My primary aim in this investigation is to trace the history of the invention of the Marxist historian’s persona in the Communist Party Historians’ Group, and thereby reveal its specific...Show moreMy primary aim in this investigation is to trace the history of the invention of the Marxist historian’s persona in the Communist Party Historians’ Group, and thereby reveal its specific configuration. This is to be an exercise in the recently emerging research program of what I have termed the empirical philosophy of history, as developed by Herman Paul. I supplemented this framework with certain Bourdieusian insights, adopting analytic tools — concepts like forms of capital and fields — that were specifically constructed to reveal more clearly the social elements and forces at play in the development of the dispositions or embodied commitments to goods that constitute personae. After elaborating my methodological framework, I move to outlining the basic elements that went into the making of the Marxist historian’s persona; the primary commitments to epistemic, moral and political goods that were embodied by the Historians’ Group’s founders — Dona Torr, A. L. Morton, Maurice Dobb and Christopher Hill — who played a primary role in its making. These consisted of the epistemic commitments to obtaining a dialectical and historical view or understanding of history, the moral commitment to the emancipation of the proletariat and the political commitment to Communism of the Soviet variety as espoused by the Communist Party of Great Britain. The obtaining of these commitments required the exercising of the appropriate virtues like employing the dialectical and historical materialist methods, engaging in class analysis and maintaining loyalty to the Communist Party. These virtues in turn implied an opposition to vices that consisted of their lack in other historians’ scholarly personae, pejoratively referred to as ‘bourgeois’. However, there was also a struggle internally regarding the proper interpretation of these commitments and virtues, one that played out both within the Historians’ Group itself and the wider Party. The contours of this struggle and the practices of contestation it involved —abounding in virtue and vice language — is clarified through the prism of dispositional variations that existed among the Group’s members, which I distinguish as the academic and non-academic. However, these are not presented as discreetly definable entities, but rather as consisting of a common network of commonalities (as in a family resemblance concept), thereby allowing for consideration of the variations that existed among members of each, while also allowing for the role of contingency that had a major effect on the making of the Marxist historian’s persona.Show less
Research master thesis | Middle Eastern Studies (research) (MA)
open access
This study examines the ideological connections between the left-leaning Kadro, Markopaşa, and Yön journals and Kemalism . Kadro, Markopaşa and Yön are not only journals but also political currents...Show moreThis study examines the ideological connections between the left-leaning Kadro, Markopaşa, and Yön journals and Kemalism . Kadro, Markopaşa and Yön are not only journals but also political currents of different scales. This research reveals what the exact relation of the writers with the Kemalist regime of their time was, whether these journals contributed to Kemalist ideology by using their intellectual influence and how they attributed left-oriented concepts to Kemalism. Further, it explores how they coped with contradictions of combining left-oriented ideas with Kemalism and what the similarities and differences were in terms of expressing the views of the left-leaning intellectuals in the mid-1930s, the late 1940s and in the early 1960s. The answers to these questions are discussed in connection to the six tenets of Kemalist ideology: the nationalist, populist, etatist, laicist, reformist, and republicanist arrows.Show less
Research master thesis | Asian Studies (research) (MA)
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The aim of this thesis is to critically analyse four Hindi short stories and to explain whether they can be considered examples of literature about ageing. The research questions that this thesis...Show moreThe aim of this thesis is to critically analyse four Hindi short stories and to explain whether they can be considered examples of literature about ageing. The research questions that this thesis tries to answer are the following: Can the selected short stories be considered literature about ageing? If so, why and how this process of ageing is depicted in Hindi Literature? In order to answer these questions, the research of Mike Hepworth (2000) on literature about ageing in British Literature is used as theoretical framework. Indeed, the parameters given by Hepworth for recognising examples of literature about ageing can be used as general criteria for the analysis of literary texts worldwide. Differences and similarities between Hepworth’s analysis and the description of ageing in selected Hindi short stories are taken into account for this critical analysis. According to the study of the four selected short stories, it is observed that one of the main focus of Hindi literature about ageing is the pursuit of denouncing elderly abuse, in all the form they are perpetrated. This work also suggests that literature about ageing is also present in Hindi Literature and it can be recognised as a literary theme on its own.Show less
