With the slogan ‘unity in diversity’, the EU has been striving to promote a European identity that EU citizens can identify with next to their national identity, and to stimulate cohesion between...Show moreWith the slogan ‘unity in diversity’, the EU has been striving to promote a European identity that EU citizens can identify with next to their national identity, and to stimulate cohesion between the European member states. This motto expresses an “imagined cultural community of Europe”, which uses history and heritage as a collective identity marker. In the twentieth century, the cultural heritage of Christianity has been viewed to descend as an identity marker. This is due to the increased secularization in Europe. However, secularism in Western European countries and the EU have been contested by other European countries in several cases. Hence, Christianity has reclaimed a critical role in the debates on the European identity. This thesis will study how Christianity, as a cultural and historical characteristic of Europe, plays a role in the debates on the collective European identity in the EU. A close analysis will be done on speeches and statements from EU political actors about the EU Constitutional Treaty and the refugee crisis.Show less
This thesis explores the approaches taken by the European Union (EU) in its attempts to construct a collective European identity. Though the Union espouses the motto “united in diversity”, a closer...Show moreThis thesis explores the approaches taken by the European Union (EU) in its attempts to construct a collective European identity. Though the Union espouses the motto “united in diversity”, a closer examination of its cultural policies and initiatives reveals a contradictory narrative, wherein the notion of respecting Europe’s “diversity” may be overshadowed by attempts at promoting “unity” through the idea of a cohesive shared heritage. The EU’s politicisation of heritage is therefore the focus of this thesis, as it has influenced the way culture and identity have been promoted following the Treaty of Lisbon in service of fulfilling the aim of an “ever-closer union”. However, the presentation of these concepts is always the result of a process of selection, which is of note in the context of the EU – its promotion of a collective European identity based on a “shared heritage” is also rooted, paradoxically, in the diversity found across its Member States. As such, this thesis seeks to highlight the contestations and contradictions found in the idea of a "collective European identity", which is especially relevant in light of the self-declared “existential crisis” faced by the Union today.Show less
The European Convention on Human Rights stipulates the death penalty as an exception to the right to life. However, the punishment has been abolished completely in Europe through its subsequent...Show moreThe European Convention on Human Rights stipulates the death penalty as an exception to the right to life. However, the punishment has been abolished completely in Europe through its subsequent Protocols and jurisprudential development of the European Court of Human Rights. As such, Europe (the Council of Europe and the European Union) insists that the death penalty should be abolished in Japan, while Japan continues to administer the form of punishment. One of Europe’s central arguments is that: (i) Japan has become party to international agreements that include the right to life; (ii) the death penalty violates the right to life; (iii) therefore, Japan should abolish the death penalty. In so arguing, Europe promotes the norm of abolishing the punishment as universal, while Japan does not accept such a claim. Against this backdrop, the thesis is guided by the following question: how do the conceptions of the right to life differ between Europe and Japan? It attempts to answer the question through undertaking a cross-cultural examination of the conceptions of the right to life within Europe and Japan. It does so through close-reading legal instruments and case law, taking into account the views of contemporary authors. In light of European and Japanese behaviours toward the two principal issues of the right to life, namely the death penalty and euthanasia, the study concludes by maintaining that, when concerning the conceptions of the right to life: (1) alienability of life (to take one’s life) is more generally accepted in Japan than in Europe; and (2) in Japan, public sentiments continue to play a significant role, whereas in Europe they do not. While the thesis does not claim for or against the death penalty, these differences suggest that specific understanding of each right within particular social orders should not be neglected in international communications.Show less
This thesis discusses the extent to which there is a shift in the discourse used in British news correspondence on slavery in the West Indies in the 50 years leading up to the abolition in 1833 and...Show moreThis thesis discusses the extent to which there is a shift in the discourse used in British news correspondence on slavery in the West Indies in the 50 years leading up to the abolition in 1833 and how this represents the advances of the abolitionist movement in that period. It does so by discursively analyzing used in newspaper articles from 1766 until 1833.Show less
This thesis will explore the research question “How does the unveiling of the Muslim women represent a power relationship between the Muslim Orient and the European Occident?” by looking into two...Show moreThis thesis will explore the research question “How does the unveiling of the Muslim women represent a power relationship between the Muslim Orient and the European Occident?” by looking into two case studies that represent the European desire to ‘unveil’ the Muslim women with their ‘fetishization’ and ‘voyeuristic gaze’, connecting to the concept of orientalism. It will analyze the case studies from the discipline of postcolonial feminism, developing from the mainstream postcolonial theory that aims to subvert the authority of the colonizer by highlighting the voice of colonized subjects.Show less
