This thesis examines the concept of reverse mission as a missionary ideal within a Nigerian-originated Christian church. This concept has been highly debated by academics since the development of...Show moreThis thesis examines the concept of reverse mission as a missionary ideal within a Nigerian-originated Christian church. This concept has been highly debated by academics since the development of the trend in the late 20th century. By introducing the Redeemed Christian Church of God and a Dutch parish called ‘The Fruitful Vine’ the concept of reverse mission as seen by the headquarters, and the way it is experienced by actual members is compared. The data is collected by conducting interviews and fieldwork, which are later analysed within the theoretical framework of the reverse mission. By using an ethnography case study this thesis contributes to the larger academic study of the growing number of migrant churches and the phenomenon of the reverse mission in the Netherlands. This thesis demonstrates that the concept of the reverse mission as perceived by the RCCG headquarters does not fit the lived experiences of the member of The Fruitful Vine at this moment in time.Show less
This thesis aims to find the answer to the question of whether priests in the Netherlands are prepared and willing to become exorcists. Judging by the claims of foreign exorcists, mainly American...Show moreThis thesis aims to find the answer to the question of whether priests in the Netherlands are prepared and willing to become exorcists. Judging by the claims of foreign exorcists, mainly American and Italian priests, who repeatedly state that they cannot cope with the workload and urgently need colleagues, it is important to know whether this u rgency is also an issue in the Netherlands and whether priests in the Dutch dioceses are familiar with the phenomenon of exorcism.Show less
Each individual has their own way of dealing with a stressful situation. Research into the concept of religious coping provides insight into how Catholics and Protestants use their religious...Show moreEach individual has their own way of dealing with a stressful situation. Research into the concept of religious coping provides insight into how Catholics and Protestants use their religious beliefs to deal with these types of situations. This thesis focuses on the use and efficacy of religious coping by Protestants and Catholics in the West experiencing a serious medical condition. This is an important topic because studying the relationship between religious coping and distress also shows what beliefs can be helpful or harmful during these situations. It also provides insight into the ways that these religious traditions influence the behavior of individuals whilst experiencing negative life events. The goal of this thesis is to identify the similarities and differences between the use of religious coping among Protestants and Catholics in the West experiencing a serious medical condition. In order to do this the thesis compares three studies on religious coping among Protestants and Catholics in the West. The results of this comparison suggest there are more similarities than differences in the use of religious coping between both groups. However, the efficacy of religious coping appears to differ between the groups. By looking at the core beliefs of the religious traditions this thesis offers possible explanations for these findings. This thesis revealed that the focus of Protestantism on faith as opposed to the Catholic focus on confession could be the reason why Protestants experience more benefits from religious coping in uncontrollable stressful situations. These findings should inspire future researchers to investigate the relations between religious coping and specific religious traditions.Show less
This thesis research is about the symbols that appear in the interview reports of the spiritual experiences of seven Iranian Armenians. It analyzes these symbols using a Durkheimian approach, which...Show moreThis thesis research is about the symbols that appear in the interview reports of the spiritual experiences of seven Iranian Armenians. It analyzes these symbols using a Durkheimian approach, which is comprised of Émile Durkheim’s (1858-1917) and Wilbur Urban’s (1873-1952) theories. Specifically, the social functions of symbols are researched, following Durkheim, and the meaning layers of symbols are analyzed, following Urban. The Iranian Armenian symbols turn out to vary in their social function, and consist of a concrete and an abstract meaning layer. Most of them trace their origin to the participants’ Armenian Orthodox Christian denomination. The symbols that do not, are still influenced by the group religion concerning their meanings. This implies that the group religion is important for the meaning assignment of individuals.Show less
In light of the emerging emphasis within migration studies on how aspirations inform migration trajectories and the integration prospects of migrants, this paper examines how rural-urban migrants’...Show moreIn light of the emerging emphasis within migration studies on how aspirations inform migration trajectories and the integration prospects of migrants, this paper examines how rural-urban migrants’ aspirations relate to integration in contemporary Windhoek, Namibia. The aspirations of five male rural-urban migrants in Windhoek are discussed in semistructured qualitative interviews. Through the application of Paolo Boccagni’s categorization of migrant aspirations into ‘contents,’ ‘relational references,’ and ‘space-time horizons,’ and following the definition of ‘societal integration’ as used by Richard Bränström et al., this paper finds that a significant aspect of Namibian rural-urban migrants’ aspirations is the wish for societal integration. These findings indicate that it is valid to consider issues of integration as relevant for rural-urban migrants in Namibia, and that studying their aspirations can make the identification of different approaches for fostering societal integration possible.Show less
The main aim of this thesis is to investigate how framing through prominent Nigerian newspapers has an effect on Boko Haram’s narrative. More specifically, it utilizes existing content and...Show moreThe main aim of this thesis is to investigate how framing through prominent Nigerian newspapers has an effect on Boko Haram’s narrative. More specifically, it utilizes existing content and discourse analyses to discover in which ways the two Nigerian newspapers ‘the Punch’ and the ‘Daily Trust’ use framing techniques to shape particular narratives surrounding Boko Haram. In addition, the purpose of this thesis is to offer alternative perspectives on dominant components within the ‘newspaper-narrative’ to allow for a more nuanced and diverse consideration of Boko Haram. Lastly, the results are contextualized by situating them in the broader debate regarding the framing of terrorism. This thesis concludes that the negative consequences of terrorism-framing in relation to Boko Haram are similar to the ones exposed by the global debate. Although the range of these issues is broad, this study concluded two particular consequences to be dominant. Firstly, it limits and negatively influences counter-terrorism options by presenting Boko Haram as a force that can only be dealt with in a violent matter. Secondly, unnuanced and disproportionate representations of Islam in relation to Boko Haram and other Islamic terrorist organizations has led to a significant rise of negative Muslim prejudice.Show less
A comparative analysis between the Soweto Uprising of 1976 and the Marikana Massacre of 2012. The research tries to uncover the differences and similarities between the reaction of the apartheid...Show moreA comparative analysis between the Soweto Uprising of 1976 and the Marikana Massacre of 2012. The research tries to uncover the differences and similarities between the reaction of the apartheid and post-apartheid government to uncover whether post-apartheid South African politics has changed since the end of apartheid.Show less
