This paper aims to analyse the democratic potential of the internet and the ways in which the Russian pro-government disinformation campaign is used to limit this potential by conducting...Show moreThis paper aims to analyse the democratic potential of the internet and the ways in which the Russian pro-government disinformation campaign is used to limit this potential by conducting exploratory research on Russia as a single case study. Firstly, Russia’s disinformation campaign is analysed on its own. Secondly, the paper causally connects this disinformation campaign to the internet’s potential to consolidate democracy, primarily as a new free medium for information. In doing so, the paper makes use of two theories, inoculation theory and network theory, as underlying mechanisms for its analysis. It is argued that a negative relation can be observed between the internet’s potential to consolidate democratic developments through free and truthful information and Russia’s disinformation campaign. As this paper remains primarily theoretical in its analysis, further research is advised to determine how this relation has manifested in Russian society and what practical implications can be observed.Show less
The United States is currently in the process of replacing many of its traditional public schools with semi-private institutions called charter schools. Though this process only became widespread...Show moreThe United States is currently in the process of replacing many of its traditional public schools with semi-private institutions called charter schools. Though this process only became widespread within the last few decades, its origins are rooted in the political turmoil that occurred during the American Civil Rights movement more than 50 years ago. By implementing critical race theory, this study investigates the relationship between long standing racism and the push to privatize U.S. public schools by using the New Orleans public school system as a focal point. Court documents, historical accounts, interviews, era specific newspaper articles and prior research into the field are all used to accomplish this aim. Analyzing these materials illustrates how current arguments in favor of privatization were born out of white resistance to racially integrated public schools in the mid-20th century, and still echo the talking points used during the Civil Rights era to challenge forced integration. Based on these analyses, this study concludes that the American charter school movement is poorly regulated, racially biased, and creates classroom inequality in New Orleans, and throughout the United States.Show less
De opkomst van het internet en specifiek sociale media hebben voor veranderingen gezorgd binnen de journalistiek. Door middel van het internet kan het publiek steeds makkelijker in contact komen...Show moreDe opkomst van het internet en specifiek sociale media hebben voor veranderingen gezorgd binnen de journalistiek. Door middel van het internet kan het publiek steeds makkelijker in contact komen met journalisten. Ook ieders mogelijkheid om vrijelijk op het internet te kunnen publiceren heeft het journalistieke werk veranderd. Bovendien hebben de journalist en diens organisatie niet langer een monopolie op de verspreiding van het nieuws. Als gevolg van deze veranderingen is de networked journalist ontstaan. De traditionele journalistieke structuur maakte plaats voor openheid en interactiviteit die het internet biedt, hoewel de kernkarakteristieken van de journalistiek – waaronder haar maatschappelijke functie en het analyseren en filteren van nieuws – bleven bestaan. Journalist en burger werken toenemend samen aan het journalistieke product. Het sociale mediaplatform Twitter is een voorbeeld van hoe dit networked journalism zich kan manifesteren. Het platform biedt de mogelijkheid voor journalist en publiek om makkelijk in contact te komen en meningen uit te wisselen. Maatschappelijke thema’s worden op Twitter vaak besproken en bediscussieerd. Het thema ‘migratie’ is vanaf de zomer van 2015 sterk vertegenwoordigd op de publieke en nieuwsagenda, en roept ook op Twitter veel reacties van gebruikers op. Voor dit onderzoek zijn de tweets van elf Nederlandse journalisten die berichten over migratie geanalyseerd, evenals de reacties die zij krijgen op Twitter. Vervolgens zijn deze elf journalisten geïnterviewd over hoe zij omgaan met de verschillende soorten reacties, of de journalisten deze tweets nuttig achten en of de tweets gebruikt worden voor het journalistieke werk. Dit verkennende onderzoek brengt daarmee twee zaken in kaart: enerzijds categoriseert het de soort reacties die journalisten die berichten over migratie krijgen op Twitter, anderzijds categoriseert dit onderzoek de manier waarop deze journalisten omgaan met Twitterreacties.Show less
The Rights of Nature is a new paradigm shift which holds that Nature has fundamental rights. Proponents claim that this new form of ecological governance will create sustainable solutions for...Show moreThe Rights of Nature is a new paradigm shift which holds that Nature has fundamental rights. Proponents claim that this new form of ecological governance will create sustainable solutions for environmental degradation as well as expand the cultural heritage and rights of indigenous peoples. However, there lacks sufficient transparency to what extent these claims are accurate. The goal of this thesis is to investigate the Rights of Nature from a cultural heritage perspective in order to create greater understanding and clarity. The core of the research is to look at the interrelation between the Rights of Nature, landscape protection and heritage studies. In turn, this interrelation can reveal to what extent the Rights of Nature truly expands the cultural heritage and rights of indigenous peoples as well as promotes environmental protection. The research focuses on the parallel cases of Ecuador and New Zealand where the Rights of Nature are legally recognised but approached in different ways. First, the research takes a closer look at the origins, developments and characteristics of the Rights of Nature movement, including the interrelated expansion of the human rights development. Second, the heritage focus reveals that western and indigenous heritage values have a different conception of the human-Nature relationship. Indigenous heritage values reflect an intimate relation with Nature