Research master thesis | Classics and Ancient Civilizations (research) (MA)
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Until Esarhaddon's reign, adê "treaties" in the Neo-Assyrian period were considered an instrument of subjugation. Esarhaddon's Succession Treaty (EST), concluded in 672 BC, when the empire was...Show moreUntil Esarhaddon's reign, adê "treaties" in the Neo-Assyrian period were considered an instrument of subjugation. Esarhaddon's Succession Treaty (EST), concluded in 672 BC, when the empire was arguably at its peak, respects previous adê display tradition while introducing new visual elements in order to make it an instrument of internal political control.Show less
This research analyzes the Dutch reactions in the Netherlands East Indies to the growing amount of Chinese migrants entering the colony in the period 1880-1912. Through a focus on immigration...Show moreThis research analyzes the Dutch reactions in the Netherlands East Indies to the growing amount of Chinese migrants entering the colony in the period 1880-1912. Through a focus on immigration policies, public opinion in Indies newspapers, fingerprinting policies, diplomacy with China, consular representation and discussions on nationality, this research explains why the Netherlands East Indies as a colonial state could not close its borders for Chinese migrants, even when considering anti-Chinese immigration policies were a global phenomenon in this period. As this research shows, both the specific nature of the Dutch colonial state and the increasing diplomatic pressure from China were important factors in how Dutch immigration policies were shaped.Show less
Research master thesis | Latin American Studies (research) (MA)
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La presente tesis tiene como objetivo aportar relevancia en la discusión académica al modelo educativo intercultural y su funcionamiento en la Licenciatura en Turismo Alternativo dentro de las...Show moreLa presente tesis tiene como objetivo aportar relevancia en la discusión académica al modelo educativo intercultural y su funcionamiento en la Licenciatura en Turismo Alternativo dentro de las Universidades Interculturales en México, concretamente en la Universidad Intercultural del Estado de Puebla y la Universidad Intercultural de Chiapas. Las Universidades Interculturales fueron creadas por el Gobierno mexicano con objeto de formar profesionales comprometidos con el desarrollo de los pueblos indígenas. Están abiertas a todos los tipos de estudiantes y su enfoque intercultural debería brindar un diálogo entre conocimientos tradicionales y occidentales. Del mismo modo, es importante analizar cómo la educación intercultural en estas universidades promueve la cultura y la identidad de los pueblos indígenas, los cuales han sido históricamente tratados desde una posición de superioridad y pocas veces como sujetos de igual derecho y condición. Es por ello que la pregunta de investigación está centrada en el modelo educativo y su funcionamiento en estas dos universidades, analizando el currículo del programa académico, la percepción de los estudiantes y los ejes de lengua originaria y vinculación con la comunidad. De esta manera se busca determinar cómo se proyecta el concepto de interculturalidad en estas universidades y cómo funciona el diálogo entre los diferentes conocimientos.Show less
Research master thesis | Archaeology (research) (MA/MSc)
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The last decade community involvement has become an important objective for many intergovernmental organisations such as UNESCO. However, research has shown that community involvement is not being...Show moreThe last decade community involvement has become an important objective for many intergovernmental organisations such as UNESCO. However, research has shown that community involvement is not being included in World Heritage nomination dossiers. Therefore, the aim of this thesis was to study how communities are involved in the process of drafting the nomination dossier. The Dutch tentative World Heritage site of the Roman Limes, that is up for nomination in 2020, was selected as case-study. The main research question was: To what extent is community involvement taking place during the World Heritage nomination process of the Dutch part of the Lower German Limes, and why is this involvement considered to be important? The aim of the current study was to understand how participation of local communities should take place by focusing on the stakeholders who can make decisions during the nomination process, the insider stakeholders. Both interviews