The growing existence of multiethnic individuals and diverse societies seems to pose a challenge to the nation-state and its configuration of the political community. Classic theories of...Show moreThe growing existence of multiethnic individuals and diverse societies seems to pose a challenge to the nation-state and its configuration of the political community. Classic theories of nationalism prescribe the formation of a state around an ever-existing nation which constitutes a somewhat homogenous community, conflicting with the modern realities of statehood. Thus, this thesis explores the theory of nationalism and its ability to accommodate diversity and plurality within its structure. Ultimately, I argue, illustrated through the concept of the critical hybrid subject, that nationalism is unable to cope with the diversity of its members, due to the implementation of a national identity as an authority retaining political strategy.Show less
The present study challenges the image of pessimism associated with modernist poetry. By exploring the poetry of T. S. Eliot, W. B. Yeats, and Ezra Pound using Ernst Bloch’s principle of hope, it...Show moreThe present study challenges the image of pessimism associated with modernist poetry. By exploring the poetry of T. S. Eliot, W. B. Yeats, and Ezra Pound using Ernst Bloch’s principle of hope, it becomes apparent how, for all three poets as well as for Bloch, language is bestowed with a foundational faith. Hope manifests itself in a desire to overcome the waste land’s teleological void in Eliot, to come to terms with the totalitarian inescapability of death in Yeats, and, in Pound, to articulate absolute essence.Show less
This thesis investigates the evolution of satire through the Azerbaijani satirical television program “Mozalan” in response to the political climate from 1980 to 1992. Initially adhering to the...Show moreThis thesis investigates the evolution of satire through the Azerbaijani satirical television program “Mozalan” in response to the political climate from 1980 to 1992. Initially adhering to the Party line, “Mozalan” grew bolder with Glasnost, eventually developing its own direction as the Soviet Union approached collapse. Early satire (1980-1984) focused on societal issues influenced by Heydar Aliyev’s campaigns, termed “state-appropriated laughter,” using humorous light-hearted satire to promote moral improvement. From 1985 to 1989, the satire became more critical, shifting from a light-hearted to an acerbic style filled with anger, challenging state policies and expanding the scope of critique. By 1990-1992, satire intensified, with fictional episodes maintaining humor and documentary episodes expressing not only anger but also resignation, reflecting the absence of a stable government and its ideology during this chaotic period. This study highlights significant shifts in satirical styles and media representation, revealing complexities beyond existing theoretical frameworks.Show less
van der Togt, Cornelis Theodorus Hubertus (Niels) 2024
This study investigates the intricate connection between literature and national identity in Syrian society by analysing Khaled Khalifa’s two works, namely No Knives in the Kitchens of This City...Show moreThis study investigates the intricate connection between literature and national identity in Syrian society by analysing Khaled Khalifa’s two works, namely No Knives in the Kitchens of This City and Death Is Hard Work. More specifically, this study illustrates how both works reflect Syrian reality during transformative periods that correspond to the Ba’ath Party’s acquisition of power and the Syrian Civil War. Khalifa’s narratives offer extensive material for reflecting on memory, effect of political oppression on people’s lives, aspiration for independence and freedom, and family relations. In this way, the novels characterize Syrian national identity throughout a detailed depiction of the characters’ experience in the rapidly changing Syrian political and social setting. This reflection employs the academic concepts of Benedict Anderson, James L. Gelvin, Ana Douglass and Thomas Vogler to uncover the interconnection between literature, history, and formation of identity. Furthermore, the reflection provides insight into how the Syrian literature has changed to reflect and construct the national identity under the pressure of significant political change.Show less
This thesis approaches the problem of cross-linguistic authorship attribution in the context of written English by native Japanese authors. To this end, a hybrid qualitative and quantitative...Show moreThis thesis approaches the problem of cross-linguistic authorship attribution in the context of written English by native Japanese authors. To this end, a hybrid qualitative and quantitative analysis of a learner corpus is conducted, making use of a novel automatic error classifier ERAA. It was found that in a comparison with authors from nine other Asian countries, language errors that native Japanese authors tend to produce in written English that were found in earlier literature appear to be unique to the Japanese authors within a given writing theme. Following statistical analysis, it is furthermore suggested that there exist types of L2 language errors that are unaffected by the surrounding writing theme, while other types are affected. Finally, it is concluded that the employed hybrid analysis method is viable to efficiently conduct large-scale corpus research to study a variety of L2 linguistic traits.Show less
In 2016, Saudi Arabia released Saudi Vision 2030, a document containing ambitions and goals for 2030. The document contains two goals regarding renewable energy: achieving a capacity of 9.5GW in...Show moreIn 2016, Saudi Arabia released Saudi Vision 2030, a document containing ambitions and goals for 2030. The document contains two goals regarding renewable energy: achieving a capacity of 9.5GW in renewable energy by 2030, and localising part of the renewable energy value chain. This thesis researches how the KSA uses these renewable energy goals to change its nation brand, and how this affects its leadership position in global energy. Using online databases and existing literature, this thesis assesses both the situation regarding the renewable energy and the localisation in 2016, and the realisation of the goals by 2024. Then a thematic analysis of the websites and X-accounts of Vision 2030 and Green Initiative is carried out. Lastly, this study analyses the behaviour and rhetoric of Saudi Arabia within OPEC, the UNGA, and COP-meetings. The thesis argues that while Saudi Arabia uses renewable energy to shape its image, this is not the main component or goal of its nation branding strategy. Rather, the KSA presents itself as a transforming, ambitious nation, and as a potential economic partner for investors. Regarding sustainability, Saudi Arabia brands itself as a leader in renewable energy, especially in regional context. The thesis argues that despite the developments regarding renewable energy in Saudi Arabia, the country continues to prioritise oil production and export. As a result, its position in global energy has not changed significantly and in the long run, its nation brand might not be as effective.Show less
