The media has played a centripetal role in shaping public opinion and setting domestic and foreign affairs agendas. The Republic of Turkey is a ubiquitous factor in Greek historiography, nation...Show moreThe media has played a centripetal role in shaping public opinion and setting domestic and foreign affairs agendas. The Republic of Turkey is a ubiquitous factor in Greek historiography, nation-building processes, and foreign security policy. Throughout their unstable and fluctuating relations, the Greco – Turkish dyad has received copious media attention. In 2019 Turkey and Libya signed a maritime exclusive economic zone (EEZ) Memorandum of Understanding. Such a settlement allegedly balked the EU's planned project to enhance the EastMed pipeline and violated Greece's EEZ, consequently causing an intense media reaction throughout Greece. This thesis applies Critical Discourse Analysis (CDA) to the publications of Kathimerini and Ta Nea, Greece's most widely read daily newspapers. The analysis brings insight into the media's sociopolitical role, its position regarding the citizenry and the state, and Turkey's importance as an external agent that reinforces the Greeks' in-group cohesion. Considering Aristotelian topoi to approach CDA, the analysis indicates that the Greek media's narrative on the Turkey-Libya settlement frames (i) Turkey as a threatening 'other,' (ii) portrays Greece as the referent object, and (iii) rejects the validity of such a settlement under international law, reinforcing the previous two points.Show less
This paper is concerned with the role that The Walt Disney Company’s licenses play within the Kingdom Hearts series, developed by Japanese company Square Enix and directed by Tetsuya Nomura. This...Show moreThis paper is concerned with the role that The Walt Disney Company’s licenses play within the Kingdom Hearts series, developed by Japanese company Square Enix and directed by Tetsuya Nomura. This franchise has been a major success worldwide, and it is not only because of Disney’s presence; the game displays a large array of original ideas that have enchanted millions of fans worldwide. The aim of this research is to shine light upon the many nuances this video game franchise presents. This research demonstrates how Kingdom Hearts challenges the traditional notion of Disney as a cultural imperialist force. This is due to Square Enix commodifying the larger power, while denoting a deeper correlation between the methods of the two companies. Furthermore, the fact that Disney hands a generous portion of its licenses to a foreign company to be managed and adapted to a completely alien environment, is an occurrence rarely seen before/in the past. The research question reads: How does Square Enix's Kingdom Hearts video game series challenge the traditional view of Disney as a cultural imperialist force in East Asia? In order to answer this question the research explores the discourse of past research written on the topics of Japanese role-playing-games, Disney, cultural imperialism, as well as analysing the video game series itself. This paper argues that the Kingdom Hearts franchise is a one-of-a-kind representation of transnational cooperation, existing outside of the boundaries of cultural imperialism and which reflects the similitude of two different international actors.Show less
The development of German foreign policy in the Interwar years; ''How did German revisionism under the Weimar Republic and Third Reich affect foreign policy goals and their implementation between...Show moreThe development of German foreign policy in the Interwar years; ''How did German revisionism under the Weimar Republic and Third Reich affect foreign policy goals and their implementation between 1920 and 1939?''Show less
With its illustrious buildings and infrastructure, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) is a global tourist destination. In June 2019, the building projects in UAE were estimated at 3 trillion AED. This...Show moreWith its illustrious buildings and infrastructure, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) is a global tourist destination. In June 2019, the building projects in UAE were estimated at 3 trillion AED. This construction industry sustains itself through the thousands of migrant workers it employs who mostly belong to South-Asian countries such as India, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, etc. Generally, they are carried to the GCC via the Kafala system. This essay will aim to answer the question, “What are the various ways that are used to contest the condition of the migrant labourers against the state in UAE?” In order to answer the question, this essay will first give a brief overview about the conditions and general situation of the migrant labourers, how the exclusion of labourers is done through the citizenship rules, kafala system and lack of labour laws. The literature review will discuss different theories to try and explain the mechanisms behind immigrant protests in the UAE. Further, the paper will discuss the various ways that have been used to contest the conditions of the migrant labourers against the state including protests and suicides by the labour, international pressure, efforts by activists, non-governmental organisations and students. It will analyse what methods have been successful and which have not been successful in bringing about change. This thesis agrees with the statement that while the UAE has made recent changes to their Labour Law and Kafala System which are indeed a step in the right direction, they need to actually enforce the changes through proper channels and governance while also increasing the penalties significantly in case the law is broken by wealthy sponsors and companies who exploit migrant labourers by charging them exorbitant fees in order to stop the long standing system of exploitation and treatment of migrant labourers as slave labour.Show less