and a critical discourse analysis were conducted to learn how community participation is perceived. The results of the research show that the insider stakeholders all state that having a good social license from the community is important. They mention that a social license is necessary to make heritage sustainable. Furthermore, it was suggested that having a social license is vital if you want to make heritage meaningful. According to the insider stakeholders, the concerned communities and individuals are involved in two ways. They are stimulated to create initiatives in their own management in the field of public outreach to make the Limes more visible and experienceable. Additionally, in the future they will participate in an informing and consulting role during the decision-making process of the drafting of the nomination dossier and management plan, meaning that citizens are informed on the already formalised plans or are able to give input. However, decision-makers are not obliged to do anything with it. The landowners and users will have an advising role. This entails that they can bring up problems and offer solutions to which the decision-makers should commit, however, there is no obligation. According to the literature on citizen participation these levels of participation do not allow the concerned individuals and communities to have real influence in the decision-making process. Furthermore, it is concluded these levels of participation do not contribute to the creation of a sustainable World Heritage site.Show less
Research master thesis | Arts and Culture (research) (MA)
open access
2018-06-30T00:00:00Z
Edgar Wind (1900-1971) was a philosopher and art historian who developed a theory of the symbolic inspired by both the work of Warburg and Peirce. This thesis explores the way his philosophy...Show moreEdgar Wind (1900-1971) was a philosopher and art historian who developed a theory of the symbolic inspired by both the work of Warburg and Peirce. This thesis explores the way his philosophy engaged with questions about humanism, human freedom, and the status of scientific knowledge. Wind's engagement with these issues resulted a realist philosophy based on a view of symbolic representation as embodiment. In the end this is related to current discussions on human-thing entanglement within the material turn and the problems surrounding agency.Show less
Research master thesis | Literary Studies (research) (MA)
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In this thesis I examine the poetic works of Zbigniew Herbert and Wallace Stevens through the lenses of object-oriented ontology of Graham Harman and alien phenomenology of Ian Bogost. I...Show moreIn this thesis I examine the poetic works of Zbigniew Herbert and Wallace Stevens through the lenses of object-oriented ontology of Graham Harman and alien phenomenology of Ian Bogost. I demonstrate how those philosophical positions can open new interpretative possibilities for poetry. I show how Herbert's poetry depicts objects and their relationship with humans. In particular I focus on the question of independence of object and I show how Herbert can broaden the ontological understanding of independence with an ethical component. In the case of Wallace Stevens I demonstrate how his poems could be read as simulations of consciousness of various non-human beings. In particular I focus on the analysis of conditions of such simulation – what makes it possible to simulate non-human being's experiences, what are the limits of such simulation and how such simulation affects the ontological nature of simulated beings.Show less
Research master thesis | Asian Studies (research) (MA)
closed access
Hong Kong, a former British colony and now Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China, has a long standing tradition of well networked political protest. Particularly the pro...Show moreHong Kong, a former British colony and now Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China, has a long standing tradition of well networked political protest. Particularly the pro-democracy movement had gathered wide ranging public support in the years following the 1997 handover. In recent years this movement and the spectrum of the political opposition split and diversified. This thesis argues that the responsibilities and the question of leadership in the activist network of Hong Kong are contested and that existing hierarchies complicate protest action. This became particularly visible during the 2014 'Umbrella Movement'. Based on this example this thesis takes on the question whether contemporary pluralist networks can overcome power hierarchies. Through an analysis of original interviews with activists from the 'Umbrella Movement' the contesting narratives of leadership in the movement are explored and mapped. This helps to understand how the activists position others and themselves within a broader network, and shows how existing hierarchies affect the image of leadership in the network. The analysis also highlights other factors that influence the activists' understanding of power. Eventually it is shown that a number of leaders existed in the movement, which processes were perceived as complication for equal participation opportunities for all activists, and that hierarchies were neither absent nor static.Show less
