Master thesis | Cultural Anthropology and Development Sociology (MSc)
open access
The type of waves that arrive in Scheveningen are often considered mediocre from an international surfing perspective. Even though water-temperatures can drop to 4 degrees during the coldest months...Show moreThe type of waves that arrive in Scheveningen are often considered mediocre from an international surfing perspective. Even though water-temperatures can drop to 4 degrees during the coldest months, there is a quickly growing community of surfing enthusiasts who enter the water year-round. By using visual-ethnographic methodologies during fieldwork such as observational and participative methods, combined with several semi-structured interviews, this study explores how different aspects of surfing such as the uncertainty of waves, the experience of surfing, stoke, and the never-ending search for the ever-changing perfect wave, contribute to the mindset, dedication and closeness among surfing enthusiasts in Scheveningen. The following thesis consists of both a textual component and an ethnographic film of 30 minutes. The written part analyzes various concepts related to the experience of surfing, and moreover how the appeal and experience of surfing relate to the mentality and mindset of surfers, both within and outside of the water. The natural component of surfing is explored, as surfing is not merely conducted in nature, but with nature, and the experience of surfing is formed partly because of the elements that one is engaging with. Types of weather, the moon, the wind, the tide and countless other natural circumstances, such as the dependency of waves and forecasting are all deemed important to understand for surfers in Scheveningen and often become part of the everyday life of surfing enthusiasts. I moreover examine concepts such as experience, forming of identity, and the importance of stoke through comparing my own research with the academic discourse surrounding culture and surfing. The documentary film provides audiovisual means to help understand the experience of different surfing conditions that can occur within Scheveningen through the following of four participants, the researcher herself included. It portrays various people experiencing different kinds of stoke through both surfing and surf-related activities. Through both observational, participatory and sensorial aspects, the documentary-film is created to compliment the written thesis. The key finding of this research is that the aforementioned uncertainty and never-ending search for the ever-changing perfect wave has an impact on the mindset of surfing enthusiasts in and around Scheveningen, creating higher levels of stoke, causing them to continue surfing on a daily basis, whether through surfing or by preparing for the next swell.Show less
Master thesis | Cultural Anthropology and Development Sociology (MSc)
open access
This study aims to shed light on the artist community Treehouse in Amsterdam as a space for artistic practice. By applying the concepts: place and space, community, artistic practice and artistic...Show moreThis study aims to shed light on the artist community Treehouse in Amsterdam as a space for artistic practice. By applying the concepts: place and space, community, artistic practice and artistic process, this study focuses on place and space as conditions in which artistic process can emerge. My goal is to explore the diversity of these artistic practices and spaces in which it is practiced. In terms of discussing the experiences of place and space, I would like to explore the perspectives of policy makers and the lived experiences of the artists within the place and space. This study aims to offer a more focused navigation of artistic processes; and explores what (pre)conditions are needed for the artists to engage in their artistic process. It aims to shift the approach from exploring art as established institution, to art as “practice”. Therefore, my aim in this article is to explore artistic practice and the role of place and space, and the artistcommunity in it (both physical and social). I used qualitative research methods and observational filmmaking as a research tool to generate empirical data. The results of this research are presented in a textual output (this article), and an audio-visual output (the film: Space for Artistic Practice, 2021), with both being part of the same overarching research. Two of my participants allowed me to study them more intensively on their artistic process. This provided insight in the small-scale aspects of their social reality, such as interaction, the forms of communication through art and their artistic processes. I introduce the concept of “creative sphere” as a mental space, which artists can experience when the workspace meets certain desired preconditions, and artistic process can happen. This approach discusses how the division and ordering principles of the space is part of an artistic interpretation and discusses different conditions in which art is made. Place and Space for artistic practice and artistic process has a political side, but it also has a personal side. Therefore, this article is divided in two parts. In the first part, I explore artistic practice in relation to place and space in a macro perspective (political and community), and in the second part, I will discuss the role of space in artistic process (personal and in a more philosophical perspective).Show less
Master thesis | Cultural Anthropology and Development Sociology (MSc)
open access
