Recent years have seen the release of a number of cyberpunk films and series, both in cinemas and on streaming services such as Netflix. Among them are Blade Runner 2049 (2017), Ghost in the Shell ...Show moreRecent years have seen the release of a number of cyberpunk films and series, both in cinemas and on streaming services such as Netflix. Among them are Blade Runner 2049 (2017), Ghost in the Shell (2017), Altered Carbon (2018), and this year’s Alita: Battle Angel (2019). The original Blade Runner (1982) can be seen as the first cyberpunk movie with its benchmark depictions of a distinctly dystopian future and Asian oriented cityscapes. Ghost in the Shell and Alita: Battle Angel are both films based on Japanese anime. My focus of interest for the past year has been gender and sexuality, I have been combining this with my interest for Japanese animation. Cyberpunk has been particularly an interesting genre because it depicts our (generally dark) vision of a technologically advanced future, yet it actually tells more about our contemporary society and condition. The genre has often been critiqued on the fact it has been dominated by (white, straight) men, which produced the one-sided stereotyped depiction of women and minorities in the genre. Japan has often been the setting of these cyberpunk narratives. This had to do with Japan’s technological and economic growth in the 1980s, which caused fascination and anxiety towards Japan in the West. One of the reasons why the Hollywood version of Ghost in the Shell peaked my interest is because it is a recent live-action version of a very popular franchise that focuses on a female cyborg. It is additionally one out of many films that has been accused of whitewashing its main protagonist, which was a reason for me to not see this film when it played in theatres. Mamoru Oshii’s Ghost in the Shell from 1995 was an international co-production, and is considered to be one of the greatest anime films. The film also inspired the Wachowskis to make The Matrix trilogy, The Matrix is up to today one of the most well-known cyberpunk films. In my thesis I will be looking at the (heteronormative and race) ideologies that are at play in both of the Ghost in the Shell films. In my first chapter I will lay a foundation of the sides of cyberpunk I will focus on. I will discuss techno-Orientalism, Donna Haraway’s Cyborg Manifesto, cyberfeminism, and feminist post-cyberpunk. In my second chapter I will give an analysis of Rupert Sanders’ Ghost in the Shell film, while focusing on the ideology, queer moments, whitewashing, and oriental style. And finally in my third chapter I will focus on Mamoru Oshii’s Ghost in the Shell. As the “ghost” is a reference towards the soul (and spiritual identity), and the “shell” references towards the (mechanical) body, I will discuss identity, the male gaze, Haraway’s “informatics of domination”, and heteronormativity. I will also be discussing the possibilities and limitations of the cyborg body and the objectifications it goes through in both the GITS films.Show less
During the 20th century many Latin American countries successfully fulfilled the transition to democracy process. Both Chile and Argentina democratised during the 20th century. However, the...Show moreDuring the 20th century many Latin American countries successfully fulfilled the transition to democracy process. Both Chile and Argentina democratised during the 20th century. However, the democracies that developed after the process differed. In Chile, Pinochet executed a lot of control over the transition to democracy, whereas in Argentina, Videla only slightly influenced the transition to democracy. In both countries a successful democracy was established with a different basis. Thus, the role of the dictator during the transition to democracy process is not clear-cut, and the development of democracy depends on many different factors, which are not always controllable.Show less
In 2003, China’s Ministry of Culture published the ‘Interim Regulations on the Administration of Internet Culture’: a list of rules concerning all cultural products on the internet, including music...Show moreIn 2003, China’s Ministry of Culture published the ‘Interim Regulations on the Administration of Internet Culture’: a list of rules concerning all cultural products on the internet, including music. On August 10th, 2015, the Chinese Ministry of Culture used article 16 on the Interim Regulations on the Administration of Internet Culture to censor a total of 120 Chinese songs from the internet. The ministry labeled the 120 songs as blacklisted, because their content was seen as ‘endangering social morality’, according to article 16. A key point of censorship and morality in music in China is that the Chinese government’s rules and regulations for what is considered moral and immoral in music are phrased in very generic terms, leaving room for interpretation. That leaves us with the question, can the blacklisting of the 120 songs be meaningfully related to these rules and regulations? This thesis explores the complex relationship between music, morality and politics in contemporary China by performing a discourse analysis on the banned songs and the legislations regarding internet culture.Show less
“Geïllustreerd sugoroku” (e-sugoroku 絵双六) is een bordspel dat sinds het ontstaan ervan in de Edoperiode in talrijke thema's is verschenen. In dit onderzoek werp ik een blik op sugoroku uit de late...Show more“Geïllustreerd sugoroku” (e-sugoroku 絵双六) is een bordspel dat sinds het ontstaan ervan in de Edoperiode in talrijke thema's is verschenen. In dit onderzoek werp ik een blik op sugoroku uit de late Meijiperiode die specifiek gericht zijn op meisjes en vrouwen, om vast te stellen hoe deze in verhouding staan tot hun historische context. Uit een bespreking van secundaire literatuur over sociale ontwikkelingen uit deze periode en een analyse van verschillende sugoroku uitgegeven tussen 1886 en 1910 blijkt dat de inhoud van de spellen beïnvloedt is door het sociale klimaat waarin gedebatteerd werd over de rol en identiteit van vrouwen. De sugoroku waren in staat om standpunten uit dit debat mee te geven aan spelers, voornamelijk door middel van het wel of niet representeren van bepaalde levensmogelijkheden voor vrouwen. De bevindingen uit deze scriptie dragen bij aan onze kennis over de omstandigheden waarin meisjes in de late Meijiperiode opgroeiden en de rol die gedrukte media als deze hierbij hebben gespeeld.Show less
