Celebrity politics is described as a phenomenon in which celebrities create a ‘buzz’ around certain issues or crises regarding development. Or, differently put, in celebrity politics celebrities...Show moreCelebrity politics is described as a phenomenon in which celebrities create a ‘buzz’ around certain issues or crises regarding development. Or, differently put, in celebrity politics celebrities use their stardom to inform the greater public about a certain humanitarian crisis or issue. Existing studies on celebrity politics mostly discuss celebrities from the global North, attracting attention to the global South’s need for development. Though, there have some been studies on celebrity politics practised by celebrities from the global South. Studied regions include Francophone sub-Sahara Africa, the Middle East, East Asia, South-East Asia and Latin America. One of the regions from the global South that has not been studied much is East Africa. Whereas East African celebrity politics has been studied on a regional level, no major political studies have been conducted at the national level. Exhaustive studies on celebrities with nation-wide fame who use that fame to engage with national politics have hitherto not been done for this part of Africa. So, how useful are existing frameworks for understanding celebrity politics when applied to East Africa?Show less
The overwhelming majority of the more than five and a half million Syrians have fled to neighboring countries in the Middle East without their civil documents. Particularly in a refugee context, it...Show moreThe overwhelming majority of the more than five and a half million Syrians have fled to neighboring countries in the Middle East without their civil documents. Particularly in a refugee context, it is crucial for the standard of living for Syrian refugees and eventual return to Syria to be adequately documented. Complex civil registration systems in the host countries, however, often prevent Syrian refugees from obtaining civil documentation, thereby expanding the problem of the lack and loss of civil documentation of Syrian refugees. This thesis examines the different civil registration systems and their consequences for Syrian refugees in Jordan, Turkey, and Lebanon through an in-depth analysis focusing on legal status, marriage and birth registration. This thesis argues that the difference in implemented civil registration systems is determined by each host country’s social, political, and economic situation before and during the Syrian refugee influx and the extent to which the Syrian refugees have impacted the country, positively and negatively. In Turkey, the government has adopted a temporary protection regime, which includes refugee-sensitive civil registration systems. However, in Lebanon and to a lesser extent Jordan, Syrian refugees are still facing many challenges trying to obtain civil documentation due to the complex civil registration systems. As the eight years of hosting refugees has turned out more harmful than beneficial for the host countries, discussions on the return of Syrian refugees has increasingly become louder. However, a lot of change is still required to ensure that Syrian refugees are adequately documented.Show less
This article analyses the paradoxical behaviour by China in the Diaoyu/Senkaku islands dispute by using the theory of ontological security, security of the Self. The analysis demonstrates that...Show moreThis article analyses the paradoxical behaviour by China in the Diaoyu/Senkaku islands dispute by using the theory of ontological security, security of the Self. The analysis demonstrates that China uses securitization, the severe politicization of the islands dispute, as a means of protecting its core interests, territorial integrity, sovereignty, and development. China has adopted a more assertive stance in the dispute since the 2010 boat collision and the 2012 ‘nationalization’ of the islands by Japan, heightening tensions between the two powers in the region. China does not seem to bargain on its core interests as to solve the islands dispute in the (near) future.Show less
This thesis examines how British prime ministers have de-Europeanized the national identity through their discourse before and after the Brexit referendum – or in other words – how they turned away...Show moreThis thesis examines how British prime ministers have de-Europeanized the national identity through their discourse before and after the Brexit referendum – or in other words – how they turned away from the EU by using language. The research is conducted through a critical discourse analysis (CDA) of 25 speeches and statements by David Cameron and Theresa May. The timeframe begins when Cameron promised a referendum on EU membership in January 2013, and ends in October 2017, more than a year after the yes-vote. The analysis reveals that British discourse on common security threats was not gradually de-Europeanized, but internationalised by May by constructing the UK as ‘Global Britain’. Language on migrants from the EU to the UK was already de-Europeanized before the Brexit referendum, and did not change significantly after the referendum. In fact, it gradually normalised after Cameron’s General Election victory in 2015. This study also reveals that both prime ministers could ‘cherry pick’ identities, meaning that they could choose between constructing a national, European, or even global identity to their liking per policy area.Show less
