Prior to the nineteenth century, disability studies generated a diverse body of work, usually evoking potentially naive or blanketing generalizations about the positions of disabled people...Show morePrior to the nineteenth century, disability studies generated a diverse body of work, usually evoking potentially naive or blanketing generalizations about the positions of disabled people throughout history. To counter the prevailing narrative of disability as an individual medical illness or weakness, this thesis uses an approach that recognizes the diverse and complex character of disability as ingrained in culture and power relations. The skeletal collection of Middenbeemster (The Netherlands) was examined by using Tilley's (2021) 'The Bioarchaeology of Care Methodology’. Different skeletal indicators of disablement were examined to infer evidence of care. As a result, using this approach for three individuals, this thesis has qualitatively determined what this care likely involved in detail. The Index of Care has contributed to the development of plausible and possible narratives of their experiences. It revealed valuable information about identities, caregiver-recipient dynamics, and the Middenbeemster community within their context. The three individuals coped with a visible disability, and the community would know they coped with a disability just by looking at them. Nevertheless, each of them was buried like any other individual of the Middenbeemster community, without evidence of selection or segregation. During this post-medieval period, these disabled adults were cared for in the privacy of the home by close relatives. They were assigned a social identity with (untraditional) positions and modified or decreased tasks as required to accommodate them. With reduced self-sufficiency and mobility, their survival indicates the community's tolerance and understanding of disability to a certain extent and active care provision within small family groups. Carrying such demands required considerable commitment, organization, and flexibility. The fact that the disabled survived for years is evidence of the value of strong family ties, which were perhaps motivated by their faith, with prevailing ideals of almsgiving. Not every physically challenged person in Middenbeemster required special care; some, like Sara/0945, were clearly able to have quite normal lives and potentially contribute to the family's finances. In this respect, the research contributes to a deeper knowledge of past viewpoints, attitudes, and practices within the Dutch and Middenbeemster communities about health and disease.Show less
Introductie: Mensen met kanker kunnen gedurende hun ziekbed in een stadium komen waarin ze niet meer te behandelen zijn. Door de zorgverlener wordt aan de patiënt en zijn of haar naasten...Show moreIntroductie: Mensen met kanker kunnen gedurende hun ziekbed in een stadium komen waarin ze niet meer te behandelen zijn. Door de zorgverlener wordt aan de patiënt en zijn of haar naasten informatiegegeven over de prognose van de patiënt. Tot op heden is er weinig onderzoek gedaan naar de manier waarop naasten informatie willen ontvangen over de prognose van de patiënt. Het doel van het onderzoek is om te kijken of de leeftijd van de naasten een invloed heeft op de hoeveelheid informatie die wenselijk is. Eerder onderzoek heeft aangetoond dat jongere patiënten meer informatie willen over de prognose dan oudere patiënten. De verwachting is dat jongere naasten meer informatie willen ontvangen over de prognose dan oudere naasten. Methode: Respondenten werden benaderd via sociale media en patiënt organisaties. Met behulp van vragenlijsten werden naasten van patiënten met een ongeneeslijke vorm van kanker onderzocht. De statistische analyse werd uitgevoerd met behulp van SPSS. Resultaten: éénenveertig respondenten werden geïncludeerd in het onderzoek. Uit het onderzoek bleek dat er geen significant verschil zat tussen de twee leeftijdsgroepen en de hoeveelheid informatie over de prognose die wenselijk was. Conclusie: meer onderzoek naar de naasten over de hoeveelheid informatie over de prognose die wenselijk is bij ongeneeslijk zieken patiënten kan een meer personaliseerde aanpak geven, ten gunste van de naasten.Show less