Research master thesis | Archaeology (research) (MA/MSc)
open access
2017-11-01T00:00:00Z
Looting refers to the act of digging up artifacts without the recording of the excavation, context or other activities related to archaeological excavation, either the purpose of collecting or sale...Show moreLooting refers to the act of digging up artifacts without the recording of the excavation, context or other activities related to archaeological excavation, either the purpose of collecting or sale (Hart and Chilton 2015, 319). An illicit excavation refers to the undocumented, illicitly obtained artifacts that are excavated from the ground and sold for profit (Proulx 2013, 111). This activity is a widespread action that affects all the countries in the world, in one way or another. Looting is the third largest illegal market after drugs and weapons (Szopa 2004, 56); it funds armed conflicts, denies human rights to culture, history and identity and depletes an irreplaceable resource. In this thesis I aim to show the current situation of protecting of the archaeological heritage from looting in Romania, the current state of looting activities and what are the actions undertaken by the heritage experts and institutions in order to fulfill that purpose. Furthermore, I aim to study the extent to which the activities of metal detecting are hindering the protection of archaeological sites and if those activities are illegal in terms of national or international legislation framework.Show less
Research master thesis | Latin American Studies (research) (MA)
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Siendo el año 2016, la disponibilidad de agua dulce en Chile se reduce a causa de una sequía que afecta a todo el país. Esto se suma a una economía que aún se sustenta en la explotación intensiva...Show moreSiendo el año 2016, la disponibilidad de agua dulce en Chile se reduce a causa de una sequía que afecta a todo el país. Esto se suma a una economía que aún se sustenta en la explotación intensiva de recursos naturales para la exportación que indiscutiblemente ha traído mayor beneficio a la inversión privada de procedencia urbana que a los habitantes de las zonas explotadas. Este trabajo se centra en el conflicto por el acceso al agua existente en la provincia de Petorca, región de Valparaíso, que surgió cuando el acceso desigual al agua no podía ser mayor: los lugareños comenzaron a ser abastecidos con camiones aljibes, mientras que las vecinas piscinas de acopio de las extensas plantaciones de paltos (Persea Americana) permanecían aún llenas de agua para el riego. Con miras a hacer del análisis un aporte al material existente en torno al redescubrimiento de los comunes y a la ciudadanía crítica, y sobretodo buscando despertar la discusión respecto de cómo comprender los conflictos por el agua que con mayor frecuencia surgen en Chile, este trabajo estudia en detalle qué es lo que permite que hoy los habitantes de la provincia de Petorca reivindiquen el agua como un bien común. Es a partir de esto que, teniendo siempre presente la experiencia histórica local, se ahonda en los marcos perceptuales, el capital social y la estructura de oportunidades políticas existentes. De la misma manera, se presta atención a los afectos, memorias y tradiciones de quienes hoy reivindican.Show less
Research master thesis | Arts and Culture (research) (MA)
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Constantijn Huygens is know as the pioneering architect of the Dutch classicist revival, and his poems in praise of his collaborator, Jacob van Campen, laud him as the figure who has rid the Dutch...Show moreConstantijn Huygens is know as the pioneering architect of the Dutch classicist revival, and his poems in praise of his collaborator, Jacob van Campen, laud him as the figure who has rid the Dutch cityscape of Gothic building style. However, Huygens’ collection of art included three paintings by Pieter Saenredam, famous in his own right for his depictions of Gothic architecture. Why then would Huygens own so many paintings by Saenredam, among them the largest known from his hand, a picture of the largest Gothic church in the country, Utrecht Cathedral? The reason, I argue, is that Huygens’ institution of classicist architecture was accompanied by deep confessional anxiety. The introduction of classicism to the Republic coincided with an influx of wealth, luxury and worldly pride, arguably appearing as its sign. As Huygens tells us, his home on the Plein was subject to the charge of vanity. What I will argue in this essay, however, is that classicism recalled not only the decadence of Greece and Rome in its form, but Rome’s pagan idolatry as well. In the writings of Simon Stevin, Salomon de Bray and Huygens in turn, there was great ambivalence over Vitruvius and his pagan history of classical architecture. As I will argue, each author adopted his own strategy in coping with this so-called problem of paganism, and that the works of Saenredam were central to Huygens’ own approach. I will begin by demonstrating that Saenredam’s perspectival technique was rooted in the principles of Vitruvian design, appearing, like Huygens’ homes, as a mark of the modernity of the Republic. However, I will ultimately argue that this technique classicized native Gothic churches, presenting them as a sacred history for Huygens’ architecture. In this way, Saenredam’s works redeemed Huygens’ classicist revival, ensuring that his homes would project an identity for the nation that was at once modern and pious.Show less