Tanzania has for some reason always been an important partner in development cooperation for the Netherlands. The African country has always followed its own peculiar development path, being ruled...Show moreTanzania has for some reason always been an important partner in development cooperation for the Netherlands. The African country has always followed its own peculiar development path, being ruled by the same socialist president for over 20 years. Despite the fact that Tanzania was ruled as a one party state, for some reason the way the country was governed seemed to have had some sort of significant appeal to the Dutch ministry of Foreign Affairs. Did they try to work and cooperate alongside the Tanzanian government or did they let him continue his experiment as long as stability was ensured? Did the Dutch state care so much for Tanzania because they believed in Ujamaa, or at least parts of it? By combining these questions the thesis will show how Netherlands reacted to the economic effects of Julius Nyerere’s Ujamaa policy.Show less
According to Michał Borodo (2015) Comic Translation is an “under-investigated topic” (p. 22), and even more so when we approach the topic of broken English in Comic Translation. For this reason,...Show moreAccording to Michał Borodo (2015) Comic Translation is an “under-investigated topic” (p. 22), and even more so when we approach the topic of broken English in Comic Translation. For this reason, this thesis examines whether different levels and functions of broken English can be identified within a comic, and which translation strategies and procedures should be applied in order to maintain in the target text the source text’s broken English level and function. In order to arrive to any significant conclusion regarding the level of broken English, a scale of levels has been designed based on the CEFR (Council of Europe, 2018a; 2018b) and ACTFL (ACTFL, 2018) scales. Moreover, two sub-questions have been formulated in order to gauge the function of broken English within the narrative. Also, the translation strategies and procedures coined by Newmark (1988), Vinay and Darbelnet (1995; 2008), and Venuti (2008b) have been compiled into a customised list containing the relevant strategies and procedures tied with the restrictions encountered in Comic Translation. These three models have been applied to the broken English of the Russian gangsters in Hawkeye (Fraction, 2013), Vladek in Maus (Spiegelman, 2003), and Yoda in Star Wars (Aaron, 2018). The gangsters’ broken English is characterised by its excessive use of the cultural expression “bro”, which becomes the object of the hero’s mockery. Gangsters are found to speak broken English as spoken by speakers of the lowest level of the scale of broken English. On the other hand, Vladek’s and Yoda’s broken English is characterised by their eccentric word order, which seems to be in tune with the role they play within their story. According to the scale of levels of broken English devised in this thesis, Yoda speaks according to the highest level on the scale, whereas Vladek’s level of broken English can be found in between the levels of Yoda and the Russian gangsters. Lastly, I have found that for each translation strategy, three different translation procedures occur most frequently and can be said to be characteristic of this strategy; the oblique translation strategy is characterised by the use of the procedures economy, semantic translation, and communicative translation, while usage of the procedures compensation, economy, and free translation characterise the foreignisation strategy.Show less
The European Union (EU) has played a vital role in the creation of the globalized world known today. Through the many challenges and setbacks the union has experienced the past decades it has...Show moreThe European Union (EU) has played a vital role in the creation of the globalized world known today. Through the many challenges and setbacks the union has experienced the past decades it has demonstrated how unification and cooperation has become increasingly important. This study argues how in this process of globalized consolidation solidarity plays a vital role. Communities such as the EU rely to a large extent on all its member states involved willing to be solidary. The aim of this study has been to find justification for demonstrating solidarity during the refugee crisis of 2015/2016. This has been done by examining Dutch media and interviewing Dutch government officials. Upon examination of the sources, it became clear that the failures of the most important EU asylum regulations were due to a lack of solidarity. The theory of intergovernmentalism demonstrated how states preferred applying their own national regulations instead of following the supra-national EU policies. By applying the theories of instrumental and normative solidarity this study was able to grasp an idea of what is vital to improve in order to increase solidarity in the union. Focusing on the self-interest of the member states within the union is vital in order to stimulate solidarity. The member state should be well informed of why it is beneficial to be part of the EU. In addition, the union should focus on further developing a European identity among its residents in order to improve the feeling of solidary.Show less
Research master thesis | Linguistics (research) (MA)
open access
