From 1630 to 1654 the Dutch West India Company have succeeded in establishing a colony in the Northeast part of Brazil, then under the dominance of Portugal. Its most preeminent governor, Johan...Show moreFrom 1630 to 1654 the Dutch West India Company have succeeded in establishing a colony in the Northeast part of Brazil, then under the dominance of Portugal. Its most preeminent governor, Johan Maurits van Nassau-Siegen, administered the protectorate through slave and sugar trade, inviting artists, botanists and scientists to document the natives and new inhabitants’ daily life and customs. Johan Maurits’ collection of Brazilian representations and artefacts was mostly donated throughout his life in order to secure him alliances after his return from Brazil and most of the works made during the period are now in European museums, such as the Mauritshuis, in the Netherlands. As art is rarely dissociated from its appreciation, it is vital in the contemporary postcolonial world that we discuss, not only the production of these artworks, but also their display, their reception and more importantly, their role in present day societies. The role of Johan Maurits as a ‘benefactor of the arts’ has been broadly praised by scholarly research, and his effort in documenting the daily life in the ‘New World’ has been commonly seen as the work of a ‘humanist prince’ in the tropics. Nonetheless, I argue that precisely because of this mythification of Dutch Brazil, historiography has failed so far – with a few exceptions – in critically analysing the representations produced during the Dutch occupation. By considering these works as true masterpieces only possible because of the effort of a magnificent patron, the relationship between the artist, his commissioner and the object is overlooked. The social and hierarchical interpretations of what is depicted give room to formalist approaches, and the impact of this fruitful production in the imaginary of a European audience is again ignored. This thesis intends to analyse these representations and their impact on the understanding and the construction of an identity of Brazilian society as viewed by Europeans. Taking Frans Post's View of Itamaracá Island (1637) as a case study, it envisions to connect the postcolonial debate of representation with the museum practice in the contemporary and discuss the role of institutions as bearers of colonial legacies.Show less
A case study of the infra-municipal/departmental decentralization in the city of Paris during the period in which Jacques Chirac was mayor of Paris (1977-1995), which shows that the institutional...Show moreA case study of the infra-municipal/departmental decentralization in the city of Paris during the period in which Jacques Chirac was mayor of Paris (1977-1995), which shows that the institutional reform led to improved local representative democracy.Show less
Research master thesis | Arts and Culture (research) (MA)
open access
The societal role of museums has changed and is still constantly changing, the Museo de América in Madrid, Spain, is no exception. This research aims to capture the evolving role of museums by...Show moreThe societal role of museums has changed and is still constantly changing, the Museo de América in Madrid, Spain, is no exception. This research aims to capture the evolving role of museums by taking on the Museo de América as a case study. The Museo de América was chosen due to the limited international scholarly literature on the relationship museums in Spain, a once powerful and important colonial power, have with contemporary museological discourse. The research question is therefore, to what extent is the Museo de América able to create ‘contact zones’ and capture the changing narrative about indigenous communities in the Americas. This thesis uses Anthony Shelton’s methodology underlying critical museology as a set of tools as well as James Clifford’s concept of ‘museums as contact zones’. This research provides a better understanding of how an ethnographic museum in Spain addresses the colonial and authoritative practices in which museums were built on. The analysis of the Museo shows that some of the Museo’s underlying curatorial practices are consistent with Shelton’s methodological interdictions. However it also identifies a few limitations to the Museo’s capacity to navigate the challenges of bridging historical and cultural gaps across centuries. The most significant being the lack of an indigenous voice regarding the conquest itself. By including indigenous voices and presenting them as active participants, museums can play a critical role in providing visitors with the tools to better understand the evolution of modern society’s values.Show less
Research master thesis | Arts and Culture (research) (MA)
closed access
This thesis examines what insights the photography series Blue Sky Days (2012-) by Tomas Van Houtryve provides into concepts as vision, subjectivity and representation, which means that the series...Show moreThis thesis examines what insights the photography series Blue Sky Days (2012-) by Tomas Van Houtryve provides into concepts as vision, subjectivity and representation, which means that the series functions as a case study, a common thread. The drone as imaging technology challenges the traditional relation between image and vision. The remarkable visuality of the series, the vertical perspective, distorts our sense of spatial and temporal orientation. It differs from the visuality that long dominated our vision, the paradigm of the linear perspective. I argue that drone vision is a collaborative vision by a human-drone assemblage that should be understood as an embodied vision. Blue Sky Days problematizes the effect of the vertical perspective and the necropolitical logic to which it invites. In contemporary warfare, the digital drone image is no longer treated as a passive representation, but as an active entity, being part of a process. Blue Sky Days as a series of static photographic images emphasizes ambiguity and undecidibility, which contrasts the visuality of certainty employed by synthetic vision systems. Van Houtryve uses a strategy of anthropomorphism, a strategy that raises awareness for the fact that agency is distributed by human and nonhuman forces. His series humanizes the other, encourages empathy for the people living under the drone, which contrast the current of anthropophobia in synthetic imagery. In the last chapter, I discuss the series in relation to the debates around representation that troubled documentary photography, war photojournalism and art. Now hypermediacy and immediacy seem both a strategy by the military to create a civic weaponized eye, Van Houtryve’s drone photography is an interesting alternative gesture by emphasizing the process of remediation.Show less