Recent research by Sharon et al. (2020) indicated an activating effect of transcutaneous auricular vagus nerve stimulation (taVNS) on the locus coreleus noradrenergic (LC-NA) system. Given the...Show moreRecent research by Sharon et al. (2020) indicated an activating effect of transcutaneous auricular vagus nerve stimulation (taVNS) on the locus coreleus noradrenergic (LC-NA) system. Given the mixed findings of previous research, we replicated this study to validate and extend their results. Twenty-one subjects participated in a repeated measures design using the same no-task paradigm as Sharon et al. (2020). Additionally, we extended the analysis to explore indicators of LC-NA activity in the EEG time domain. We compared EEG activity between sham (earlobe) and stimulation (cymba conchae) conditions. Our analysis found significantly less alpha activity during taVNS compared to sham stimulation. This confirms the finding of Sharon et al. (2020) - taVNS attenuates alpha oscillations. However, we found no differences in ERPs between conditions. This was likely due to methodological limitations that make the design inappropriate for ERP research. Our results support an effect of taVNS on phasic LC-NA activity, but the effect on tonic LC-NA remains unknown. This is discussed from the perspective of using taVNS as an intervention for disorders such as ADHD. Based on our exploratory analysis and literature findings, recommendations are made for future research.Show less
For decades, scholars studying the cultural influence of Egyptian colonialism on Nubian populations have relied on the concept of Egyptianisation. This approach created an oversimplified...Show moreFor decades, scholars studying the cultural influence of Egyptian colonialism on Nubian populations have relied on the concept of Egyptianisation. This approach created an oversimplified representation of cultural exchange in this context, portraying subjugated Nubian populations as passive receptors of Egyptian cultural elements. By considering indigenous agency, identity and local cultural practice, this research reevaluates this narrative, aiming to assess the impact of Egyptian colonialism on Nubian populations through an integral aspect of cultural expression, namely, food. Using an osteoarchaeological approach, Ancient Nile Valley diets were reconstructed by combining the analysis of caries, tooth wear and carbon and nitrogen isotope data, and were subsequently compared in an effort to identify patterns linked to colonising events. Including individuals from various spatial and temporal contexts, this diachronic study incorporated a skeletal sample consisting of Egyptian (Memphis and Qurneh), pre-colonial Nubian (Abu Fatima, Kerma) and colonial Nubian (Tombos, C-Group, Pharaonic and Shellal) individuals, amounting to a sample size of 845 individuals for dental analysis and 88 individuals for (collagen) isotope research. The results of this study reveal a complex image of dietary influence in Nubian colonial contexts, one whose intricacy refutes traditional expectations of inevitable acculturation in times of colonial occupation. Here, some individuals and groups seem to have chosen to adopt Egyptian dietary habits, showing a considerable degree of dietary acculturation (e.g. Pharaonic and Shellal), while other groups appear to have partly or completely maintained local dietary customs despite colonial interference (e.g. Tombos, C-Group). Furthermore, aside from individual and group choice, the adoption of Egyptian dietary habits by subjugated Nubian populations seems to have been influenced by factors such as location, timing and Egyptian imperial policy. This study stresses the complexity and variability of these colonial contexts, contributing to our knowledge of Nubian experiences of Egyptian colonisation. Moreover, it illustrates the potential of assessing the impact of colonialism on ancient populations through the study of food, a both continuous and culturally significant source of information.Show less
This study argues that Russia’s cyber operations against Ukraine can be explained by a continuation of an old set Soviet legacy theories: deep operation theory, reflexive control theory and...Show moreThis study argues that Russia’s cyber operations against Ukraine can be explained by a continuation of an old set Soviet legacy theories: deep operation theory, reflexive control theory and political warfare. By using these theories Russia aims to create an advantage in the long-term competition and to alter the Western perception of its strategic intentions. Many scholars have argued Russia’s strategies are new forms of hybrid warfare, cyber warfare or informational warfare, while their actual strategic framework might just be a continuation of old theories. This study aims to answer the research question: “To what extent are Russia’s cyber operations against Ukraine guided by a coherent cyber strategy?” by analysing Russia’s cyber operations against Ukraine and attempts to start a debate on the gap in the current literature on a coherent Russian cyber strategy.Show less
