Master thesis | Cultural Anthropology and Development Sociology (MSc)
closed access
This thesis researches the sense of belonging among Christian Chinese first-generation female migrants living in The Hague. The study explores how these women present and produce a sense of...Show moreThis thesis researches the sense of belonging among Christian Chinese first-generation female migrants living in The Hague. The study explores how these women present and produce a sense of belonging in the intercultural context of migration and religion. I reflect on the large issues of migration and belonging, as well as employ an anthropological perspective to highlight the issues of importance in this marginalized niche. I illustrate the complexity, transcendence, and dynamics of these women’s processes of presenting and producing different dimensions of belonging. I, thereby, employ anthropologist Gammeltoft’analytical models of belonging and quantitative research methods, such as interviews and participant observation, through case studies conducted with twelve women. The novelty lies in adding a theological anthropological perspective to existing studies of migration and belonging. The addition of the theology aspect enriches and deepens our understanding and perception of the related research topic.Show less
Master thesis | Cultural Anthropology and Development Sociology (MSc)
closed access
This thesis delves into the socio-spatial reality of a so-called ‘’Fablab’’ – short for fabrication laboratory- in Amsterdam. The Fablab is a workplace that facilitates open-source maker practices...Show moreThis thesis delves into the socio-spatial reality of a so-called ‘’Fablab’’ – short for fabrication laboratory- in Amsterdam. The Fablab is a workplace that facilitates open-source maker practices and education in efforts to demystify digital fabrication tools and machines such as 3D printers and laser cutters. Each of the three main arguments of this research touch upon knowledge production practices at the Fablab at different levels of analysis. First, at the level of the individual, this thesis describes sense-making activities through embodied making. In the fashion of the ''gewoon doen'' [ENG: ''just doing it''] mindset, makers are induced to involve their bodies in the maker process. Second, the open-source values of the Fablab are embedded in the open-ended layout of the space. Likewise, the socio-spatial set-up of the Fablab constitutes joint-making practices, resulting in collaborative knowledge. Third, situating the Fablab in relation to the other maker spaces at Waag allows for the investigation of inter-lab exchanges of knowledge. The spatial intimacy and open attitude of the makers present at Waag result in the interdisciplinary coming together of information. Altogether, this research attempts to tackle the question of how the socio-spatial situation of the Fablab shapes the production and coming together of embodied knowledge.Show less
Master thesis | Cultural Anthropology and Development Sociology (MSc)
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This thesis explores the presentation of digital identity within a digital social space through a two-month case study of practices on a platform that has not yet been extensively researched, and...Show moreThis thesis explores the presentation of digital identity within a digital social space through a two-month case study of practices on a platform that has not yet been extensively researched, and furthermore, that has been subject to incredible growth in the past few years, Twitch. By analyzing the way the audience presents itself within the chat, and furthermore, by asking viewers directly about their experience and practices within the chat of several different live streaming channels, this thesis looks at how we can understand the phenomenon of how people present themselves and experience their identity within this setting, by showing how perceptions, strategies, and challenges of viewers influence this process.Show less
Master thesis | Cultural Anthropology and Development Sociology (MSc)
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This multimodal thesis applies a phenomenological approach towards singing gospel music as lived religious practice in a contemporary and post-colonial Latin-American context. The research...Show moreThis multimodal thesis applies a phenomenological approach towards singing gospel music as lived religious practice in a contemporary and post-colonial Latin-American context. The research addresses the lived experiences of Afro-Surinamese vocalists part of the Maranatha Choir Community, performing gospel music as part of their everyday religious lives in Paramaribo, Suriname. The article shows how different generations of choral vocalists shape and negotiate performances of gospel music, embedded in the socioreligious and postcolonial context of contemporary Paramaribo. Through studying discourse and embodied performances, I encountered intergenerational tensions and dialogue regarding the use of voice in religious singing practices. The ethnographic film provides a sensory experience, showing how each choir constructs its own vocal sound and socio-religious space. Narrated from the perspective of youth, the film highlights how young vocalists negotiate religious music traditions and modern pop culture, giving new meanings to everyday life religion and making songs their own.Show less
Master thesis | Cultural Anthropology and Development Sociology (MSc)
closed access
The thesis discusses the role of vulnerable households in the energy transition. These households do not have the resources and are at risk of energy poverty, yet they often live in houses that...Show moreThe thesis discusses the role of vulnerable households in the energy transition. These households do not have the resources and are at risk of energy poverty, yet they often live in houses that need the most investments. This thesis looks at this dilemma up close, asking how responsibility for the energy transition is parsed, and what kind of misfits and frictions this creates.Show less
Master thesis | Cultural Anthropology and Development Sociology (MSc)
open access
This thesis explores how moral and ethical ideas are translated into how actors are designing or contesting future spatial development of the Nieuwe Waterweg, contributing to our understanding of...Show moreThis thesis explores how moral and ethical ideas are translated into how actors are designing or contesting future spatial development of the Nieuwe Waterweg, contributing to our understanding of why it is hard to change the logics embedded in these systems. Based on recent anthropological studies and the data gathered in this research, I hypothesise that part of the reason other proposals for the Nieuwe Waterweg's future are disregarded is not only simply clashing ideas of what function actors believe the Nieuwe Waterweg should prioritise. Rather, it is the different ideologies about just relations between human and nonhuman actors that cause conflicting ideas about how environments should be organised and why (Larkin 2013; Scaramelli 2019; Star & Ruhleder 1996). Despite the disagreements over the political functions of the Nieuwe Waterweg, all actors alike praise the symbolic, poetic value it serves (Larkin 2013). Its international reputation on port activities, association with water safety and overall symbol of innovativeness could once again be the key to contest the current logics and systems and convince policy makers of ones more sustainable and suitable for the future.Show less