This thesis discusses the relationship between the royalty and nationalism in the two traditional courts of Southeast Asia, the courts of Thailand and Yogyakarta. It applies a comparative...Show moreThis thesis discusses the relationship between the royalty and nationalism in the two traditional courts of Southeast Asia, the courts of Thailand and Yogyakarta. It applies a comparative-historical method by exploring the characteristics and determinants of historical phenomena in causal processes. The courts of Thailand and Yogyakarta emerged in the 18th century after a series of internal conflicts and ‘outsider’ intervention. The presence of the Dutch in the political affairs of Yogyakarta made the situation different between the two courts, while the court of Thailand is a sovereign power. In regards to the origin of nationalism, this thesis argues that there is a relationship between the establishment of the courts of Thailand and Yogyakarta to the birth of nationalism from the royalty. The origin of nationalism from the court of Thailand can be attributed to the struggle against the Burmese invader in the 18th century. From then on, the matter about sovereignty of Thailand was part of Thai nationalism. In Yogyakarta, the origin of nationalism is attributed to the courts’ subjugation to Dutch colonialism, which fostered an anti-colonial sentiment. Furthermore, based on this comparative study, the characteristic of nationalism from ‘above’ and nationalism from ‘below’ are apparent. In the state of absolute monarchy such as in Thailand, nationalism emerged from above, meaning that it was the product of the absolute king. In the colonized state of Yogyakarta, nationalism emerged from ‘below’. The subordinate position of the Sultan of Yogyakarta and the Pakualam to the Dutch made them unable to promote nationalism centered from the monarchy. Political essence of nationalism from Yogyakarta derived from its educated elites. This thesis also demonstrates that nationalism from ‘below’, or the egalitarian idea of nationalism was the dominant political force. It was able to change the state imposition of nationalism both in Thailand and Yogyakarta during the period 1908 – 1942.Show less
Research master thesis | Archaeology (research) (MA/MSc)
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So far, very little attention has been paid to the use and exchange of amber during the Merovingian period in north-western Europe. This research studies the use and exchange of amber in the...Show moreSo far, very little attention has been paid to the use and exchange of amber during the Merovingian period in north-western Europe. This research studies the use and exchange of amber in the Netherlands, Belgium, Luxembourg, and the German Provinces Nordrhein-Westfalen and Rhineland-Pfalz. To establish this, information on Merovingian amber contexts throughout the research area was collected. With the collected data, several distribution maps were created. Despite that distribution maps do not reflect all amber objects ever used in the Merovingian period, nor pinpoint exchange relations between the research area and northern Europe for a single moment in time, they still are one of the best options to analyse and represent spatial distribution of specific artefact groups. Throughout the research area amber beads have been discovered as grave goods in graves of women among assemblages of glass beads. In total, 5443 amber objects, of which most are beads, from 209 sites were mapped. Nearly ten percent of all documented beads from this period are amber beads and they were deposited in about a third of graves containing beads. The deposition of amber beads in graves occurred most often during the period 525-650 AD. The relative homogeneity of amber use throughout the research area indicates that there existed a clear idea of how amber was meant to be used. Amber was a very significant material in burial rituals performed across the research area and could be called a ‘necessity’ for the burial of many women. Before being interred, amber beads may have circulated in female (inter)generational networks, being passed on during rites of passage. Throughout the research area, people had access to amber, whether living along the coast, near major rivers or further inland. It cannot be seen as a scarce luxury product. Most amber is found along the river Rhine, along former Roman roads and near