where both humans and the natural world are equally interconnected. In contrast, western heritage values reflect a dualistic perspective on the human-Nature relationship, where human culture is separated from Nature and often in dominion over Nature. These contrasting conceptions, in turn, shape the way cultural landscape protection as well as the Rights of Nature is defined and expressed. From a pure theoretical framework, the Rights of Nature carries both elements of western and indigenous heritage values, however, this is not straightforward and remains ambiguous. The case studies show that Ecuador and New Zealand carry both strong and weak elements in how the implement their Rights of Nature. As a result, the countries have a different outcome in how they protect their cultural landscapes in relation to environmental challenges as well as to what extent they expand the cultural heritage and rights of indigenous peoples. The research presents a variety of conclusions, but the main point is that the Rights of Nature can be regarded as a small step forward in the recognition of Nature’s right, however, it is not the end-solution. So far, the Rights of Nature does not sufficiently expand the cultural heritage of indigenous peoples as well as provides straightforward solutions to environmental degradation. Alternatively, when the western legal system changes its fundamental normative rules that define the principles of rights to a relationship framework, indigenous people’s rights and cultural traditions can be easier embraced. We need a language of law that brings to light the patterns of relationship rather than hides it in structures of hierarchies, boundaries and competing interests. When relationship patterns become the intention within the legal framework, the Rights of Nature can become more effective in bringing about its aim.Show less
Throughout the 2000s, the World Bank seems to have undergone a paradigm shift from a neoliberal, market-oriented agenda to a more state-centric approach with increased attention to national...Show moreThroughout the 2000s, the World Bank seems to have undergone a paradigm shift from a neoliberal, market-oriented agenda to a more state-centric approach with increased attention to national particularities in policy design. However, in contrast to the recent enthusiasm by a variety of authors does this thesis argue that the increased attention to the role of institutions and politics in socio-economic development has merely been discursive. The here presented historical analysis of Malawi’s political economy since 1979 shows that there have been little actual changes to the Bank’s policies over the years, to the detriment of equitable socio-economic development in Sub-Saharan Africa. A continued focus on neoclassical economic theory and a lack of attention to national political economy are largely to blame. This thesis holds that to improve socio-economic development, development in practice needs to be transformed by moving beyond overtly theoretical and technocratic approaches and recognizing the inherent political nature of economies, instead of viewing the socio-political order underlying market relationships as an isolated given.Show less
The main finding of this master thesis is that Russian state-controlled media communicated Russia’s 2018 pension reform through a pattern of media frames aimed to explain the reform as the only...Show moreThe main finding of this master thesis is that Russian state-controlled media communicated Russia’s 2018 pension reform through a pattern of media frames aimed to explain the reform as the only reasonable solution to a problem. This thesis has used three framing analysis theories that highlight from different perspectives how the 2018 pension reform was framed on Perviy Kanal, the largest Russian news channel. The first chapter of this thesis is a literature review of (media) framing research. Framing research is a popular and multifaceted topic in the field of (political) communication. A preliminary concept of framing could refer to how media uses selection and salience to influence human consciousness and shape public opinion (Entman, 1993, 2004). The second chapter elaborates on the contemporary mass media environment in Russia and specifically focusses on framing in Russian mass media. The last chapter discusses the results of this thesis’ empirical research based on the concept of media framing and against the background of earlier research about how mass media is employed in Russia. The primary research discusses Russian news broadcasting reports that cover topics on, or related to, the pension reform in Russia from 14 June 2018 until 14 January 2019.Show less
The potential of female love to transform and redeem immoral male behaviour is a theme that can be seen in three novels: Charlotte Brontë’s Jane Eyre (1847), Emily Brontë’s Wuthering Heights (1847)...Show moreThe potential of female love to transform and redeem immoral male behaviour is a theme that can be seen in three novels: Charlotte Brontë’s Jane Eyre (1847), Emily Brontë’s Wuthering Heights (1847), and Anne Brontë’s The Tenant of Wildfell Hall (1848). This thesis will examine to what extent these novels perpetuate the romanticised ideal of women as the moral and spiritual saviours of men. Through their portrayal of abusive, oppressive or otherwise problematic relationships, the Brontës explore how much influence a woman truly holds over a man’s behaviour. In doing so they navigate different perspectives on whether this ideal makes women submissive or empowered. Rather than subverting the idea of female moral authority, I argue that Jane Eyre and The Tenant of Wildfell Hall reshape the idea to include the possibility for female agency and independence instead of self-sacrifice, whereas Wuthering Heights rejects the concept of moral authority as gendered.Show less
There are a number of Cushitic languages that have a gender system that includes a gender known as ‘plural gender’. The existence of ‘plural’ gender is a peculiar feature in these languages and for...Show moreThere are a number of Cushitic languages that have a gender system that includes a gender known as ‘plural gender’. The existence of ‘plural’ gender is a peculiar feature in these languages and for that reason this thesis aims to find out how this gender developed. This thesis analyzes three languages in each of two branches of East-Cushitic languages. For each of the two branches this thesis examines at least one language with plural gender and one without.Show less
