This thesis analyzes the characteristics of China’s island-building activities in the South China Sea and assesses their impact on the regional stability of East Asia. The focus is on how these...Show moreThis thesis analyzes the characteristics of China’s island-building activities in the South China Sea and assesses their impact on the regional stability of East Asia. The focus is on how these activities have influenced regional stability by prompting a reaction from other regional actors which underlines a shift in diplomatic and defense postures. This thesis builds on the hypothesis that the military nature of these fortifications and China’s recent increase in assertive behaviors are building up the perception of threats among other regional actors, fueling distrust. This ultimately pushes these actors to implement countermeasures and disengage from dialogue with China. The thesis aims to test this hypothesis through a combination of qualitative and quantitative research methods, including discourse and content analysis of government officials’ statements and policy documents. The research finds that key regional actors such as the Philippines, Japan, and the United States adopted, in response to China’s island-building, a similar pattern of declarative opposition, countermeasures, and diplomatic disengagement which reflects an increase in the perception of threats. This study concludes that although escalation of tensions may still be unlikely, the changes in the security environment highlight a decline in regional stability, which urges for a focus on diplomatic settlement of the South China Sea disputes.Show less
Consociationalism has evolved to become the dominant theory for managing political stability in heterogeneous states. Consociations fragment power, delineate societies, adopt group-based rights and...Show moreConsociationalism has evolved to become the dominant theory for managing political stability in heterogeneous states. Consociations fragment power, delineate societies, adopt group-based rights and are governed by elites representing different ethnic groups. However, the primordialist understanding of identity, institutionalised policies of differential treatment and a number of normative failings means consociationalism actually increases the political instability it is purported to mitigate. India, one of the most diverse and complex societies on earth, has adopted several consociational mechanisms upon independence. The recently increased consociational nature of India has strengthened specific identities and increased intergroup and intragroup antagonisms resulting in rising political instability. This is empirically demonstrated by data from India’s National Crime Records Bureau. The 16th Lok Sabha election in 2014 represented a watershed moment for Indian politics and the saturation point for consociationalism. A disenchanted electorate turned overwhelmingly to the most anti-consociational party in the political system – the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). The party has been the most outspoken critic of consociational policies often describing them as ‘minorityism’ (Varshney, 1993:252). The BJP, with a platform of development intertwined with an Indian identity, transcended the entrenched norms of Indian politics. The rise of the Saffron party challenges the theoretical validity and epistemological underpinnings of consociationalism. The normative manifestations – coalition governments and affirmative action programmes – played a paramount role in the BJP’s ascendency. The shifting landscape of Indian politics is not limited to the national level. The BJP now controls the majority of state governments. In India’s most populous state of Uttar Pradesh, where caste mobilisations are especially strong, the BJP gained a landlside victory in the 2017 Vidhan Sabha election.Show less
Diversity of gender self-apprehensions and sexual attachments have been long under negotiation of medical, spiritual, and cultural writing, and is now understood as significant component of Indian...Show moreDiversity of gender self-apprehensions and sexual attachments have been long under negotiation of medical, spiritual, and cultural writing, and is now understood as significant component of Indian political debate. There is not enough audacity in confronting assumptions on sexualities beyond binary. Although complex to address, sensitive questions upon behavior, belonging, and violence are of importance for those stigmatized on account of their sexuality. The literature, activism, and law, reflective of social bias, support norms and blur the picture of everyday lived reality. This paper gathers ambiguous, space, and time dependent perceptions of alternative sexualities in India, to open present day debate on queer mobilization in India entangled in colonial, global, and pre-modern influences.Show less
Bachelor thesis | South and Southeast Asian Studies (BA)
open access
Since the late 1940’s, the Kashmir region has been a disputed area. The three central actors involved in this conflict (the Kashmiri people, India and Pakistan) have been claiming sovereignty over...Show moreSince the late 1940’s, the Kashmir region has been a disputed area. The three central actors involved in this conflict (the Kashmiri people, India and Pakistan) have been claiming sovereignty over the region. Ever since, there has been a constant dispute over the Kashmiri territory which of late has turned more violent. In July 2016, another wave of armed riots erupted in Kashmir after the Indian army killed the pro-Kashmir independence militant, Burhan Wani. Such event raised the question one more time concerning who has a legitimate right over this territory, and if there is a possibility to finally close this chapter of uncertainty in Kashmir.Show less