This thesis aims to show the impact of the increased demand and use of smartphone technology, since 2008, in India from a socio-economic perspective. The Indian economy is digitizing rapidly, and...Show moreThis thesis aims to show the impact of the increased demand and use of smartphone technology, since 2008, in India from a socio-economic perspective. The Indian economy is digitizing rapidly, and the smartphone market is one of the main components. However, there is a lack of research on the socio-economic impacts of the growing smartphone market in developing countries like India. This research argues that the increasing smartphone technology and its market has positively impacted India's socio-economy. This research has mainly been conducted through qualitative research with some quantitative research. Many literary sources have been studied to examine the impact. The most important results of this study are the economic growth the smartphone market has caused and the rise of direct and indirect job opportunities through this market. Further, how the growing smartphone market has resulted in women's increased safety and emancipation and accessibility of education for many Indians. Lastly, the research showed that even in a crisis, such as the Corona crisis, the smartphone market is still profitable as the smartphone will keep playing an important role or become even more critical. Therefore the conclusion is that the introduction of smartphones in 2008 has positively impacted India's socio-economy.Show less
The study covers the topic of sustainable development and the tourism industry in Egypt with a special focus on environmental degradation. The overarching research question for the study is ‘How...Show moreThe study covers the topic of sustainable development and the tourism industry in Egypt with a special focus on environmental degradation. The overarching research question for the study is ‘How does the tourism industry affect sustainable development in Egypt?’ Three case studies were used in order to demonstrate how the industry has affected the environment of the Red Sea. Based on the analysis of the case studies conclusions have been drawn concerning the effect on environmental degradation and how this subsequently affect the other two areas of sustainable development, social and economic development, in the long – term. The results of the paper show that the tourism industry, although it may have short – term positive social and economic effects, have long – term overall negative effects. The focus on long – term development here is critical for this conclusion, since sustainable development implies long – term development through which the current generation can fulfil their needs without jeopardizing the ability of future generations to fulfil theirs. If the tourism industry continues their current practices of environmental degradation, it will destroy the very environment on which the industry relies for many of its activities but also the very environment on which humanity relies. Environmental degradation of the Red Sea in particular also affects the fishing industry which is another important sector of the Egyptian economy. A loss of revenue both within the sector itself, and other economic sectors relying on the environment may lead to increased unemployment and thus a decrease in general social well – being. This demonstrates how the tourism industry can have long – term negative economic and social effects on the society as a whole. Lastly, the discussion brings up the issue that political instability causes to the tourism sector and the relationship between them. A faltering tourism industry as a result of environmental degradation can contribute to further political unrest due to increased environmental and economic difficulties, thus creating a vicious cycle of negative effects. This clearly demonstrates the importance of developing sustainable practices within the tourism industry, not just for economic reasons within the industry, but for the stability of the Egyptian society as a whole.Show less
This thesis adopts a multidisciplinary approach to investigate the role played by droughts in Mozambique to try and assess their impact on the society. More precisely, it reviews the evolution of...Show moreThis thesis adopts a multidisciplinary approach to investigate the role played by droughts in Mozambique to try and assess their impact on the society. More precisely, it reviews the evolution of natural resource management practices in the country from the pre-colonial times to the contemporary period, it analyses actual testimonies coming from inhabitants of Maputo, and it investigates the political and environmental framework set in place by the government. In the end, it is found that there still is a significant gap between the actions which the government plans to implement and the actual social outcome generated by droughts.Show less