The displaced looks back at the place he/she left when entering in a new place. In this thesis, I will invite you to move into a space-time without the need to take a plane, not even the bus. I...Show moreThe displaced looks back at the place he/she left when entering in a new place. In this thesis, I will invite you to move into a space-time without the need to take a plane, not even the bus. I will take you for a walk into the ‘androgynous’ that questions the collective representations of gender based on sexuality. In anthropological terms, gender points out the presence of a culturally constructed difference between male and female. More than this, the differences point out a dichotomy between two symbols shaped by the meanings of feminine and masculine principles. The concept of androgynous is the absence of this construction not so much in bodily attributes but more into the psychological domain. Hence, androgyny can offer a third space, proposed for the intersection of multiple spaces instead of binary categories. The implications of such understanding can reshape the relationships between the political, the economic and the historical away from the presupposed hierarchy of genders, and thus empower subjects of marginalization.Show less
Emperor Justinian (r.527 to 565) was one of the most famous and infamous emperors of Late Antiquity. One of his most remarkable qualities had been his legislative fervour. Early on, he had...Show moreEmperor Justinian (r.527 to 565) was one of the most famous and infamous emperors of Late Antiquity. One of his most remarkable qualities had been his legislative fervour. Early on, he had completed what would later be called the Corpus Iuris Civilis, incorporating the Codex, the Digesta and the Institutiones. However, in the wake of this Corpus, his reign produced another 155 ‘new laws’ that have not yet received the scholarly attention they deserve. This thesis has taken these Novellae seriously as a corpus of its own and has explored how we should understand this multitude of laws in their socio-political context and how these innovations were anchored in a sixth-century worldview. The Novellae performed a multi-layered balancing act between tradition and innovation, subject and emperor, and being shaped by and shaping society. However, these laws singled out one person whose presence invaded every corner of the text: the emperor. He was ruler of the eternal Roman Empire and Christian father of the people. In the end, he knew what was best.Show less
As current democratic governments are unsuccessful in fulfilling our moral obligations to future generations, future-focused institutions aim to adapt our democracy to neutralise this short-termism...Show moreAs current democratic governments are unsuccessful in fulfilling our moral obligations to future generations, future-focused institutions aim to adapt our democracy to neutralise this short-termism. However, it often appears to be impossible for future-focused institutions to be both effective and democratically legitimate. This thesis aims to resolve this dilemma by arguing for strong external representatives, representatives of future generations outside of legislative assemblies that have a strong mandate to veto laws that have a strong negative impact on future generations. To claim that this is not only effective but also democratically legitimate, this thesis analyses the most influential theories on the boundaries of the demos, the All Affected Interests Principle and Democratic Values Theory, and demonstrates that they require the inclusion of future generations by means of a strong-mandated representative. Finally, this thesis also provides several desiderata on how strong external representatives should be instituted and discusses its political feasibility.Show less
Master thesis | Classics and Ancient Civilizations (MA)
open access
After the death of Commodus in AD 192, the Roman Empire briefly descended into a tumultuous period where Emperors were murdered and civil wars were fought. But how tumultuous was this period,...Show moreAfter the death of Commodus in AD 192, the Roman Empire briefly descended into a tumultuous period where Emperors were murdered and civil wars were fought. But how tumultuous was this period, exactly? Could it be noted as a crisis? By examining how the numismatic and historiographic representations of the Emperors in the period AD 193 - 197 differ of those of Emperors in more peaceful time, this thesis discusses whether this period can be seen as a 'crisis'.Show less
This thesis discusses, through a literary survey and fieldwork in Tokyo and Osaka, the question to what extent there is an imperial legacy or discourse resonating in Japanese museums. In particular...Show moreThis thesis discusses, through a literary survey and fieldwork in Tokyo and Osaka, the question to what extent there is an imperial legacy or discourse resonating in Japanese museums. In particular, it focuses on the representation of the Ainu and Koreans between 1977 and 2017 in the Tokyo National Museum (Tohaku) and the National Museum of Ethnology (Minpaku), located in Osaka. Research shows that an imperial discourse is present, particulary in the linguistic terminology and items put up on display. However, as the case study of the Ainu in Minpaku shows, there is room for change and balance.Show less
