Bachelor thesis | Cultural Anthropology and Development Sociology (BSc)
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Western societies are affluent. Yet, the question is raised whether this affluence has made Western societies more happier. Sadly, this is not the coincidence and a critical look is being given as...Show moreWestern societies are affluent. Yet, the question is raised whether this affluence has made Western societies more happier. Sadly, this is not the coincidence and a critical look is being given as to why this is. Within, a partial look is given at nature relatedness and the claim is made that Western societies could be happier if there would be a disbanding of the human-nature dichotomy, and instead a recognition of our communion with nature would take place.Show less
Master thesis | Cultural Anthropology and Development Sociology (MSc)
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The Lophophora williamsii or better known as the Peyote Cactus has been a point of controversy in American courts for decades. Members of the NAC (Native American Church) have been fighting in...Show moreThe Lophophora williamsii or better known as the Peyote Cactus has been a point of controversy in American courts for decades. Members of the NAC (Native American Church) have been fighting in court for the right to use this cactus classified as a Schedule 1 substance in their Peyote ceremonies. The court cases had differing outcomes as result. Within this juridical debate there is a hegemonic biomedical bias in which Peyote is considered to be a health threatening drug. This is remarkable, because Peyote doesn’t seem to stimulate addiction. In contrary, it is used to ‘heal’ addictions. Within this debate there is a lack of an emic view. This emic view in itself is problematic as researching within the NAC is difficult. Additionally, the Peyote ceremony is seen in the court as a part of the traditional religion of the NAC. But when looking at Native American religion, the NAC is a relative newcomer originating in 1917. What is the role of anthropology in this debate and what can it do to deconstruct the misconceptions of Peyotism? In answering this question and in exploring the juridical debate and its misconceptions a literature research about Navajo Native Americans and Peyotism is used.Show less
Master thesis | Cultural Anthropology and Development Sociology (MSc)
open access
Asking grand questions has long been found problematic in anthropology. The focus is usually put on the smaller issues. This thesis will research how we can unpack these trends. I investigate a...Show moreAsking grand questions has long been found problematic in anthropology. The focus is usually put on the smaller issues. This thesis will research how we can unpack these trends. I investigate a macro‐approach by using literature on shamanism and cosmovision. Grand questions are a compelling topic. Various disciplines, from history to archaeology and anthropology, have developed great talents in focusing on grassroots problems and micro‐issues. Small‐scale and area‐fixed studies are the norm. Not only is the focus put on the smaller issues, it is also considered too risky to present grand statements and promises, for it almost seems to beg for criticism. My criticism is that although these processes are essential, in that they provide the data for larger research questions, these studies often do not themselves get back to the broader perspectives. The hybridity, as well as the larger implications, thus easily remain obscured. In this thesis I take on the challenge to combine and reconnect the richness of different types of data with the theory‐based literature. Through a critical assessment of the literature, I will research how we can look at small‐scale issues from a broader perspective. Simultaneously, I will analyse how research with a focus on large‐scale issues can be analysed. This brings me to the connections that exist among the various approaches and perspectives used in anthropological and interdisciplinary research. It is precisely the combining of divergent approaches that challenges us, anthropologist, in our research and that is the topic of my research. The idea of interconnectedness will be put on the agenda by discussing how the topic can or cannot be studied. This means that I will look at approaches used in the literature and make an attempt in reconnecting the concepts that have been disconnected by researchers in the past. In conclusion, the main question of this thesis will focus on how we can research large topics by bringing research outcomes of projects that focus on small‐case issues together. One could say that in these small‐scale projects there is a trend to work within a fixed set of boundaries. This raises the question whether we, as anthropologists, are able to cross the boundaries of such delimited thinking.Show less
