Research master thesis | Asian Studies (research) (MA)
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This thesis is a study on how leisure industries operated under semicolonial circumstances in Republican China (specifically between 1919 and 1941). Taking place in Yantai, a medium-sized treaty...Show moreThis thesis is a study on how leisure industries operated under semicolonial circumstances in Republican China (specifically between 1919 and 1941). Taking place in Yantai, a medium-sized treaty port in China’s Shandong province, this study analyzes how leisure, in the form of sex work, was both “sought” and “provided” by different actors. This study specifically zooms in on two of these actors. Firstly, sailors of the United States Asiatic Fleet are analyzed, as this research explores how their intertwining pursuits of drinking alcohol and visiting sex workers impacted Yantai and its inhabitants. Secondly, this study delves into the lives of Yantai’s sex workers, and how their role within Yantai’s sex work industry operated during an era of semicolonial presence. This study reveals that Yantai provided sailors the opportunity to indulge themselves in vices without being judged by their surroundings in a way that they would back home. Furthermore, although their behavior was certainly not appreciated by both locals and nonlocals in Yantai, their pursuits were also tolerated by some, as they contributed to both the economic and military interests of those that interacted with them. Sex workers, on the other hand, were a demographic that underwent significant changes throughout Yantai’s Republican period, which can largely be attributed to the increasing demands for sex work by foreign sailors. Yantai’s sex work industry became notably more internationally-oriented, as shown by both international sex workers flocking to the city and the general services offered by sex workers gradually revolving more around sexual intercourse. Overall, this study reveals how demands for new forms of sex work reshaped the hierarchies of Yantai’s overall sex work industry. As a result, the industry became more asymmetrically skewed towards a foreign clientele under semicoloniality. Furthermore, Yantai’s smaller size and the relatively large number of visiting sailors made these developments more contrasting than in other cities, resulting in heavier contention, discourse and conflicts arising from these developments.Show less
The current digital age illustrates the importance of the semiconductor industry with particular attention on the dominance of South Korea and Taiwan within the semiconductor industry. This paper...Show moreThe current digital age illustrates the importance of the semiconductor industry with particular attention on the dominance of South Korea and Taiwan within the semiconductor industry. This paper will focus on global semiconductor industry leaders, Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC) and Korean multinational company- Samsung, and how both companies became peripheral actors and maintained their key positions within the global semiconductor industry. The use of both qualitative and quantitative analysis will illustrate important data using charts (quantitative) to review Taiwan and South Korea's stronghold on the semiconductor industry. The case studies will be used to review how South Korea and Taiwan dominate the semiconductor industry. The thesis will also include a small section on how restrictions limit China's market share in this industry. Analysis of Samsung and TSMC companies illustrate how state intervention, company's approaches to technology innovation and organization of production, mainly specialization and localization led to their dominating success within the global semiconductor industry. This research paper portrays a clear overview as to why South Korea and Taiwan are key players in the semiconductor industry and why China is unable to reach its full potential. Samsung and TSMC portray how state involvement, shift towards high-technology industry, and cooperation between transnational companies allowed both countries to maintain their dominant position.Show less