Master thesis | Cultural Anthropology and Development Sociology (MSc)
open access
In 2014, ISIS committed genocide against the Yazidi population of north-eastern Iraq. This caused hundreds of thousands of Yazidis to be displaced from their homes and communities. Many of them...Show moreIn 2014, ISIS committed genocide against the Yazidi population of north-eastern Iraq. This caused hundreds of thousands of Yazidis to be displaced from their homes and communities. Many of them fled to the Kurdistan Region of Iraq, and others journeyed to countries such as the Netherlands in search of security and stability. Through the use of participant observation in both locations and unstructured life-history interviews with women and their families, this research sought to understand practices and meanings surrounding Yazidi motherhood across time and in different spaces.Show less
Master thesis | Cultural Anthropology and Development Sociology (MSc)
open access
Rotterdam has one of the largest amount of migrants living in its city in relation to other cities in the Netherlands (IDEM Rotterdam 2019: 1). Most European countries, including the Netherlands,...Show moreRotterdam has one of the largest amount of migrants living in its city in relation to other cities in the Netherlands (IDEM Rotterdam 2019: 1). Most European countries, including the Netherlands, look at integration as a two-way process between migrants and the host society while also assuming assimilation to social cohesion (Anthias et al. 2013: 3). A big part of social integration is establishing social relationships through bonding and bridging (Wessendorf & Phillimore 2019: 126). But migration studies often take social networks for granted while researching migrants’ lives. Therefore, there is a need to research the influence of migrants’ social networks on social integration from a sociological point of view (Ryan 2011: 720). Studies on integration often focus on younger migrants. While first-generation older migrants are one of the most disadvantaged groups because of their migration background, age, and otherness (Warnes et al. 2004: 307). Therefore, this research investigates the influence of first-generation middle-age to older migrants’ social networks on their social integration process in Rotterdam. The research draws on three months of ethnographic fieldwork in the social lives of eight migrants living in different neighbourhoods throughout Rotterdam. The aim is to find out what the experiences of these migrants are regarding their migration trajectory, family and non-family social networks, and sense of belonging in a transnational context, considering their social integration process. In this thesis, I argue what the influences of the social networks are and that all experiences are situational by giving examples of multiple experiences per subject. In the conclusion, I connected the different aspects of the social networks’ influences to argue that all these aspects influence each other and therefore the experiences the migrants have.Show less
Master thesis | Cultural Anthropology and Development Sociology (MSc)
open access
This study aims to shed light on the artist community Treehouse in Amsterdam as a space for artistic practice. By applying the concepts: place and space, community, artistic practice and artistic...Show moreThis study aims to shed light on the artist community Treehouse in Amsterdam as a space for artistic practice. By applying the concepts: place and space, community, artistic practice and artistic process, this study focuses on place and space as conditions in which artistic process can emerge. My goal is to explore the diversity of these artistic practices and spaces in which it is practiced. In terms of discussing the experiences of place and space, I would like to explore the perspectives of policy makers and the lived experiences of the artists within the place and space. This study aims to offer a more focused navigation of artistic processes; and explores what (pre)conditions are needed for the artists to engage in their artistic process. It aims to shift the approach from exploring art as established institution, to art as “practice”. Therefore, my aim in this article is to explore artistic practice and the role of place and space, and the artistcommunity in it (both physical and social). I used qualitative research methods and observational filmmaking as a research tool to generate empirical data. The results of this research are presented in a textual output (this article), and an audio-visual output (the film: Space for Artistic Practice, 2021), with both being part of the same overarching research. Two of my participants allowed me to study them more intensively on their artistic process. This provided insight in the small-scale aspects of their social reality, such as interaction, the forms of communication through art and their artistic processes. I introduce the concept of “creative sphere” as a mental space, which artists can experience when the workspace meets certain desired preconditions, and artistic process can happen. This approach discusses how the division and ordering principles of the space is part of an artistic interpretation and discusses different conditions in which art is made. Place and Space for artistic practice and artistic process has a political side, but it also has a personal side. Therefore, this article is divided in two parts. In the first part, I explore artistic practice in relation to place and space in a macro perspective (political and community), and in the second part, I will discuss the role of space in artistic process (personal and in a more philosophical perspective).Show less
Master thesis | Cultural Anthropology and Development Sociology (MSc)
closed access
Cars have been for years dominating our lives and landscapes and are deeply shaped by our culture. By focusing on a particular car, a 2CV, and its reconstruction, observing and analyzing its social...Show moreCars have been for years dominating our lives and landscapes and are deeply shaped by our culture. By focusing on a particular car, a 2CV, and its reconstruction, observing and analyzing its social life, as a commodity as well as an object linked to a particular history since it was the former car of anthropologist-filmmaker Jean Rouch, these study and concomitant film contribute to reveal specific aspects of the relationship between man and car, mainly through the concept of bricolage, that Rouch was also familiar with in his filmmaking. The opposition between bricoleur and ingénieur is revisited, through a detailed film-based ethnography with the diverse participants and situations encountered during a three-month fieldwork, in a follow-the-thing type case. Cars are also envisioned as religious objects that have their cathedrals, worshippers and sorcerers. They are machines but they have their part of humanity, that interacts with us. The perspective is enriched by a physical and practical approach to fieldwork shared with participants, and as an actual making together in a practice-led research during the reconstruction of the car. Inspired as well by Jean Rouch’s approach, filmmaking is thus considered a way of acquiring knowledge as well as facilitating a relational fieldwork.Show less
Master thesis | Cultural Anthropology and Development Sociology (MSc)
closed access
The global ideas and outlooks on immigration policies become more and more contentious. This has resulted in immigration approach that oscillates between ‘legality’ and ‘illegality’ based on...Show moreThe global ideas and outlooks on immigration policies become more and more contentious. This has resulted in immigration approach that oscillates between ‘legality’ and ‘illegality’ based on administrative structures like the possession of papers or otherwise. Hence, to survive, those who are considered ‘illegal’ function within informal spaces, that is out of the state’s reach. The role of humanitarian projects and processes like undocumented centers have taken a bigger role as they can operate within the informal spaces. My paper investigates the role of Rotterdam Undocumented Center as a part of the growing humanitarian approach to ‘illegal’ migrants. This investigation is done through analyzing policies the organization enacts and turns to practice in an attempt to navigate this informal space. Analysis of ethnographic data has shown that the approaches shift and differ based on conditions, and circumstances which have been outlined within the essay.Show less