Master thesis | Cultural Anthropology and Development Sociology (MSc)
open access
The research focuses on the execution of the policy program called Resilient Bospolder/Tussendijken 2028. The main aims of this policy are to reduce CO2 emissions and to improve the quality of life...Show moreThe research focuses on the execution of the policy program called Resilient Bospolder/Tussendijken 2028. The main aims of this policy are to reduce CO2 emissions and to improve the quality of life in called Bospolder/Tussnedijken. Frequently referred to simply as BoTu, this neighborhood in Rotterdam is often presented as having higher than average poverty rates. In this study, I will try to understand how the two mentioned sets of goals combine under the term resilience. I will do that by focusing on the implementation of the program and the way residents of BoTu experience it. The concepts of citizenship and energy ethics will be crucial for my research. I will discuss debates surrounding these concepts and try to build upon them. With this, I will try to also contribute to academic debates about policy implementation, citizenship, and energy ethics. I will also touch upon the concept of resilience and temporalities concerning policy projects. The first will help me understand resilient projects in general, while the second will be beneficial for conceptualizing findings in my field. This study is based on my fieldwork in BoTu from January 2022 to early April 2022. It was conducted as part of Port City Futures research program and in collaboration with Veld Academie. The latter is an organization tasked by the municipality of BoTu to monitor the development of the resilience program.Show less
Master thesis | Cultural Anthropology and Development Sociology (MSc)
closed access
In this case study I investigate a unit of six people in the Woondiversiteit: a community in which Dutch students and Syrian status holders are living together. This paper attempts to show how...Show moreIn this case study I investigate a unit of six people in the Woondiversiteit: a community in which Dutch students and Syrian status holders are living together. This paper attempts to show how mutual social support, language learning and cultural learning have emerged within the informal context of this living community. It will be argued that this way of living creates opportunities for intergroup contact which results in positive effects of cross-cultural interaction, such as the reduction of prejudices and the development of family-like relations. These relationships being, on the one hand, ones that stimulate the willingness to contribute to supporting status-holders to integrate in Dutch society, and on the other hand to generate an understanding amongst the Dutch students of the condition that these status holders find themselves in and to learn new ways of being and interacting. This research consists partly of an observational film that shows these interactions. Visual ethnography as part of participant observation has been used as the principal method, to create a deeper understanding of relational learning within this community. I will discuss the different roles which the camera has played in these processes and as a medium of investigation.Show less
Master thesis | Cultural Anthropology and Development Sociology (MSc)
open access
This moral anthropological study has explored the moral narratives of right- and far-right users of the subreddit pages /FreeDutch and /Forum_Democratie, and compared these to the tactical choices...Show moreThis moral anthropological study has explored the moral narratives of right- and far-right users of the subreddit pages /FreeDutch and /Forum_Democratie, and compared these to the tactical choices of the Dutch political party Forum voor Democratie. The central elements of these moral narratives were freedom and personal responsibility as ways to navigate the changing cultural circumstances in which my interlocutors felt blamed, demeaned and sidelined. These feelings were tied to a perceived moral judgment by political adversaries, and were most evoked regarding the perceived charge of racism. The Dutch far-right populist party Forum voor Democratie has capitalized on these emotional experiences by subsuming them under a narrative that epistemologically and emotionally discredits and distances outside parties by painting them as corrupt and ill-intentioned, facilitates social and political polarization, and ultimately delegitimizes democracy as a whole.Show less
Master thesis | Cultural Anthropology and Development Sociology (MSc)
open access
Thousands of migrants and asylum-seekers are entering the Netherlands in various (legal) ways and are stuck in a waiting time in different aspects of their procedures of acquiring residency. This...Show moreThousands of migrants and asylum-seekers are entering the Netherlands in various (legal) ways and are stuck in a waiting time in different aspects of their procedures of acquiring residency. This research project explores realms of migrating to the Netherlands by focussing on the perception of temporalities, documentation and communication with Dutch authorities like the IND (Immigration and Naturalization Service). Diving into the theoretical concepts of power-chronography, delaying, waiting and errance, I explore how appointments with the IND, being transferred, and having no legal residence documents and other (bureaucratic) challenges are experiences in the lived experiences of my collaborators. All four collaborators present in this thesis, as well in the audiovisual output in the form of a zine, have their own ambitions and coping strategies with caring for their time while being in documentation and bureaucratic challenges, such as waiting for the second interview with the IND. Embedded within the framework of visual ethnography, this thesis attempts to dive into methodological reflections of zine-making as process and as audio-visual product in a multimodal way (including film and soundscapes accessible via QR codes). Together with the four young male collaborators from Kenya, Guinea, Yemen and Afghanistan, we aim to show parts of the asylum procedure in an artistic manner and critically question the current Dutch migration system and distribute the zines to engage with the research in line with the zine history of anti-institutionalism and activism. This research contributes to critically unpacking what the intersections of power, documentation and temporalities mean for the four collaborators in their lived experiences, shedding light on in which forms they find agency and control while currently being in the residency acquiring in the Netherlands. Thereby this research project in form of the written thesis and the accompanying zine contribute to the discourse of temporalities and migration.Show less
