Master thesis | Theology and Religious Studies (Master)
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The first part of this thesis attempts to demonstrate the historical traces of the belief in reincarnation among Jews, Christian and Muslims. The second part is dedicated to a hermeneutical...Show moreThe first part of this thesis attempts to demonstrate the historical traces of the belief in reincarnation among Jews, Christian and Muslims. The second part is dedicated to a hermeneutical analysis of the Bible and the Quran regarding the indications to reincarnation in general, and reincarnation of the Messiah in particular.Show less
In this thesis I critically review Corey Brettschneider's value theory of democracy as a potential solution to the tension between democratic procedures and liberal rights and, thereby, also as an...Show moreIn this thesis I critically review Corey Brettschneider's value theory of democracy as a potential solution to the tension between democratic procedures and liberal rights and, thereby, also as an instrument to criticize illiberal democracies. I first discuss procedural and substantive interpretations of democracy, followed by an analysis and critique of Brettschneider’s democratic theory. I argue that Brettschneider does not succeed in grounding liberal rights in the core values of democracy and, thus, that Brettschneider fails in his attempt to reconcile procedural and substantive dimensions of democracy. I conclude that the only plausible ground for substantive rights in democracy is based in a procedural reading of democracy, which, to a certain extent, can function as an argument against illiberal democracies.Show less
This thesis seeks to explore the relation between psychological coping mechanisms and moral responsibility. It argues that there are three essential conditions guiding this relation: in order to be...Show moreThis thesis seeks to explore the relation between psychological coping mechanisms and moral responsibility. It argues that there are three essential conditions guiding this relation: in order to be morally responsible individuals must (1) be aware of a moral demand, (2) be aware of the morally relevant state of affairs, and (3) must to some degree have the physical and motivational ability to act upon this awareness. In specific, the view that motivational ability is an important factor in thinking about moral responsibility is defended in this thesis. Only by taking motivational ability into account, can we think about morality in a way that is both sufficiently realistic, while also satisfactorily idealistic.Show less
Parafermionic zero-modes are zero-energy excitations with peculiar mutual statistics, which can be realized at the edge of the Fractional Quantum Hall Effect sample. We came up with several...Show moreParafermionic zero-modes are zero-energy excitations with peculiar mutual statistics, which can be realized at the edge of the Fractional Quantum Hall Effect sample. We came up with several protocols for adiabatic quantum pumping with parafermions, which allow to test the statistics of Fractional Quantum Hall quasiparticles and observe universal noise in the pumping current. That is, the noise takes a specific value which is essentially given by universal constants, and is robust with respect to changes in many system parameters.Show less
This thesis focuses on the representation of masculinity in the Sherlock Holmes character, both in the original stories written by Arthur Conan Doyle in the late 19th and early 20th centuries as...Show moreThis thesis focuses on the representation of masculinity in the Sherlock Holmes character, both in the original stories written by Arthur Conan Doyle in the late 19th and early 20th centuries as well as in the modern BBC interpretation which first aired in 2010. It employs a Foucauldian notion of gender, which sees masculinity as a socially constructed concept and as such perceptible to change. The Sherlock Holmes stories were written over a forty-year time period. Two major historical events from this period could be said to have influenced the definition of masculinity, namely the Oscar Wilde trials and the First World War. Furthermore, Joseph Kestner has argued that Conan Doyle’s Holmes stories aimed to promote an ideal form of masculinity, which led us to consider the representation of Victorian masculinity in the Holmes character. Moreover, this thesis analyses the adaptation of Victorian Holmes in BBC’s Sherlock. Having defined Victorian and twenty-first-century masculinity, we will see that Conan Doyle’s Holmes aligns with numerous Victorian traits that were seen as masculine, and is portrayed as the ideal man. He is heroic, strong, brave, moral, rational and creative. Similarly, BBC Holmes aligns with masculine ideals of the twenty-first century but does not seem to personify the ideal man. He is strong, rational and creative, but his heroism is ambiguous, as well as his morality.Show less
Master thesis | Classics and Ancient Civilizations (MA)
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During and shortly after WOII three modern adaptations of Euripides' Alcestis appeared: Le Mystère d'Alceste by Marguerite Yourcenar (1942), Alcesti di Samuele by Alberto Savinio (1949), and The...Show moreDuring and shortly after WOII three modern adaptations of Euripides' Alcestis appeared: Le Mystère d'Alceste by Marguerite Yourcenar (1942), Alcesti di Samuele by Alberto Savinio (1949), and The Cocktail Party by T.S. Eliot. Alcestis' motivation to sacrifice herself and her reaction on returning to her husband turned out to be blank spots in Euripides' tragedy. The three modern writers gave their main characters three drastically different reasons and reactions. This could partly be explained by their relation to the Second World War.Show less