Saudi Arabia’s actions in Yemen have been largely neglected in the growing body of International Relations literature concerning regionalisation and power classification. Using an adaptation of...Show moreSaudi Arabia’s actions in Yemen have been largely neglected in the growing body of International Relations literature concerning regionalisation and power classification. Using an adaptation of Daniel Flemes’ conceptualisation of regional power, this thesis analyses Saudi leadership in the first four and a half years of the Yemen Civil War (March 2015 – August 2019). The case study was performed using an overarching causal-process tracing approach. Three variables that are fundamental for Saudi regional leadership in Yemen have been distinguished; claim to leadership, material methods of self-assertion and acceptance of leadership. As these variables are different in nature, they have been analysed using different methodologies. The findings of these analyses suggest that it is easy to ascribe a regional leading role to Saudi Arabia, as its claim to leadership and growing regional assertiveness are evident, but that real leadership over countries in the region is missing. Ultimately, this thesis illustrates that case study research is essential in the process of classifying a country as ‘regional power’.Show less
This thesis is about the study of the impact of responses from (civil) society, the economic market and the national political sphere on the success of cross-border joint ventures in China. Through...Show moreThis thesis is about the study of the impact of responses from (civil) society, the economic market and the national political sphere on the success of cross-border joint ventures in China. Through this study, it will be established that responses from the aforementioned sectors do indeed impact the realization of cross-border joint ventures in China. The origin and role of these responses in facilitating international corporate interaction will also be assessed. Because of the lack of research on cross-border Mergers & Acquisitions (M&A) in China, literature has been selected from a variety of perspectives and disciplines. The societal responses have been grouped in three different foci through which the research has been done: (1) external risks inherent to joint ventures and M&A in general, that in the context of the Chinese market are extra compromising; (2) the controlling practices and narrative of the economic nationalist agenda of the Chinese government; (3) (media) discourses and practices that code the consumption of foreign products and/or services through the lens of consumer nationalism. Leading from these foci and the establishment of the existence of an impact, the research question has been tackled from different angles through e.g. case studies, sub-questions and a counterargument. The intended purpose of this enquiry is to contribute to an underdeveloped research field and also aid practitioners’ understanding of Chinese M&A so they can better anticipate and design their cross-border joint ventures in China.Show less
This thesis explores the insights that the contemporary practice of neuro art can add to knowledge that is held over the construction of consciousness. This is done through considerations of the...Show moreThis thesis explores the insights that the contemporary practice of neuro art can add to knowledge that is held over the construction of consciousness. This is done through considerations of the work of Annie Cattrell and Helen Chadwick. In order to identify the added value of art, first an analysis is made of the current neuroscientific stance and its influence in society. Secondly, the thesis minutely demarcates the limits of the neuroscientific method. Here it is laid bare why its objective nature is inherently inadequate for a full understanding of consciousness, that is subjective per definition. The third chapter offers a concise introduction to neuro art. In the subsequent two chapters, the confrontation with the two artworks takes place. Through a reflection on how the artists employ their artistic means to conduct their research on the subject, insights on the construction of consciousness are deduced. The thesis is ended with a reflection on the position of art regarding science is present-day society. Art that engages itself with science enriches the ideas about the construction of consciousness.Show less
The temple of Empel was interpreted as a religious cult place were Hercules Magusanus was devoted by the Batavian elite. However, Roman religion was very complex in Germania Inferior where religion...Show moreThe temple of Empel was interpreted as a religious cult place were Hercules Magusanus was devoted by the Batavian elite. However, Roman religion was very complex in Germania Inferior where religion was entangled in multiple part of society. This results in a diversity of deities, rituals, and audience group. The temple of Empel does not fit in the general idea of Roman religion and there is no explanation why the archaeological site in Empel an abnormality in the general idea of Roman religion is. This thesis wants to give an explanation how a local site functioned in the general idea of Roman religion in order to better understand how Roman religion worked. When looking at the religion’s practises in Germania Inferior, no spatial pattern of religion can be seen. This is in line with the general idea of how Roman religion worked. The regional level on the civitas Batavorum is also in line with this general idea of Roman religion: no spatial pattern is detectable. The temple complexes worked in this Batavian civitas in the same way of how Roman religion worked, because multiple deities were found, temple complexes work in a broader perspective than only religion, and there is evidence for interpretatio Romana. The temple of Empel is not different from this general idea. In this temple complex, not only Hercules Magusanus is devoted, but probably also Luna, Mother-Goddess, and Fortuna. Moreover, not only the military Batavian elite devoted here, but also women and ordinary men according to the jewellery. This means that the temple of Empel fits in the general idea of how Roman religion worked and this thesis proves why.Show less
