This thesis discusses the topic of the competitive Korean education system visualised in K-dramas that deal with the societal pressures on Korean youth and their parents regarding educational...Show moreThis thesis discusses the topic of the competitive Korean education system visualised in K-dramas that deal with the societal pressures on Korean youth and their parents regarding educational background. To do so, it offers an elaborate analysis of the K-drama SKY Castle (2018) embedded in a theoretical framework of identity building and the field of cultural production while using 'classical' Bordwellian film analysis. By using concepts from fields such as Media-Studies, Area-Studies, Identity/Gender studies and Sociology, this research offers a multi-disciplinary approach to explore questions regarding studies on Korean identity, Korean popular culture and the relation between the two. In this respect, it illustrates how one can understand Korean popular cultural products as emerging spaces of Korean identity construction.Show less
This thesis examined a largely unknown era (1680-1860) in the history of North Sulawesi. A revised model of the social history of the region has been proposed on the basis of the VOC ...Show moreThis thesis examined a largely unknown era (1680-1860) in the history of North Sulawesi. A revised model of the social history of the region has been proposed on the basis of the VOC 'visitatierapporten'. By focusing on how Christianity altered the social and political structures of the region (gender, social class, educational institutions, chiefly patronage networks), this thesis has demonstrated that it is possible to reconstruct the 'internal' history of North Sulawesi, in spite of a scarcity of local historical sources. Significant findings include 1) the social fluidity of 'class' in North Sulawesi societies, 2) the fact that Christianity was not limited to elite classes, as had hitherto been thought and 3) that (some) women transformed their former role as 'animist' religious specialists to roles of prominence within the Christian community.Show less
The War on Drugs emphasised the weak socioeconomic status of the African American population. The punitive laws and media rhetoric influenced all facets of their daily lives. In thesis, I focussed...Show moreThe War on Drugs emphasised the weak socioeconomic status of the African American population. The punitive laws and media rhetoric influenced all facets of their daily lives. In thesis, I focussed on the power and prestige and income and wealth factor of socioeconomic status. These variables helped position the relevance of the inequalities in American society. The historical and contemporary experiences have influenced the intergenerational disenfranchisement. The War on Drugs rhetoric of tough on crime affected the poverty, social exclusion, unemployment and stereotyping of the African American peoples.Show less