This thesis researches the impact of tourism gentrification on the authenticity of a place. The research entails a comparison of the history of modern tourism and the history of gentrification....Show moreThis thesis researches the impact of tourism gentrification on the authenticity of a place. The research entails a comparison of the history of modern tourism and the history of gentrification. This analysis of gentrification is realised with the case study of Amsterdam’s city centre. Furthermore, the negotiation of authenticity is used to analyse the impact of tourism gentrification in Amsterdam. This is accomplished through analysing the policies set out by the Amsterdam municipality and is realised by understanding tourism incentives.Show less
The European Union (EU) imports Genetically Modified (GM) Staple Crops (SC) for animal feed and to be used in food chain production. GM SC are imported mostly from the United States, Canada, Brazil...Show moreThe European Union (EU) imports Genetically Modified (GM) Staple Crops (SC) for animal feed and to be used in food chain production. GM SC are imported mostly from the United States, Canada, Brazil and Argentina. However, this is generally not public knowledge. This is partly due to EU policy on the cultivation of GM being highly regulated. Hence the belief of some that the EU is a GM-free zone. On a global perspective, the EU is one of the most conservative users of GM. One could talk of a European culture of anti-GM. For some, this culture has been intervening with science and has been prospering misinformation and mystification of GM. This has been argued to put Food Security, Safety and Sustainability at risk. Hence, the current model of Agricultural Policy in the EU is not Responsible. It is therefore important to deconstruct the culture that has formed around GM in the EU to be able to understand the discourse narrative and to analyse the decision to not cultivate but import GM SC.Show less
The theory of objectification, which regards the visual representation of women, and occasionally men, sheds light on many current debates concerning the sexist portrayal of the female gender in...Show moreThe theory of objectification, which regards the visual representation of women, and occasionally men, sheds light on many current debates concerning the sexist portrayal of the female gender in modern society. Such debates shift from analysing the role women are bound to hold within society, to the way they are portrayed through different types of media, such as television. In my research I will analyse the way women are often depicted in society, especially through media, and how this affects their political integration. To do so I will focus on the role Berlusconi played in the representation of Italian women, not only through his leadership as Italian Prime Minister, in which he remained for two decades, but also due to his role as media tycoon.Show less
There is a decisively limited amount of attention paid in English scholarship towards the lived experience of the 1999 NATO bombing of Yugoslavia by the citizens of Belgrade. Even more so, there is...Show moreThere is a decisively limited amount of attention paid in English scholarship towards the lived experience of the 1999 NATO bombing of Yugoslavia by the citizens of Belgrade. Even more so, there is a very little amount of scholarly examination of the series of concerts held by the city council of Belgrade in response to the bombings, titled “Song Has Kept Us” (Pesma Nas Je Održala), and the intriguing manner in which they contributed to the political landscape of Yugoslavia under the Milošević era. This thesis aims to address this gap in the literature to highlight the value of cultural production to Slobodan Milošević’s regime by uncovering the fascinating way in which stylistic and sonic choices regarding the concerts and the historical context in which the concerts took shape helped produce a desired political meaning and identity that benefited the state. I will argue that these concerts were organized in such a way to promote unity and nationalism amongst the Yugoslavian people, cultivate resistance against NATO forces, and advance a historical narrative that depicted Yugoslavia (or Serbs) as the innocent and just victims of aggression despite strong (Western) criticism of military and police violence in Kosovo and, previously, the Yugoslav wars. It appears convincing that the political outcomes of the concerts were meant to directly or indirectly contribute to upholding state hegemony in Yugoslavia. The series of concerts are discussed within the context of Belgrade as an arena of sonic warfare, wherein the concerts counteracted NATO sonic booms that were meant to weaken morale and induce fear. Although the relationship of music to politics is traditionally recognized for music’s utility as a method of resistance against the political status quo, the series of concerts illustrate how these same qualities can be utilized by the state to maintain support whilst uplifting the people. The case will hence illustrate how state-organized concerts can act as a powerful political weapon amid international conflict.Show less
The article examines the use of social media during crisis events. In this particular case, the focus is on the use of Twitter in meaning-making processes during terrorist attacks in Paris and...Show moreThe article examines the use of social media during crisis events. In this particular case, the focus is on the use of Twitter in meaning-making processes during terrorist attacks in Paris and Brussels. The article examines how visual material in the form of images was used on Twitter in order to create counter-discourses alongside the dominant discourse.Show less
Populism is a current political phenomenon in Europe. During the last ten years, the number of immigrants in Europe has intensified. Far-right populist political parties propose anti-immigration,...Show morePopulism is a current political phenomenon in Europe. During the last ten years, the number of immigrants in Europe has intensified. Far-right populist political parties propose anti-immigration, suggest xenophobic sentiments and take advantage of this significant European issue to gain popularity. By using a cultural and political perspective, this thesis has considered two case studies: Italy and Poland, which show to have high levels of xenophobia. The paper aimed at showing how Italian and Polish populists governing parties use a strategic reference to the constructed national identity and anti-EU rhetoric to instigate fear and xenophobia.Show less