former Roman centres. Amber found in the research area may have been collected along the Dutch, Danish and Baltic coastlines. Evidence of contact between the research area, Denmark and the Baltic suggests that the import of amber from there cannot be ruled out. Exchange contact between the research area and northern Europe may have been as frequent as with the Mediterranean. Amber was probably transported in stages along the Baltic and Danish coast towards the research area and further inland via the Rhine. The widespread distribution of amber cannot be explained by an economic system of top-down elite gift-giving in return for loyalty, as has often been suggested. No economy can be based purely on gift giving or commercial transactions. Based on this study it appears more likely that the Merovingian economy was built from the bottom up.Show less
Research master thesis | Literary Studies (research) (MA)
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This research aims to explore the reciprocal relationship between the arch-texts of Sophocles’ Antigone and Euripides’ Medea and late 20th century adaptations of them by four Irish poets and...Show moreThis research aims to explore the reciprocal relationship between the arch-texts of Sophocles’ Antigone and Euripides’ Medea and late 20th century adaptations of them by four Irish poets and playwrights. Based on a textual analysis of the original texts and adapted versions, I intend to disclose how the Irish adaptors borrow and rework the characters of Antigone and Medea and their well-known tragic stories in order to provide a critique upon tangible Irish socio-political issues. However, by adopting Antigone and Medea, the Irish authors do not merely use the two heroines as instruments for the satisfaction of their authorial aspirations, but they also provide answers to questions regarding the status and understanding of the two rebellious women that remain obscure in the originals. The research will be situated within Classical Reception Studies, a rather new field of research, which – unlike conventional Classics – focuses on the bidirectional process of adaptation arguing that by revisiting a canonical text, the pre-text is a changing object too. It will do so by using theories of reception of the Classics by Charles Martindale, Tim Whitmarsh, and Astrid Van Weyenberg. By doing so, I propose a contemporary understanding of the figures of Antigone and Medea, which liberates them from the moral ambiguity of their transgressive deeds, and instead, considers them as two heroines of Justice.Show less
Research master thesis | Latin American Studies (research) (MA)
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La caída del historico Partido Colorado (PC) uruguayo en las elecciones de 2004 suma este partido a una lista creciente de partidos históricos latinoamericanos que se derrumbaron de una elección a...Show moreLa caída del historico Partido Colorado (PC) uruguayo en las elecciones de 2004 suma este partido a una lista creciente de partidos históricos latinoamericanos que se derrumbaron de una elección a otra. La gran parte de la literatura ha tendido a enfocarse sobre los actores emergentes, los nuevos partidos políticos, dejando inadvertido lo que ocurrió a los partidos longevos. Este trabajo trata de llenar este hueco explicando el caso colorado (1984-2004) a través del concepto de ‘dilución de marca’. Por un lado, se trata del abandono del partido político de sus posiciones políticas históricas. Por otro lado, refiere a la convergencia con otros partidos, frecuentemente acérrimos enemigos históricos, a través del compartir posiciones políticas y del gobierno. Este proceso erosiona la identificación partidaria, lo cual se repercute en contratiempos, provocando una caída brusca y profunda.Show less
Research master thesis | Archaeology (research) (MA/MSc)
closed access
A database of Neanderthal raw material transports and fauna from assemblages across Europe has been compiled with the aim to explore the evolution of the Neanderthals’ mobility behaviour with...Show moreA database of Neanderthal raw material transports and fauna from assemblages across Europe has been compiled with the aim to explore the evolution of the Neanderthals’ mobility behaviour with regard to the environment from the beginning of the Late Saalian (191 ka BP) to the demise of Neanderthals (40 ka BP). Mobility, as observed from the lithic transports in the Palaeolithic, is often interpreted as mirroring the social organisation of a group. As the study of Neanderthal mobility normally focuses on the maximum transport distances of lithics, such a methodology is seen as inadequate because three equifinal processes (subsistence activity, social transactions, and semi-random lithic scavenging) can account for these distances. Here, two different indicators of Neanderthal mobility are created based on the transport distances, quantities, and number of utilised raw material sources. These mobility variables and their relationship to the changing environment are then analysed using novel statistical techniques.Show less
