Upon becoming prime-minister of Malaysia in 1981,Mahathir initiated the “Look East” policy. This policy looked at Korea and Japan and sought to use these countries as examples. The policy was not...Show moreUpon becoming prime-minister of Malaysia in 1981,Mahathir initiated the “Look East” policy. This policy looked at Korea and Japan and sought to use these countries as examples. The policy was not only meant as an economic measure, but also as a cultural policy to aid the poor Malays. This thesis tries to answer the question to what extent the policy was aimed for the latter and how this was to be implemented. Firstly, it will look at Malaysia's cultural background and Mahathir's view on the matter before becoming prime-minister. It focuses on his book, the Malay Dilemma, where he stressed the need for Malays to change their values. Secondly it will look into the initiation of the “Look East” policy and what it aimed to do. Thirdly, it will go into Japan's image and how Mahathir sought to transfer values from Japan to Malaysia. Then, it will look at the implementation of the policy and how it was executed. Lastly, the conclusion talks about the cultural influence of the “Look East” policy. Saying that the policy was not effective in changing the values of the Malays, but did bring out a change in direction from looking to the West towards looking to the East.Show less
With relations to the position of the museum as an institution dealing with heritage preservation, it can be inferred from the quote above that objects have a significant influence in defining...Show moreWith relations to the position of the museum as an institution dealing with heritage preservation, it can be inferred from the quote above that objects have a significant influence in defining culture. Therefore the way that museum collections are accumulated cannot be overlooked. Indeed, according to Peter ter Keurs, collecting is not a neutral activity and in the colonial times, it is a political statement (2009, p. 147). This implies the political nature of museums and its connection with colonialism, in the way that museum collections comprise of objects considered valuable by the colonial power’s perspective. Proceeding from these concepts, my aim is to focus on the analysis of Indonesian collections in the National Museum of Indonesia and the National Museum of Ethnology in Leiden. To be more particular, the thesis seeks to enquiry the repatriation of objects as well as museum collaboration and how these affect the relationship between the two museums, and the two countries. In doing so, the thesis will also look into the practice of collecting, the birth of museums, and the debate over cultural ownership as the foundation to proceed to the discussion about repatriation, museum collaboration, and shared cultural inheritance.Show less
This thesis examines the tangibility of Beijing's current policies in the Greater Central Asia theatre in the light of the changing circumstances - an analysis that is then extended to Beijing's...Show moreThis thesis examines the tangibility of Beijing's current policies in the Greater Central Asia theatre in the light of the changing circumstances - an analysis that is then extended to Beijing's anticipatory abilities. Due to accelerating tendencies and looming shifts, the volatile Greater Central Asian region contains great potential for socio-economic, religious and political upheaval. By picking out two of these anomalies - and analyzing the retributions on local, national and regional levels - the sustainability of Beijing's policies is measured. These two challenges are the changing U.S. commitment in Afghanistan, and the creeping tendencies within the Pakistani jihadist scene, and the global jihadist doctrine.Show less
In the last few years, the question of land expropriations has become a major source of discontent in Taiwan. Even if these kinds of policy have had a long history, it is particularly in the last...Show moreIn the last few years, the question of land expropriations has become a major source of discontent in Taiwan. Even if these kinds of policy have had a long history, it is particularly in the last decade that they have triggered rural unrest, causing a dramatic increase in rallies and protests against seizures and inadequate compensations. As a result, land grabs are perceived as one of the biggest threats to the stability of the entire system. This thesis analyses the case of the rural social movement in Dapu Village in Taiwan’s Miaoli County, well known for the high number of people involved and the court victory against the Ministry of the Interior (MOI) and the Miaoli County Government. In doing so, it argues that in order to evaluate the outcomes of a social movement it is also necessary to take into account other factors such as the nature of the issue, the perceived opportunities and threats, and the interactions between the movement’s actors and the authorities. As such, this thesis begins by exploring the reasons for land conflict, describing how neoliberalism impacted on Taiwanese land governance to create two different but simultaneous forces driving the process: the central government’s need (and right for public interest) to expropriate land in order to create developmental zones, and underfunded local governments’ power in the reallocation of lands, ultimately leading to cases of corruption and misallocation of resources. Following this, through the application of political opportunity structure and resource mobilization theories, this thesis will answer the main question: how did the social movement and the authorities mobilize their resources during the conflict over land grabs in Dapu? In doing so, a more nuanced view of the conflict’s outcomes will be gained as well as a deeper insight into the overall successes and failures of the movement.Show less
My fieldwork concentrates on the district Rajapolah in Tasikmalaya, West Java. The economic development of this area is largely due to non-governmental organizations (NGOs). This is not unusual;...Show moreMy fieldwork concentrates on the district Rajapolah in Tasikmalaya, West Java. The economic development of this area is largely due to non-governmental organizations (NGOs). This is not unusual; many rural Indonesian regions have been partly abandoned by governmental services. In most cases, secular or international NGOs will fill the gap through developmental aids and welfare programs. Yet, the main NGO in Rajapolah, Persatuan Islam (Persis), can be distinguished from its peers. Not only does it have a strong Islamic foundation, it also based most of its organization on local knowledge, customs and religions. But at the same time they were adapted to current circumstances. The Islamic community of Rajapolah had already modernized their alms distribution before the religious NGO took over finances in 2007. This thesis will consider how this modernization took place and how Persis eventually started administrating it. By adapting local customs, Persis could easily enter the local economy. Moreover, as a religious institution it stood closer to the local Islamic communities than the government or the World Bank ever would.Just as Islamic charity systems merged together with local cultures. As a consequence, religious aids are frequently used for social welfare and development in rural and urban areas.In this thesis, I demonstrate how they managed to do so in Rajapolah. With this purpose in mind, focus is put one three particular forms of institutionalized Islamic charity; namely Zakat, Sadaqah and Infaq. These three types of alms formed the basis of modernized institutions providing affordable credit for small businesses.The efficiency with which the Rajapolah NGO circulated money through the district proved to boost economic prosperity significantlyShow less
