This thesis consists of a research on the information networks within the VOC. Within the paper an analysis is made on how violent events affecting the VOC are portrayed within their sources. Did...Show moreThis thesis consists of a research on the information networks within the VOC. Within the paper an analysis is made on how violent events affecting the VOC are portrayed within their sources. Did the contents of these sources and discription about the event change as the information passed higher in the hierarchy of the VOC? How was the use of violence justified? And which role do archival genres play in describing the violence? These questions are answered by means of two case studies. First about the massacre of the Chinese in Batavia in 1740. Second about the uprising on Ceylon in 1760 by Kandy.Show less
The current research project has employed qualitative methods to conduct a language attitude study that gauges the inter-generational perspectives of South Africans about the variety of English...Show moreThe current research project has employed qualitative methods to conduct a language attitude study that gauges the inter-generational perspectives of South Africans about the variety of English spoken in the country and its accents. The objective of this research project is to evaluate how South Africans feel about English, 26 years since the inception of democracy in the country, its role in education, governance and business, and the value they assign to language status. Ten South Africans between the ages of 17 and 65 from the main ethnicities in the country (Black, White, Coloured, Indian, Muslim) have been interviewed according to a semi-structured Interview Protocol. The attitudes of the younger speakers were compared to those that were born in previous generations, before democracy. The phonological properties of the participants’ speech were recorded within the BATH, KIT and GOOSE vowel spaces which have been identified as important social markers in South Africa and the South African English (SAE) sound. The participants pronunciations across the ethnic and social class spectrum were evaluated. The interviews and phonological recordings were conducted according to an elicited communications methodology (computer-mediated) using WhatsApp, Skype and Facebook. The participant attitudes were coded into six categories, i.e. positive, negative, perceptiveness, awareness, overcompensation, political correctness. Their vowel recordings were analysed according to its place of articulation and the presence of fronting. The participants displayed an innate positive attitude toward SAE and its role in stimulating future progress in the country.Show less
Le Roman de la Rose de Guillaume de Lorris et de Jean de Meung est une oeuvre très connue du Moyen-Age français. Pourtant, elle a aussi été déclencheur d'une grande discussion littéraire sur la...Show moreLe Roman de la Rose de Guillaume de Lorris et de Jean de Meung est une oeuvre très connue du Moyen-Age français. Pourtant, elle a aussi été déclencheur d'une grande discussion littéraire sur la valeur morale de l'ouvrage. Dans ce mémoire, nous chercherons à trouver les signes de la 'male gaze' dans la partie Jean de Meung du Roman de la Rose, au sein des descriptions féminines qui apparaissent dans l'histoire sous une forme particulière : la descriptio puellae.Show less
With the upcoming World Expo of 2025, the attention will be focused on Osaka once again. The first time Osaka held the World Expo was in 1970 and attracted a staggering number of visitors. Though...Show moreWith the upcoming World Expo of 2025, the attention will be focused on Osaka once again. The first time Osaka held the World Expo was in 1970 and attracted a staggering number of visitors. Though mega-events like the World Exposition are generally used as a tool for the host city to gain international exposure and boost the economy, whether the Expo of 1970 had the desired effect on the regional development of Osaka, has not yet been extensively studied. Therefore, this thesis will research and discuss to what extent the Osaka Expo of 1970 influenced Osaka’s economic and urban development. The research will be divided into four subsections (construction, tourism, economic restructuring and global status) and will primarily focus on relevant data provided by the Prefectural Government of Osaka.Show less
Nineteenth-century London expanded tremendously due to British imperialism. The Britons were acquinted with new cultures and religions. Besides the benefits of the forming of London as metropolis,...Show moreNineteenth-century London expanded tremendously due to British imperialism. The Britons were acquinted with new cultures and religions. Besides the benefits of the forming of London as metropolis, the citizens experienced new anxieties. Urbanisation from immigrants led to xenophobia. The use of alcohol and opium rose and the city became even more divided wealth wise. Stevenson, Wilde and Stoker explore these Victorian anxiety.Show less
This thesis analyses the production and trade of palm oil and rubber from the plantations of East Sumatra in the late colonial period. The aim of this thesis is twofold. Firstly, it shows that the...Show moreThis thesis analyses the production and trade of palm oil and rubber from the plantations of East Sumatra in the late colonial period. The aim of this thesis is twofold. Firstly, it shows that the production of palm oil and rubber in East Sumatra was strongly integrated into the world market and that its evolution was dictated by the Western economies and industries. Secondly, this thesis reconstructs the value distribution and creation within the value chain and shows that the majority of the value creation of soap (a palm oil product) lay in Indonesia, whereas the majority of the value creation of a rubber tyre lay in the West.Show less
This paper focuses on whether the general communication strategy of a European national government battling a national crisis can be predicted using the situational crisis communication theory. By...Show moreThis paper focuses on whether the general communication strategy of a European national government battling a national crisis can be predicted using the situational crisis communication theory. By focusing on two European countries, the Netherlands and France, this research aims to find out if and how it is possible to predict the chosen communication strategy of a government organization, by using the four factors and their characteristics of the 1995 Coombs theory. His framework of the situational crisis communication theory is currently only proven to apply to indicating which communication strategy an organization should use in a certain situation. Since a national government battling a national crisis has to address its communication to all public stakeholders in general, it’s strategy has to be broad in nature as well. This indication of a government organization using a very broad strategy aimed at an entire population and based on the attributes of a crisis also indicates that the same Coombs framework could also be used to predict which strategy is actually used by a national government battling a national crisis. Note that this is only the case when it comes to general crises and a national government, not specific organizations. The expectation then is that the factors Crisis type, veracity of evidence, damage and performance history can then be used to predict which strategy is chosen by a national government battling a national crisis. When an interpretation of the same factors is used to research which strategy was actually chosen by the Dutch and French national government, a different strategy appeared. Since the strategy that was concluded by the framework of Coombs does not match the strategy that was actually used by the national governments, the expectation is wrong. Whether the crisis communication strategy of a European national government can be predicted at all using the situational crisis communication theory cannot be stated, since different frameworks of this theory could be used to make such a prediction. This research then concluded that the Coombs’ 1995 framework cannot be used for such a prediction, even though a comparison with other theories showed it was the most promising.Show less