Together with the beginning of the Covid-19 pandemic, something else started spreading just as fast as the novel coronavirus: misinformation and disinformation. An infodemic was born, and groups...Show moreTogether with the beginning of the Covid-19 pandemic, something else started spreading just as fast as the novel coronavirus: misinformation and disinformation. An infodemic was born, and groups and pages focused on Covid-19 related conspiracy theories started popping up all over the internet. In this digital ethnography, I examine the online community of Dutch-speaking truth seekers, who claim that the corona restrictions are a first step towards a dystopian, global, totalitarian regime. The resulting thesis consists of an ethnographic video essay and a written text. Through the combination of a reflexive voiceover, screen recordings, interview fragments, found footage and screenshots, the film explores both the thoughts and experiences of my research participants being part of this community, as well as those of me doing this research. Focusing on the themes of truth, community and freedom, the written part examines the individual and social dynamics behind the rapid growth of this community. My findings are in line with earlier research on conspiracy belief and suggest that the appeal of the Dutch-speaking truth seeker community is threefold. It answers a desire to reduce the complexity of a chaotic reality, it provides social support in a world where many experience a lack of a sense of community, and it gives a sense of control in uncertain times.Show less
Master thesis | Cultural Anthropology and Development Sociology (MSc)
open access
The inefficiencies of the Greek healthcare system, the trafficking networks and the fact that the majority of the nurses of exclusive duty are women and immigrants, challenge the validation of...Show moreThe inefficiencies of the Greek healthcare system, the trafficking networks and the fact that the majority of the nurses of exclusive duty are women and immigrants, challenge the validation of their skills, position and contribution to the society. Drawing on three months of remote ethnographic research with Greek and immigrant nurses of exclusive duty, this study examines their practical and emotional challenges, and their perceptions of their caregiving role adding the connection with the gender stereotypes on care and the social inequalities. The resulting thesis comprises a written text and an ethnographic film. The text offers a reflection on methodological issues and critically explores how my conceptual framework connects with my research findings, while the ethnographic film focuses upon the subjective experiences and the emotions of three nurses of exclusive duty and juxtaposes theirs with my own experiences as a granddaughter of grandparents that were taken care of by a ‘stranger’. My key research finding is that the precarity of this profession, the stereotype of women as ‘natural’ caregivers, the inequalities because of ethnicity and socio-economical status and the consequent crossing of the personal/professional boundaries impact their physical and mental health since they supplement the challenges of this job. The nurses constantly try to negotiate their position and prove their value to the society while working without governmental provision and support. Thus, I argue that their gender, ethical positions, ethnicity and socio-economical status affect the perceptions of their caregiving role and identity.Show less
Master thesis | Cultural Anthropology and Development Sociology (MSc)
open access
This research sees the act of "going abroad for work" from two perspectives. One is leaving home and then conducting a cross-cultural life. The other is the expansion or adjustment of a career...Show moreThis research sees the act of "going abroad for work" from two perspectives. One is leaving home and then conducting a cross-cultural life. The other is the expansion or adjustment of a career trajectory. This research examines how recent Chinese migrant workers cope with their overseas life when working in the catering industry in the Netherlands. By doing so, I have tried to understand what is the “social world” of my participants and how they interact with it. During 3 months of fieldwork, I talked with 8 participants and closely yet remotely studied social media content from this group. Our online conversations were based on getting along even virtually. The outcome comprises a written text and a film. The text discusses how these migrant workers engaged with labor and explores how the self was lost and rebuilt. As a trajectory pursuing success, and through daily practices in break times, I gradually gained insight in these migrant workers’ migration journey and witnessed their awareness and sacrifice of self. Sacrificing leisure life and prioritizing work, men I engaged with, can hardly think of their own feelings and needs or reflect on who they are. Yet their practice and narration indicated s certain expectation on self-presentation. The film portrays narratives of “labor migration” from several perspectives as a polyphonous testimony. Overall, the key findings are that for recent Chinese migrant workers who come to the Netherlands and work in the catering industry, the act of migration and adjusting to cross-cultural life are reported to be experienced as a "normal" process: It is experienced as natural that one needs to adjust to different coworkers and to the new work environment. As it is for money that they came overseas, they perceive it as normal to bear difficulties. Rather than entering in a process of trans-national transition and adjustment as I imagined, their journeys can be seen as a continued precarious yet independent career trajectory that illustrates how they, as labor migrants, do not relate more than necessary with their new environment. At the same time, these labor migrants seek and create breathing space for themselves in their daily break-times, and single free weekday, to maintain a sense of self. Also, bearing the uncomfortable, their tendency is to normalize it, and tend to talk about the self in a positive and independent way, together composing a sense of self.Show less