On the basis of identity theory, this thesis analyses three films directed by Karim Dridi regarding the representation of the North African diaspora in France. These analyses will be put next to...Show moreOn the basis of identity theory, this thesis analyses three films directed by Karim Dridi regarding the representation of the North African diaspora in France. These analyses will be put next to the representations provided by dominant French discourse to conclude that the the latter takes a less comprehensive approach towards including the North African diaspora and representing them.Show less
What is the function of the hacker in Deleuze's society of control? Is the hacker a form of resistance, or does the hacker have another function? This question will be the guideline in this thesis,...Show moreWhat is the function of the hacker in Deleuze's society of control? Is the hacker a form of resistance, or does the hacker have another function? This question will be the guideline in this thesis, which uses the theoretical texts of Foucault, Deleuze, and Galloway to create a theoretical framework through which the hacker types of the manifestos of Anonymous, The Invisible Committee, and McKenzie Wark's A Hacker's Manifesto will be analyzed in the television series Mr. Robot, and the video games Watch Dogs and Watch Dogs 2. In the conclusion, the hacker is seen as a persona that has a different position, because of his knowledge of protocol, yet resisting the power while working in this protocol remains difficult.Show less
In this day and age it is of vital importance for museums to be socially inclusive and relevant for their communities. The Haags Historisch Museum and Museum Rotterdam, two Dutch City Museums, are...Show moreIn this day and age it is of vital importance for museums to be socially inclusive and relevant for their communities. The Haags Historisch Museum and Museum Rotterdam, two Dutch City Museums, are actively concerned with the inclusive representation of ethnic minority communities. They exemplify current issues in the theoretical discourse, and what other museums deal with in their policies and practices. The policies and practices of both museums connect with their aims to be socially relevant and inclusive institutions. Their most common practices in accomplishing this involve exhibition-making, organising activities and community projects, collecting new heritage, and forming partnerships. The combination of a theoretical framework and the case-studies of the Haags Historisch Museum and Museum Rotterdam provide a specific insight on the connections that both museums make between exhibitions, representing ethnic minority communities, and the social and community relevance of museums. Their approaches show both similarities and differences.Show less
After WWII, between 500,000 and 600,000 Koreans remained in Japan because of social, economical or political reasons. The Koreans who remained in Japan became known as zainichi, which literally...Show moreAfter WWII, between 500,000 and 600,000 Koreans remained in Japan because of social, economical or political reasons. The Koreans who remained in Japan became known as zainichi, which literally means “residing in Japan.” In this thesis, I argue that the representation of the zainichi identity of adolescents in cinema helps us appreciate the complexities of zainichi identity. Through film, we are able to see how the characters change throughout the story and how they interact with their social environment. , I discuss scholarship on the formation of zainichi identity, how zainichi were able to secure the legal recognition of their existence in Japan and how different social and legal changes caused a change in zainichi identity.Show less
Museums during the course of their long history have undergone many changes that have resulted in their reorganization. Social and political changes of the past years have contributed in specific...Show moreMuseums during the course of their long history have undergone many changes that have resulted in their reorganization. Social and political changes of the past years have contributed in specific museums’ decision to change their name and become Museums of World Cultures. This thesis investigated the reasons that led museums to that decision, their hopes and objectives, but also the actual changes that accompany this change of name especially regarding their exhibition practices. The main objective of the thesis was to explore why and how western museums may decide to change their name and to what extent this change influences their way of exhibiting culture of non-western cultures. In this research three museums were chosen as case studies: the National Museum of World Cultures in Gothenburg, the Museum Volkenkunde in Leiden and the Museu de Cultures del Món in Barcelona. All three museums emerged from former ethnological museums during the past years. The results of the thesis show that this change in museums’ name was a result of different situations but was mostly connected with their attempt to acquire a more contemporary character that is closer to the needs of 21st century society and to engage with the public. However, the change of name is not always accompanied by a change in museum policy. In reality, as shown by this research the exhibition policy of these three museums did not actually change after the change of name, even though there have been attempts to change the way they approach their role.Show less
Léo-Paul Ned Alfred Marc Eli Francois, Teboul 2017
The Maya communities of Guatemala have over the decades accurately represented the struggle faced by indigenous populations in Latin America. The struggle of those communities, is expressed by a...Show moreThe Maya communities of Guatemala have over the decades accurately represented the struggle faced by indigenous populations in Latin America. The struggle of those communities, is expressed by a lack of political representation and inclusion into the state apparatus. The dilemnas of national identity and muliticulturalism in Guatemala, put more strain on the hard relation between the Maya Communities and the Guatemalan State. Political representation being challenged by a controled civil society, forces indigenous representation communities to remain under represented.Show less