In 2009 the European Union introduced the Lisbon Treaty. One of the changes this brought about was the introduction of a permanent president of the European Council. With this transformation the...Show moreIn 2009 the European Union introduced the Lisbon Treaty. One of the changes this brought about was the introduction of a permanent president of the European Council. With this transformation the former EU presidency no longer exists and this thesis investigates the implications of this change. This is done by specifically looking at the national interests discussed in the European Council. Before the Lisbon Treaty Member States were able to influence the European Council by pushing their national interests, but based on the new institutional settings of the permanent presidency, this seemed after Lisbon more unlikely. An analysis of nine rotating presidencies of the Council of the European Union after Lisbon has been made and compared to the respective European Council conclusions of that period. The results show that in fact national interests have been discussed in the European Council. Nevertheless, only a third of all national interests has been discussed. On the other hand, the analyses also reveal that on average the discussed national interests in the European Council have significant similarity with the national interests of the Member States. Furthermore, the analysis brought also forward that certain national interests that seem not significant for the European Council have been discussed in the European Council, which could indicate that Member States can still push their national interests. In conclusion, national interests were discussed only to a low extent in the European Council, answering the research question of this thesis: to what extent are national interests of Member States presiding over the Council of the European Union discussed during European Council meetings?Show less
This thesis aims to address how we should seek to tackle violations of women’s rights in non-ideal societies. I argue that methodologically, the top down, or state led approach to bringing about...Show moreThis thesis aims to address how we should seek to tackle violations of women’s rights in non-ideal societies. I argue that methodologically, the top down, or state led approach to bringing about gender justice should be supplemented by bottom up, agent led initiatives. Women frequently find their rights violated and their capabilities stifled and this inequality is an indicator of a non-ideal society. We should look to our non-ideal society to decide how best to overcome gender inequalities rather than only to an ideal society. Further to this, state led approaches to achieving justice have typically been favoured over agent led ones. In many aspects state led approaches are helpful, for instance in enforcing rules to protect women, however they should be used in tandem with bottom up initiatives. Bottom up initiatives have an important role to play in encouraging a shift in societal ethos: they can empower women and help put them in a better cultural position.Show less
Gold nanorods (GNRs) have unique optical properties. GNRs can be excited in the near-infrared range and their photoluminescence is bright and stable. Because of this, GNRs have a large range of...Show moreGold nanorods (GNRs) have unique optical properties. GNRs can be excited in the near-infrared range and their photoluminescence is bright and stable. Because of this, GNRs have a large range of possible applications, including use as labels or as biosensors. For these kinds of applications, it is important to be able to determine a GNR’s properties with high accuracy. Here we characterize single gold nanorods by five properties: their 3D position, plasmon resonance and orientation. The position of GNRs is determined with a sub-nanometer error in x, y and a 3 nm error in z. The surface plasmon resonance wavelength and the orientation of GNRs are determined with errors of <0.1 nm and 0.1 deg respectively. This is achieved by applying a four-dimensional fit to a stack of two-photon photoluminescence images. The methods presented in this thesis can be used to improve accuracy in the aforementioned applications of GNRs.Show less
This thesis is analysing the main linguistic and visual characteristics of refugees and migrants represented in a selected number of printed media from France and Greece in the context of the...Show moreThis thesis is analysing the main linguistic and visual characteristics of refugees and migrants represented in a selected number of printed media from France and Greece in the context of the ongoing refugee crisis in Europe which started in 2015. Based on the postulates of Multimodal Critical Discourse analysis and van Leeuwen’s (2008) model of visual and verbal representation of social actors, news items will be deconstructed in order to demonstrate to what extent their discourse on migration is constructed in a negative way around the theme of otherness. Finally similarities and differences between the selected news outlets and the countries will be discussedShow less
Contemporary development studies needs a 'processual shift' from development to developing in order to transcend the static problematisation of African underdevelopment. The Washington Consensus...Show moreContemporary development studies needs a 'processual shift' from development to developing in order to transcend the static problematisation of African underdevelopment. The Washington Consensus and the Beijing Consensus still approach African underdevelopment according to a teleological view that is rooted in the belief that economic growth is necessary for achieving prosperity. By applying complexity science to the economy, this research fills the lack within International Relations (IR) of critically revising African development in contemporary, changing contexts. A model of economic evolution is employed to conduct a transformative analysis of Kenya's developing within the twenty-first century New Silk Road (NSR). Utilising the process tracing method to examine combined data sets, the researcher explores manifestations of the interdependence between evolutionary technological, institutional, and strategic forces. The analysis provides an innovative account of how and why economic evolution has emerged in Kenya. Future research should refine the model, but not define it: evolution is an endless process from which the economy as a complex adaptive system emerges.Show less
This thesis explores twelfth to fourteenth century attitudes toward continuity and change in medieval stories about the Wild Man. Can these stories, dealing with the human-animal border, be seen as...Show moreThis thesis explores twelfth to fourteenth century attitudes toward continuity and change in medieval stories about the Wild Man. Can these stories, dealing with the human-animal border, be seen as an expression of discomfort? Could the Wild Man, like Ovid's poetry, be interpreted as a fascination with hybridity and metamorphosis? Or should we conclude that the Wild Man both frightens and fascinates in the way horror movies simultaneously repel and attract modern man? To provide a contrast to the half-way creature of the Wild Man, this work explores the way of presenting animals in Chaucer’s Parliament of Fowls and Sir Gawain and the Green Knight. It then analyses the twelfth century Vita Merlini, and the fourteenth century Sir Orfeo and Ywain and Gawain and argues that these texts, at least partly, express an unease with change and the loss of self.Show less