Despite the fact that China is well-known for its lengthy literary history, children’s literature is a relatively young concept which was only introduced in the 20th century – much later than in...Show moreDespite the fact that China is well-known for its lengthy literary history, children’s literature is a relatively young concept which was only introduced in the 20th century – much later than in most Western countries. However, in this short period of time, children’s literature has been able to flourish in China and has become an indispensable part of its enormous publishing market today. In this thesis, the current Chinese children’s literature market is explored in depth by not only looking at existing written sources, but also by conducting fieldwork in four bookstores in Beijing. This fieldwork can be divided into three separate categories, namely mapping of the bookstores, observing its products and costumers, and interviewing 42 Chinese parents. By analyzing how the Chinese children’s literature market as portrayed in written sources is reflected in these bookstores, this research has shown that the children’s literature market is indeed a booming business, but it has also shed light on other aspects of the market, such as the fact that there are still very serious problems that need to be solved in order to guarantee the ongoing success of children’s literature in China.Show less
Corruption is a popular topic subject to much generalisation and debate over issues of morality, democracy and economy, but rarer are true categorisations that seek to label different types of...Show moreCorruption is a popular topic subject to much generalisation and debate over issues of morality, democracy and economy, but rarer are true categorisations that seek to label different types of corruption and analyse them as having the potential for good and bad. This paper devises four categories of corruption: selfish, political advantage, economic advantage, and functional, then studies their impact and response to anti-corruption measures within Southeast Asia.Show less
This thesis explores the relationship between censorship of the authoritarian government of early modern Japan and the sharebon and kibyoshi sub-genres of gesaku literature, with reference to M.E....Show moreThis thesis explores the relationship between censorship of the authoritarian government of early modern Japan and the sharebon and kibyoshi sub-genres of gesaku literature, with reference to M.E. Berry's notion of the private public sphere (1998), and compares the situation of these literary sub-genres with the situation of ukiyo-e prints.Show less
This study focuses on the anti-footbinding movement initiated by the Western missionaries in late Qing China. Western missionaries were the first group of people who advocated the abolishment of...Show moreThis study focuses on the anti-footbinding movement initiated by the Western missionaries in late Qing China. Western missionaries were the first group of people who advocated the abolishment of footbinding, and their activities had facilitated the spread of this movement. However, as the intention of western missionary in China was to Christianize the Chinese, did their anti-footbinding movement contribute to the recruitment of more Chinese converts? If not, why? Centering on this research question, the thesis is divided into four chapters. Chapter 1 introduces the general missionary history in China and the positions of the Catholics and the Protestants on the issue of footbinding. Chapter 2 is a case study on Rev.John Macgowan’s anti-footbinding effort in Amoy. This case shows how missionary handled the anti-footbinding issue in a local area of China and what problems the missionary met during his practice. Chapter 3 is another case study on Young John Allen and the famous newspaper Wanguo gongbao he launched which had great influence in the modern history of China. Through the discussions of anti-footbinding in the newspaper, Allen successfully drew the attention of the Chinese reformers on the anti-footbinding issue. Young’s case signals a transition of the anti-footbinding movement from missionaries to a wider public. This transition led the anti-footbiding movement to a further development in China. However, it also implies the loosening of ties between anti-footbinding movement and the evangelical cause. Chapter 4 is a study of the larger social context of late Qing China which produced much antagonism and few support for the Western missionaries’ anti-footbinding movement, as the Western imperialists’ advancement in China affected the images of missionaries and made people unwilling to associate themselves with Christianity, even if they might support the abolishment of footbinding.Show less
The aim of this MA Thesis is to study and compare domestication and foreignization in the manga translations of scanlation and official publications by analyzing and comparing the translations of...Show moreThe aim of this MA Thesis is to study and compare domestication and foreignization in the manga translations of scanlation and official publications by analyzing and comparing the translations of the verbal and visual text of the original manga. This study is a comparative analysis of three translations of the same source text. The material employed in this study is the first volume of Azumanga Daioh (2000) along with the translated versions of the same volume in English by two English publishers, namely ADV Manga (2003) and Yen Press (2009) and the scanlation by Manga- Basket (2008). The translations have been analyzed using five categories of verbal and visual text, which are culture specific elements, wordplay, overall writing style, onomatopoeia and pictorial elements. By looking at the translation methods used in the five categories I will determine whether and to which degree the translations are foreignized or domesticated.Show less
Although racism and racial issues are not about the color of people’s skin in itself, the symbolic meanings given to color do determine who is affected by acts of discrimination and who is not. But...Show moreAlthough racism and racial issues are not about the color of people’s skin in itself, the symbolic meanings given to color do determine who is affected by acts of discrimination and who is not. But there is more to racism than it simply being about dark skin versus fair. Even among skin tone, variations that exist in terms color across the range of dark to fair, the type of discrimination faced by people differs. On a related yet deceptively different topic skin color is also strongly tied to beauty ideals. The focus for this thesis lies on the Japanese market. The question that is answered is: what does white skin stand for within Japanese society and is this beauty ideal of fair skin directly linked to a desire to emulate white people?Show less