Master thesis | Cultural Anthropology and Development Sociology (MSc)
closed access
This research project about the construction of safe space for people of colour and LGBT+ people at Leiden University utilizes the theory of W.E.B. Du Bois (1903) and his metaphor of 'the veil'....Show moreThis research project about the construction of safe space for people of colour and LGBT+ people at Leiden University utilizes the theory of W.E.B. Du Bois (1903) and his metaphor of 'the veil'. Even though there are diversity and inclusion policies in place at Leiden University, it does not necessarily feel like a safe environment for many people. This thesis aims to illustrate that for the diversity practitioners at Leiden University, students and staff, both private and public safe spaces play a role in establishing agency and empowerment under conditions of oppression. Private safe spaces (queer and coloured spaces 'behind the veil') are created by marginalized people for marginalized people – atmospheres where people can process racialized and sexualized experiences together. Public safe spaces (mixed spaces 'beyond the veil') are collaboratively created – atmospheres where people can be themselves and voice their opinions. Ideally, these spaces are experienced as 'brave space', where people feel comfortable enough and confident enough to contribute to the social setting. This thesis aims to explore safe space – both physical and emotional – and desires to contribute to a safe and inclusive learning and working environment at Leiden University.Show less
Master thesis | Cultural Anthropology and Development Sociology (MSc)
closed access
Cars have been for years dominating our lives and landscapes and are deeply shaped by our culture. By focusing on a particular car, a 2CV, and its reconstruction, observing and analyzing its social...Show moreCars have been for years dominating our lives and landscapes and are deeply shaped by our culture. By focusing on a particular car, a 2CV, and its reconstruction, observing and analyzing its social life, as a commodity as well as an object linked to a particular history since it was the former car of anthropologist-filmmaker Jean Rouch, these study and concomitant film contribute to reveal specific aspects of the relationship between man and car, mainly through the concept of bricolage, that Rouch was also familiar with in his filmmaking. The opposition between bricoleur and ingénieur is revisited, through a detailed film-based ethnography with the diverse participants and situations encountered during a three-month fieldwork, in a follow-the-thing type case. Cars are also envisioned as religious objects that have their cathedrals, worshippers and sorcerers. They are machines but they have their part of humanity, that interacts with us. The perspective is enriched by a physical and practical approach to fieldwork shared with participants, and as an actual making together in a practice-led research during the reconstruction of the car. Inspired as well by Jean Rouch’s approach, filmmaking is thus considered a way of acquiring knowledge as well as facilitating a relational fieldwork.Show less
Master thesis | Cultural Anthropology and Development Sociology (MSc)
closed access
“There is no such thing as bad weather, only bad clothes”, a Scandinavian saying, illustrating how one could live with and through weather, that is, how to weather. This visual ethnographic...Show more“There is no such thing as bad weather, only bad clothes”, a Scandinavian saying, illustrating how one could live with and through weather, that is, how to weather. This visual ethnographic research was a way for me to live with and through the Covid-19 pandemic and the restrictions that it brought in my own country, the Netherlands. I have done fieldwork for almost three months at natural (outdoor) playground Het Woeste Westen (The Wuthering West), a place in Amsterdam where children can play with and in nature both ‘freely’ as ‘semi-organized’ with adult supervision. The study explores how children think of outdoor play as full of opportunities unavailable at home, what children do in the outdoors, and how their experiences shape their thinking about play and their relation to the material world. I have used audiovisual recordings, non-participating observations with interaction and visual elicitations. The result is a thesis in both written as ethnographic film form. The text includes both descriptions of observational video footage as written field notes, and transcribed video footage. The film aims at showing what I have seen and what I have been told by protagonists. My key research finding is that children weather by using the elements in their outdoor play. I argue that weather creates the world that they are in, which impacts how they play. Examples of this are moving more in winter weather to stay warm, jumping and sliding in mud as a fun activity and making fires to get warm and dry after a cold and rainy day.Show less
