This thesis explores the cyclical construction and reproduction of neo-orientalist discourse in the post-9/11 world order, through a qualitative case study comparing and contrasting selected...Show moreThis thesis explores the cyclical construction and reproduction of neo-orientalist discourse in the post-9/11 world order, through a qualitative case study comparing and contrasting selected content from the British tabloid-style newspaper Mail Online, and the militant organization Daesh’s propaganda magazines Dabiq and Rumiyah. Analysis concerns a sample of articles highlighting dichotomies between the conceptual blocs of “Western Civilization” and “Islamic Civilization”; specifically the representation of Daesh on both sides of the discursive equation as a neo-orientalized entity, thereby arguably re-enforcing conceptions of Islam as an inherently barbaric, medieval, and threatening culture and religion. Based on the samples analyzed, this thesis uncovers a self-perpetuating cycle of neo-orientalist representation of Daesh, identifiable on a micro scale in its own publications as well as the British news publication. Similarities concerning the representation of Daesh in the scrutinized samples are identified and deemed problematic, opening discussion into the realm of the ethics and responsibility of contemporary journalism.Show less
In hoeverre zijn massamedia een propagandamachine voor de overheid? Factoren als advertenties, financiële en sociale controle en commercialisatie kunnen zorgen voor oneerlijke berichtgeving. In dit...Show moreIn hoeverre zijn massamedia een propagandamachine voor de overheid? Factoren als advertenties, financiële en sociale controle en commercialisatie kunnen zorgen voor oneerlijke berichtgeving. In dit onderzoek vergelijk ik De Volkskrant met De Correspondent om deze hypothese te toetsen.Show less
During the first years of the Cold War propaganda became the quintessential tool with which the US government implemented on a national level to sway the public into accepting the nuclear arms race...Show moreDuring the first years of the Cold War propaganda became the quintessential tool with which the US government implemented on a national level to sway the public into accepting the nuclear arms race. Through the use of the fifth anti-communism fifth news filter of the propaganda model which was developed by Edward S. Herman’s and Noam Chomsky one can come to understand the winning recipe behind the US domestic propaganda wide-reaching influences between 1945 and 1968. By spreading anti-communism, soothing language, and disinformation the American people were reminded of the price of failure in the nuclear arms race. This parallel to a war on ideas virtually obliging the populace to favor a spending shift from education and other civil services to defense spending and nuclear production. By imprinting the ideological and cultural superiority of American values and the tyrannical intentions of the Soviet Union, domestic propaganda warned Americans against communist indoctrination and restricted artistic freedom. Additionally, through the print media, education, television, and film the Cold War was presented as an epic, but losing struggle between American freedom and Soviet tyranny. Movie producers, magazines, news broadcasters, and artists were financed by governmental organizations to propagate strong messages of American ideologies such as freedom and create a nationwide anti-communist sentiment aimed to justify the increased nuclear spending that was diverted from public resources. Those who objected to the US government’s actions were diagnosed as extremists or pro-Soviets and were targeted by the state and society alike.Show less
During the ‘20s and ‘30s a new art form rapidly gained popularity in Shanghai, A group of Chinese artists aimed to establish cartooning as a recognized art form in China in a period quickly...Show moreDuring the ‘20s and ‘30s a new art form rapidly gained popularity in Shanghai, A group of Chinese artists aimed to establish cartooning as a recognized art form in China in a period quickly overshadowed by war. Manhua defies simple definition, styles and content of works carrying the name ‘manhua’ can differ substantially. The city Shanghai played an important role in the story of the development of the Chinese art of cartooning. By the 1920’s Shanghai, then the largest metropolis of China, was experiencing a publishing boom.Especially in the beginning a lot of effort was put in by artists to get recognition for their work, by adopting the term ‘manhua’ to group together similar works, they hoped to turn cartoons into an established art form. The start of the second Sino-Japanese war in 1937 marked a turning point for the art of cartooning. Up to this point mostly an urban art form, often lacking in political message, now cartoonists employed their craft to try and influence the Chinese masses. During the war a lot of the diversity in form that could be found before was lost, the clear goal of manhua would now decide on the shape of the images.Show less
This thesis aims to chronologically reconstruct the official gold supply of a small province at the frontier of the Roman empire: Germania Inferior. For this purpose a dataset of over 1,250 Roman...Show moreThis thesis aims to chronologically reconstruct the official gold supply of a small province at the frontier of the Roman empire: Germania Inferior. For this purpose a dataset of over 1,250 Roman gold coins were analyzed from the Southern Netherlands, Northeastern Belgium and the German state of Nordrhein-Westfalen. The result is a detailed overview of the amount of gold that was available thoughout the Roman period.Show less
Research master thesis | History: Societies and Institutions (research) (MA)
open access
After WWII the Dutch government wanted to be more involved in informing the public of its doings and in preparing it for the dangers that might present themselves. One of the ways to reach the...Show moreAfter WWII the Dutch government wanted to be more involved in informing the public of its doings and in preparing it for the dangers that might present themselves. One of the ways to reach the public were the newsreels shown in movie theaters, which had a weekly reach of over 1 million. Through the Rijksvoorlichtingsdienst (Government Informing Service) the government installed an editorial committee which safeguarded the newsreels and determined which items should be shown and which were deemed unfit. This committee had members of the RVD, journalists and Polygoon-Profilti editors. Over the years this committee grew to a standing committee with its own morals and values. When the cold war accellerated with the events of 1948-1950, the government now had a renewed interest in the items shown in the newsreels. Their content could potentially be used in the fight against communism. This paper investigates how newsreels were made, with what convictions they were made and to what extent the government controlled or tried to control this committee. In doing so, the paper also investigates the interplay between the committee and the government in the setting of the early cold war.Show less