This thesis examines the reasons behind missionary attitudes that rejected ideas of reform that were proposed by the Lazarist missionary Frederic Vincent Lebbe. It tries to establish how certain...Show moreThis thesis examines the reasons behind missionary attitudes that rejected ideas of reform that were proposed by the Lazarist missionary Frederic Vincent Lebbe. It tries to establish how certain missionary attitudes may have taken shape under the conditions in which the churches in China operated in the late nineteenth and early twentieth century and it will also take into consideration the organization of the Catholic mission churches themselves.Show less
During the last decade, inbound foreign tourism rate in Japan underwent an outstanding escalation: from 5.22 million in 2003, the number of tourists visiting the country skyrocketed to 19.3 million...Show moreDuring the last decade, inbound foreign tourism rate in Japan underwent an outstanding escalation: from 5.22 million in 2003, the number of tourists visiting the country skyrocketed to 19.3 million in 2015. The government made active efforts towards this achievement as part of the strategy to strenghten the Japanese image abroad, as well as its national brand. A necessary part of this strategy was constituted by Japanese food, following the international popularity that it enjoyed in the recent years. As the global interest for authenticity and uniqueness grew especially in regards to food and tourism, this resarch tries to understand why Japanese government is using food as a product to give legitimization to its entire national brand, specifically by selling it through tourism consumption, to then establish which strategies are being adopted in order to reach this scope.Show less
The main aim of this thesis was to take a critical stance towards the Intelligence Cycle as the foremost model on intelligence processes. The research question was: To what extent can the...Show moreThe main aim of this thesis was to take a critical stance towards the Intelligence Cycle as the foremost model on intelligence processes. The research question was: To what extent can the Intelligence Cycle, as a model of analysis, account for non-Western intelligence organisational structures, such as the Japanese intelligence community? The conclusion of the thesis is that the Intelligence Cycle cannot fully account for non-Western intelligence organisational structures, and specifically that of Japan. This is because of several assumptions that emerged when applying the Intelligence Cycle to Japan: First, that foreign and domestic security scopes cannot be consolidated into one organisation, ignoring the Japanese practice of 'amakudari'. Second, the assumption of inevitable competition between similar intelligence organisations. Third, the lack of a modernised intelligence arsenal. Lastly, the assumption that Japanese intelligence personnel is not trained appropriately, ignoring the practice of 'amakudari' and 'tenkin'.Show less
This study examines to what extent local governments in Japan make use of their official websites to facilitate the social integration of their foreign residents through online multilingual...Show moreThis study examines to what extent local governments in Japan make use of their official websites to facilitate the social integration of their foreign residents through online multilingual provisions. A comparative analysis of the official websites of various kinds of cities, towns and villages not only serves to highlight some of the stark and surprising differences in their online integration efforts. A consideration of specific factors in the analysis, such as economic power, administrative authority, relative migrant population size and City Network membership, also allows for a more in depth exploration of some of the underlying social, political and economic reasons as to why some localities provide substantially better online multilingual provisions than others.Show less
Een analyse van de verschillende manieren waarop het Japanse Saiban-in systeem wordt geëvalueerd in academische literatuur en door de deelnemers van het systeem.
This thesis discusses what motivates people in Japan to buy sacred charms (omamori), through the lens of the Japanese ritual worldview. They are traditionally used as a means for protection or as a...Show moreThis thesis discusses what motivates people in Japan to buy sacred charms (omamori), through the lens of the Japanese ritual worldview. They are traditionally used as a means for protection or as a source of beneficial power. In recent decennia, consumer culture has permeated the world of religion in Japan and as a result distributors of religious tokens (temples and shrines) have started to focus more on the visual appeal of charms.Show less
Five years have passed since the attack on Sinjar, and no one could have predicted the outcome we have witnessed. With the dismantling of ISIS, a myriad of consequences built over the years has...Show moreFive years have passed since the attack on Sinjar, and no one could have predicted the outcome we have witnessed. With the dismantling of ISIS, a myriad of consequences built over the years has come crashing down to the contemporary political climate. The quell of ISIS as a land-owning non-state actor may be seen as a victory, yet, the slow process of piecing together what truly happened behind the closed veil of the so-called Caliphate is the true feat. Among all of the unknown also lies the troublesome subject of sexual and gender based violence (SGBV). It is no secret that gender based violence played a prominent part in the so-called Islamic State’s reign to power, but the question remains; Why did ISIS use sexual and gender based violence against Yezidi girls and Women? There are three hypotheses that this thesis will test to understand ISIS’ use of rape against Yezidi girls and women: a) tool of war, b) patriarchy and c) religion. By analysing the rationale behind these three hypotheses this thesis will contribute to a more systematic understanding of ISIS’ modus operandi.Show less
This paper examines the localization practices in Japanese video games and anime in the last thirty years and the effects thereof, taking the Pokémon franchise as case study. Findings seem to...Show moreThis paper examines the localization practices in Japanese video games and anime in the last thirty years and the effects thereof, taking the Pokémon franchise as case study. Findings seem to suggest an increase in the importance of localization, as it developed from the translation of text to the restructuring of narrative and alteration of visual content. Multiple video games and anime have seen significant revisions in their adjustment to the Western market, but none of them have received as much modifications as Pokémon. The methods used in localizing Pokémon have transformed over the years, and its ever-expanding global significance shaped the content of future releases in both Japan and the West.Show less