This paper provides new insight in the influence of the audience size and audience attitudes on the eye gaze frequency toward the audience via a screen display to develop a training program for non...Show moreThis paper provides new insight in the influence of the audience size and audience attitudes on the eye gaze frequency toward the audience via a screen display to develop a training program for non-diagnosed public speaking anxiety. Previous studies mostly used virtual reality head-mounted displays and focused on a clinical sample, where this paper focuses on a non-clinical sample. Forty-four adults that participated met the requirement of speaking English as a second language. They filled in a Personal Report of Public Speaking Anxiety (PRPSA) questionnaire and gave a public speech about movies. The speech was given in front of a small audience of two people or a big audience of six people where they received encouraging or critical feedback depending on the condition they got randomly assigned to. During the speech, the eye gaze of the participant was measured to find out if they made more or less eye contact in the different conditions. The results indicated that participants had more frequent eye gaze toward the audience in the big audience condition compared to the small audience condition, independent of the audience’s appearance and the participant’s PRPSA scores. The eye gaze frequency toward the audience plus looking at the background of the screen (nowhere) resulted in the total screen time (100%). The results of this paper lead to the conclusion that a non-clinical form of virtual exposure training could be helpful to decrease fear of public speaking in the general population when audience size is controlled.Show less
The prevalent theory of burden-sharing in NATO today did not accurately predict contributions in ISAF. Through an analysis of parliamentary debates in the United Kingdom and Germany, this paper...Show moreThe prevalent theory of burden-sharing in NATO today did not accurately predict contributions in ISAF. Through an analysis of parliamentary debates in the United Kingdom and Germany, this paper argues that domestic factors are important predictors in contributions to alliances. Domestic and international concerns interact in a two-level dynamic, where a valuation of alliance membership and support by domestic elites play a central role.Show less
Based on NGO websites, media coverage and different governmental institutions, this paper investigates the recent recurrence of the term Migun wianbu to describe U.S. camp-town prostitutes. The...Show moreBased on NGO websites, media coverage and different governmental institutions, this paper investigates the recent recurrence of the term Migun wianbu to describe U.S. camp-town prostitutes. The term wianbu holds connections to the highly politicised comfort women (wianbu) issue. I argue in this paper that based on similarities of the two cases, it is fair to describe camp town prostitutes as comfort women. In the research I conclude that NGOs have started using the term in recent years to gain awareness for the cause, as to get justice for the lawsuit levelled against the government regarding the government’s involvement in the issue. Conservative media outlets are seen as hesitant to then also use the term wianbu, opting rather for the more neutral kijich’on yŏsŏng (camp town women), whereas more progressive media use Migun wianbu with some regularity.Show less
Bachelor thesis | Cultural Anthropology and Development Sociology (BSc)
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China is growing as an international competitor with its gaze directed toward Africa. Chinese state-owned Multinational Corporations (MNCs) gradually gaining a foothold in African countries raise...Show moreChina is growing as an international competitor with its gaze directed toward Africa. Chinese state-owned Multinational Corporations (MNCs) gradually gaining a foothold in African countries raise worries for other investors like the West. The impacts of Chinese MNCs on the international capitalist market are researched in debt but I will connect this to the study of power relations. Not only will this give insights into the local employees as active subjects that are engaged in various relationships of power, but it will also highlight how macro and micro-level actors mutually influence each other. Eventually, I will argue that these power relations are unequal and used by actors to preserve relations of power. Central to this thesis is a discussion of power as a dynamic and socially constructed relationship that can be used to preserve structures of power. This approach toward power follows Foucault in his understanding and goes against the idea of power as a possession. Power relations become visible in Chinese Multinational Corporations (MNCs) expanding overseas to Africa which has implications for actors at both the micro and the macro-level. Power relations visualize that all actors are involved in processes of legitimizing themselves and through this process produce and reproduce power relations.Show less