicten pleegde uit armoede of dat de delicten onderdeel waren van professionele criminaliteit.Show less
The occupation of Palestine by Israel is rarely studied from an environmental colonial perspective. Environmental issues, especially with the growing concerns over climate change, are instead...Show moreThe occupation of Palestine by Israel is rarely studied from an environmental colonial perspective. Environmental issues, especially with the growing concerns over climate change, are instead discussed in the dualist framework of nature versus society, in which human civilization is separated from the environment. Consequently, the environmental landscape is frequently perceived as ‘natural,’ and therefore: apolitical. In addition, the blame for the effects of climate problems in ex-colonies in the MENA is often put on the mismanagement of local people. In this way, the wider socio-political, cultural, and economic structures embedded in the environment, are overlooked. This thesis argues that in the last decennia art projects in Palestine highlight these often-ignored connections. They counter Israeli environmental colonialism in the West Bank, and show that the deterioration of the Palestinian environment is not an unfortunate byproduct of settler colonialism, but a factor that influences the entire ecology and various aspects of Palestinian life. Through the revival of ecology, (agri)cultural traditions, and communities, the art projects expose Israeli colonial practices that destruct Palestinian ecology. Within a human and ‘more-than-human’ ecology, they revive cultural and communal ties that are constantly threatened by settler colonial erasure. The artists resist these Israeli environmental colonial practices through sumud (‘steadfastness’), shifting away from the earlier symbolic display of landscape in Palestine, toward artistic interventions in the local ecology.Show less
Deze scriptie bespreekt het functioneren van de Gereformeerde Kerk in Ceylon (Sri Lanka) als instituut en onderdeel van het koloniale systeem in de achttiende eeuw. Dit wordt gedaan aan de hand van...Show moreDeze scriptie bespreekt het functioneren van de Gereformeerde Kerk in Ceylon (Sri Lanka) als instituut en onderdeel van het koloniale systeem in de achttiende eeuw. Dit wordt gedaan aan de hand van drie verschillende uitdagingen waar de Kerk mee te maken kreeg: de interne problematiek, de omgang met (lokale) kerkleden en de omgang met ‘andersgelovigen’ (hernhutters, boeddhisten, hindoes en katholieken).Show less
De ontwerper, het doel, de betekenis en de eigenaar van historische sieraden zijn moeilijk te achterhalen. In dit onderzoek worden drie verschillende zestiende-eeuwse zeemonsters bestudeerd. Deze...Show moreDe ontwerper, het doel, de betekenis en de eigenaar van historische sieraden zijn moeilijk te achterhalen. In dit onderzoek worden drie verschillende zestiende-eeuwse zeemonsters bestudeerd. Deze hangers worden met de ornamentprenten van de zestiende-eeuwse Antwerpse Hans I Collaert (1525/30-1580) geassocieerd. Eén van de drie hangers vertoont grote gelijkenis met een ontwerp van Hans I Collaert, maar bij de andere twee zijn veel verschillen op te merken. Verschillende studies hebben al aangetoond dat ontwerpers als de familie Collaert hun ontwerpen veelal baseerden op bredere culturele en maatschappelijke interesses, waaronder zeemonsters. De ontwerpen van deze drie sieraden kunnen ook gezien worden als onderdeel van een regionale noordelijke ornamentstijl en een bredere culturele interesse in zeemonsters, met een rijk zeemonstermotief, gekenmerkt door een beeldentaal van woeste zeemonsters.Show less