The subject of characterisation is defined by Jonathan Culpeper (2001) as the way a reader perceives a character and is therefore a very important part of the reading process. The choices made by...Show moreThe subject of characterisation is defined by Jonathan Culpeper (2001) as the way a reader perceives a character and is therefore a very important part of the reading process. The choices made by the translator may have an impact on the way a character is described and therefore also impacts the way a character is perceived by the reader. According to Zeven and Dorst (2021) and Chen and Song (2023) the choices made by the translator may influence the way the gender of a character is depicted and thus may influence the way a reader might perceive the gender of said character. One of the target audiences on which changes to the depiction of gender might have a large impact is children. Children are partially shaped by the literature they come across and thus the way gender is depicted in books and subsequently translated might shape the way they perceive this subject. This thesis focuses on the way the possibly stereotypically girly depiction of a transgender girl is changed by the translator's choices, how this affects the characterisation and the stereotypical nature of this characterisation and what effect this has on the reader. By performing a comparative analysis of several excerpts in which Melissa, the main character of the American middle grade novel 'Melissa' and its Dutch translation 'George', performs stereotypical femininity, the answer to the question 'In which ways is the stereotypical characterization of a transgender girl influenced by the choices made by a translator and what effect does this have on the story?' is found. The results of the analysis provide a similar conclusion to other studies on changes made by the translator regarding female gender stereotyping: the choices made by the translator do influence the characterisation of gender, even if said influence is minimal and it has very little effect on the story.Show less
This research analyses how an operational peace protocol between Israel and the Palestinian authority -meant to normalize the life of the citizens in Hebron- had an adverse outcome: a permanent...Show moreThis research analyses how an operational peace protocol between Israel and the Palestinian authority -meant to normalize the life of the citizens in Hebron- had an adverse outcome: a permanent division of the city along religious and ethnic-nationalist lines. The latter was due to actions of settlers supported by the Israeli government, partly in response to Palestinian violence. In this way a further obstacle was created on the way to a two-state solution as outcome of a peace agreement between Israel and Palestine. This research also critically engages with the thinking about the nature of settler colonialism; is Israel’s occupation of Palestinian territories a form of settler colonialism; are settlers the drivers of Israeli colonialism, its implementors or both; how Israeli settlers movement, political parties and the state relate to each other; and is the urban divide of Hebron a result of settler colonialism?Show less
Amidst the ever-growing prominence of climate challenges, environmentalism has transformed into a highly contentious subject within the US. Given the nation's considerable role in environmental...Show moreAmidst the ever-growing prominence of climate challenges, environmentalism has transformed into a highly contentious subject within the US. Given the nation's considerable role in environmental degradation alongside its prominent global position, internal divisions are a substantial barrier to environmental progress. Politically, the American right has become associated with anti- environmentalism; however, as this thesis helps to understand, this has not always been the case. Moreover, in recent years a new movement has arisen that aims to reunite Republicans with their environmental past. The conservative environmental movement is an intriguing development within the environmental debate. I examine the movement in light of environmental history and combine it with the field of gender research, as the significant contributions of women to the movement have oftentimes been neglected in scholarly works. In bringing these two phenomena together, this thesis addresses the research gap located in the intersection of these academic fields. I apply two different research methods, combining historical and social research, or content analysis. I investigate two current conservative environmental organizations, RepublicEn and the American Conservation Coalition, as well as the product of the institutionalization of the movement, namely the Conservative Climate Caucus. This study is led by the question, how have women contributed to the conservative environmental movement in the United States? The answer is multifold. Historically, women have played significant roles in the development of American environmentalism by using their womanhood and feminine qualities like cooperativeness and communication skills. My socio-political analyses of the present-day conservative environmental movement add nuance: I find gendered distinctions in the conservative environmental approach in the form of the paradigms of “leadership” and “cooperation”. Within the civic organizations of this study, a clear gender difference exists as the women under study are more likely to take a cooperative approach, in contrast to their leadership-oriented male counterparts. This distinction dissipates when women obtain more power, which is shown through the near absence of these distinct approaches within the party itself.Show less