The Proto-Indo-European long vowels *ē and *ō occupy a remarkable position within the phonemic system. Although these vowels are phonemic, they are limited to very specific morphological categories...Show moreThe Proto-Indo-European long vowels *ē and *ō occupy a remarkable position within the phonemic system. Although these vowels are phonemic, they are limited to very specific morphological categories. This distribution has been explained by several theories, of which there are three which propose a phonetic origin for these long vowels and that nowadays find supported by various scholars, viz. Wackernagel’s lengthening in monosyllables, Szemerényi’s Law, and Kortlandt’s lengthening before word-final resonant. These three theories have in common that they derive the long vowels from their short counterparts *e and *o, whereas they differ from each other in the phonological environments under which the short vowels would have become long. It is, however, still controversial which theory is the most likely to be correct, since all theories have counterexamples. This thesis examines the question which of the three phonetic theories on the origin of the Proto-Indo-European lengthened grade can be proven correct or incorrect. This question will be addressed by discussing the evidence and counterevidence of the nominal system and comparing the counterexamples to the three theories. By attempting to provide alternative explanations for the counterevidence, as well as discussing the strengths and weaknesses of existing alternative explanations, it is possible to examine which theory or theories can be kept up and which one(s) must be rejected. It will be concluded, that monosyllabic lengthening probably works for the nominal system, that Kortlandt’s lengthening before word-final resonant can only work when it is reformulated(i.e. leaving out the nasals as a conditional factor), and that Szemerényi’s Law is best to be given up.Show less
Already during Antiquity, Egypt was famous for its royal mortuary monuments. During the millennia that have passed since the construction of these monuments, the meaning given to them by their...Show moreAlready during Antiquity, Egypt was famous for its royal mortuary monuments. During the millennia that have passed since the construction of these monuments, the meaning given to them by their spectators has altered several times. This study focusses on the interpretation and reuse of the Theban New Kingdom mortuary temples, the royal tombs in the Valley of the Kings and the Old Kingdom pyramids at the Giza Plateau during the Ptolemaic and Roman Periods. Aim of this study is to show how these monuments were interpreted and reused by two different groups of spectators, namely the Graeco-Roman tourists, who came to see these monuments, and the native Egyptians, who lived in the vicinity of these buildings. Moreover, the ways in which the meaning given to these mortuary monuments during the Pharaonic Period survived into the Ptolemaic and Roman Periods, are discussed.Show less
A thorough study of the personal writings of Thomas Jefferson, third President of the United States, in an effort to show that Jefferson was far more radical in his thoughts than one would assume.
This thesis examines the relationship between pornography and post-Soviet nostalgia in post-2000 Russian cinema, analysing the extent to which the two phenomena are depicted and interact with one...Show moreThis thesis examines the relationship between pornography and post-Soviet nostalgia in post-2000 Russian cinema, analysing the extent to which the two phenomena are depicted and interact with one another. Through formal film analysis of three case studies, this thesis seeks to demonstrate that in addition to the multi-faceted depiction of post-Soviet nostalgia, sex has far from vanished from Russian film screens and often carries symbolic connotations.Show less
Although the period of colonial rule by the Netherlands and Portugal is a thing of the past, there is a plenitude of ‘overseas cultural heritage’ (OCH) around the world, referring to unmoveable...Show moreAlthough the period of colonial rule by the Netherlands and Portugal is a thing of the past, there is a plenitude of ‘overseas cultural heritage’ (OCH) around the world, referring to unmoveable heritage sites that were created under the colonial influence or former presence of nation states on a territory that is not part of these states today. Policy regarding OCH offers complex challenges and possibilities to present-day governments as the heritage is at the crossroads of the cultural and political involvement of both the former colonized and colonizer and thus bridges the colonial past into the current postcolonial reality. Nevertheless, research analysing and comparing OCH policy of former colonial powers at several levels of governance is rare. This thesis builds on, and adds to, the existing research by conducting a multidisciplinary (policy analysis and heritage definition analysis) and multilateral (bilateral and multilateral) comparative analysis of the OCH-policy of the Netherlands and Portugal. At core is the research question: what policy strategy have the Dutch and Portuguese governments developed concerning their OCH in the past century at both bilateral and multilateral level of governance, and to what extent are the policy strategies comparable? To answer this main research question, the thesis conducts a multidisciplinary analysis that combines a policy analysis of the OCH-policy of the Netherlands and Portugal at bilateral and multilateral level of governance at UNESCO, with the examination of the heritage definition at the heart of the existing policy, the latter by examining how the policy deals with the challenging commonality of OCH. The research enabled to map the differences and commonalities of the Dutch and Portuguese OCH-policy strategies.Show less