The most recent governmental era of independent India began in 2014 when Narendra Modi took chief role. Laws dating back prior to colonial era still punish expression. Identity politics is a...Show moreThe most recent governmental era of independent India began in 2014 when Narendra Modi took chief role. Laws dating back prior to colonial era still punish expression. Identity politics is a growing concern. Widespread government interference in the media poses issues of bias and subjective reporting. Judicial and police abuse of citizens is worsening the situation for citizens wanting justice. Freedom of speech and expression is clearly under threat from a variety of internal issues which leads to question the democratic future of India.Show less
The importance of the palm oil industry is growing. But the environmental impact of the production is becoming more apparent. Sustainable development is necessary to lead the industry into the...Show moreThe importance of the palm oil industry is growing. But the environmental impact of the production is becoming more apparent. Sustainable development is necessary to lead the industry into the future. Malaysia is one of the biggest producers in the industry, and therefore face the most challenges and opportunities.Show less
Textiles serve as a medium in the migration of cultural elements between civilizations since ancient times. This study seeks to investigate the migration of cultural aspects through textiles from...Show moreTextiles serve as a medium in the migration of cultural elements between civilizations since ancient times. This study seeks to investigate the migration of cultural aspects through textiles from India to Java between the first millennium and the eighteenth century, and from Java to Santiniketan, a town in Bengal, in the Indian subcontinent, in the early twentieth century. These regions shared an intriguing history of textile exchange during the periods mentioned. The case study will be a resist-dyed fabric called batik, which is popular in Bengal as well as Java, and the focus will lie on design elements such as motifs and patterns. Scholarly literature on the origin and evolution of batik in Java emphasize on the processes of ‘diffusion’, ‘adaptation’, and ‘acculturation’, while discussing foreign influences. These theories discuss the dissemination and the transformation of Indian foreign design elements in the recipient Javanese culture, but to a limited extent. In the case of Santiniketan batik, scholarly focus lies on describing batik as an indigenous tradition. Though Javanese inspiration is accepted, the transmission process from Java is not adequately dealt with. Interestingly, both in the case of Javanese batik and Santiniketan batik, foreign influences were transformed to an extent that they became ‘native’ in the local context. This thesis seeks to justify the significance of the process of ‘naturalization’, that is, the process of inclusion and transformation of foreign motifs and patterns in the context of the receiving culture to an extent that the original source of dissemination becomes of secondary importance.Show less
The diverse and intense usage of the Ganga has caused a big pollution problem to the river. Because the local communities interact with the river on a daily basis, they should be able to reduce the...Show moreThe diverse and intense usage of the Ganga has caused a big pollution problem to the river. Because the local communities interact with the river on a daily basis, they should be able to reduce the pollution.Show less
After over ninety years of British domination and a bloody partition a new Indian nation emerged. Largely agricultural, with a rural and highly diverse population it was the task of the architects...Show moreAfter over ninety years of British domination and a bloody partition a new Indian nation emerged. Largely agricultural, with a rural and highly diverse population it was the task of the architects of what would become a united India to draft a constitution which would allow these different peoples to live together. Perhaps afraid of further separation but also aware of the need for unity in diversity the Constitution of India was attributed a federal, but also a centrist character. Due to the economic backwardness and political fragmentation it was a commonly held belief at the time that rule by the centre was the best way to improve the whole country’s welfare. Yet less than fifty years later this view has fundamentally changed. The balance of payments crisis showed that India’s development and future economic prosperity lay not in the distribution of investment from the centre to the states but in the active role of states on the global market. As a consequence of this the states have been given or have taken on a larger role in economic development. The question that this thesis will answer is: in what aspects has the liberalisation of the Indian economy changed the relationship between the centre and the state?Show less
The Tehri dam in Uttarakhand, India, is one of the tallest dams in the world. Its purpose is to generate energy and to facilitate irrigation and water supply, mainly to Delhi. The dam has become...Show moreThe Tehri dam in Uttarakhand, India, is one of the tallest dams in the world. Its purpose is to generate energy and to facilitate irrigation and water supply, mainly to Delhi. The dam has become controversial because of the forced resettlement of over 100,000 people, damage to the fragile ecosystem of the Himalayas, seismic activity in the region and the reduced flow of the Bhagirathi River, which is considered to be part of the holy Ganges. The struggle over the Tehri dam does not only concern local issues, as it is at the same time a conflict of ideas concerning different conceptions of the meaning of “development”.Show less
