As a dedication to the necessary move away from cultural essentialism, this research explores one of its prominent counter-concepts, cultural hybridity, by combining the following research...Show moreAs a dedication to the necessary move away from cultural essentialism, this research explores one of its prominent counter-concepts, cultural hybridity, by combining the following research questions; What is meant by the concept of cultural hybridity? How does this concept apply to Kengo Kuma's (隈研吾) (1954-) life and his architecture? Labeling Kuma’s architecture as a continuation of an essential Japanese timeline through claims about the embeddedness of a ‘Japaneseness’, despite the relatively recent invention hereof after the Meiji revolution, could be legitimizing stereotyping of the past, and is questionable. When applying the concept of cultural hybridity one can acknowledge that the formation of Kuma’s architecture is influenced by numerous intercultural flows. It has been informed by practices and philosophies from in- and outside the Japanese island region, and is underlied by an entanglement of sub- and trans-national—as well as personal—influences.Show less
Radicalization and extremism are wicked processes consisting of a variety of influential elements. Rooted in the construction of identity, the aim of this research is to explore the manner in which...Show moreRadicalization and extremism are wicked processes consisting of a variety of influential elements. Rooted in the construction of identity, the aim of this research is to explore the manner in which cultural identity and history function as influential determinants in the path of radicalization to violent extremism across different contexts. Through a thematic analysis of autobiographies from a former loyalist, and Islamic and right-wing extremists, the findings reveal the importance of historico-cultural perceptions between in-groups and out-groups in the context of radicalization and extremism. The implications of the findings to counter-terrorism research and policy are discussed.Show less
The Earth Gods' Parade is an important religious event held in Lantern Festival in Lunar New Year in Shezih region, Taipei City. The event constitutes and reflects the region's unique cultural...Show moreThe Earth Gods' Parade is an important religious event held in Lantern Festival in Lunar New Year in Shezih region, Taipei City. The event constitutes and reflects the region's unique cultural identity. However, the upcoming urban development plan proposed by Taipei City Government under Wen-je Ko in 2015 is going to affect the region and the event's future. While the parade is ignored in the urban plan, some local residents and activists nominate the event as Taipei City intangible cultural heritage. This research attempts to analyze how a place’s Intangible Cultural Heritage constitutes and reflects the place’s cultural identity. The research also portrays different roles of the Earth Gods' Parade in the conflict of new urban development plan.Show less
It this thesis I intend to unveil the constructed nature of the Austrian post-war identity narratives and the consequences they continue to have today. I will investigate how, after the Second...Show moreIt this thesis I intend to unveil the constructed nature of the Austrian post-war identity narratives and the consequences they continue to have today. I will investigate how, after the Second World War, the conferment of the political neutrality status enabled Austria to reinvent its national identity and withdraw from war guilt. The constructed narratives consist of elements from the history of its imperial and pre-war cultural past. These continue to prevail and despite the emergence of a counter-narrative.Show less
In this thesis, I will emphasize the relationship between the visual depiction of Japanese historical warriors in Tokugawa period (1603–1868 AD) woodblock prints produced in nineteenth century...Show moreIn this thesis, I will emphasize the relationship between the visual depiction of Japanese historical warriors in Tokugawa period (1603–1868 AD) woodblock prints produced in nineteenth century Tokugawa Japan on the one hand and the historical imagination among the commoners or chōnin (“townspeople”) who inhabited the city of Edo (present-day Tokyo) and who were mainly responsible for producing and consuming warrior prints on the other. In order to accomplish this, I will use the warrior Minamoto Raikō (948–1021 AD) as a case study. Furthermore, I will relate this historical imagination, or historical consciousness, among the Edo chōnin with their cultural identity as Edokko (“child of Edo”). That is, I will focus on what cultural meanings ancient and medieval warriors in warrior prints had, i.e. what they signified, for the Edo chōnin regarding their Edokko identity.Show less
As we are living in a globalizing world, the local is defined by the global and the global by the local. There is a constant fluid connection between these paradoxes and artists from all over the...Show moreAs we are living in a globalizing world, the local is defined by the global and the global by the local. There is a constant fluid connection between these paradoxes and artists from all over the world are responding to this interplay. A lot of contemporary photographers deal with issues that arise around the visualization of cultural identity. Photography appears in many different forms, for instance true to life or arranged on forehand or afterwards, though photography is by many still seen as pre-eminent a medium that shows the viewer a reproduction of reality. This research focuses on the visualization of cultural identity through arranged photography as photography is becoming more and more a construction, and these constructions provide other angles towards this visualization. This study aims to contribute to the recent debates, concerning contemporary photography, cultural identity and the portrayal of the contemporary human being by investigating the different ways in which cultural identity is being visualized in the works of Hans Eijkelboom, Jimmy Nelson and Shadi Ghadirian.Show less
Master thesis | Cultural Anthropology and Development Sociology (MSc)
open access
Museums today, as the International Council of Museums (ICOM) portrays, are viewed as non-profit institutions, open to the public, promoting education, research, study and entertainment. They are,...Show moreMuseums today, as the International Council of Museums (ICOM) portrays, are viewed as non-profit institutions, open to the public, promoting education, research, study and entertainment. They are, like James Clifford suggests, institutions that serve as a communication point for different cultures. Additionally modern museums are considered to have a strong social character as oppose to their past nationalistic one. Taking into account all these elements, this inquiry attempts to understand the meaning that a modern Ethnographic museum tries to communicate to the public. In order to achieve that, an Ethnographic exhibition in the making is being examined. To understand the importance and sensitivity of the subject displayed, past museum exhibitions of the same culture are mentioned along with the social impact they carried. Different stages of this exhibition, as well as the decision making process are being presented. A more thorough and complete image of meaning construction in an Ethnographic museum is given by introducing other recent exhibitions displayed by the same museum. Through interviews conducted with the museum personnel, this study anatomizes meaning construction in an Ethnological museum. The negotiation of the different views and agendas of the individuals, and the communities, participating in the exhibition making process, as well as external factors influencing that procedure, are being analyzed. Concluding, this study explores on what level, meaning created in a modern Ethnological museum is educational or recreational and to what expense.Show less
