Catalogues have been a staple library feature for the last several centuries, a useful finding tool for readers and organizational aid for librarians; they are also a representation of a particular...Show moreCatalogues have been a staple library feature for the last several centuries, a useful finding tool for readers and organizational aid for librarians; they are also a representation of a particular place and time. The form and content of a catalogue can provide insights into the social norms and scholarly interests of the era in which it was created. Employing a longitudinal and comparative approach, this thesis examines the published catalogues of Leiden University Library’s Hebrew manuscripts collection throughout its four centuries of existence. I compare these catalogues, mark the differences in the ways they describe Hebrew manuscripts, and illuminate the social changes or emerging scholarly fields that likely influenced their creators. Throughout this thesis, I argue that when it comes to Hebrew manuscripts, any examination of historical cataloguing trends or choices cannot be complete without also considering that era’s societal attitudes toward Jews, the original creators of the language and texts contained in said manuscripts. I conclude that there exists a direct correlation between the quality of the catalogues’ manuscript descriptions and the cataloguer’s knowledge of the Hebrew language and of Jewish literature and culture; I extrapolate the implications of this conclusion for the future of manuscript cataloguing in the digital age.Show less
This thesis aims to provide an overview of how certain gendered narrative tropes have made their way from action-adventure film and television into video game stories of the same genre, of the...Show moreThis thesis aims to provide an overview of how certain gendered narrative tropes have made their way from action-adventure film and television into video game stories of the same genre, of the differences that have arisen between these types of media, and of why we can recognise these differences. It does so through an analysis of the 21st century in television and film, in order to outline gendered tropes regularly found in these media. This is followed by a discourse analysis of three case studies: Tomb Raider (2013), Horizon Zero Dawn (2017) and The Last of Us: Part II (2020).Show less
The monumental and breathtaking grand vistas seen in technologically advanced sublime landscape photography aiming to objectively warn about the fragile state of the earth, raise the question of...Show moreThe monumental and breathtaking grand vistas seen in technologically advanced sublime landscape photography aiming to objectively warn about the fragile state of the earth, raise the question of whether landscape photography could offer a less heroic, yet ethically engaging counter language that facilitates a responsive involvement with our environment. The research introduces the concept of a non-representative “minor landscape photography” as a change-seeking approach to camera technology that regains the ideological erasure of subjective technological vision. In that sense, minor landscape photography rejects the humanist ideology of objective vision that conceptually excludes the observer from the field of vision. Assisted by an elaborate case study with photographers that are critically involved with landscape representation the research investigates three counter perspectives to “unsee” the authoritative, all-seeing eye of disembodied vision. In a performative process of embodied unseeing, the perspectives operate on reduced visibility with photographs that consciously act as mediating surfaces between the observer and the world. Ultimately, in favour of a non-oppositional, multi-perspectival and transformative liaison with contemporary technology and its subject matter, the research emphasises the ethical promise of minor landscape photography to inform a “world that is yet to be.” In times of environmental concern, the ultimate rejection of technology’s repressive magic and its static “view from nowhere” invite camera technology to assist in the formation of a liberating, life-informing and eco-conscious landscape photography that empowers accountable “views from somewhere” to evolve.Show less
This thesis establishes the Japanese otome visual novel genre of media as a new, digital type of immersive multimodal reading for women. Otome revives the bygone late 20th-century academic debate...Show moreThis thesis establishes the Japanese otome visual novel genre of media as a new, digital type of immersive multimodal reading for women. Otome revives the bygone late 20th-century academic debate on interactive fiction, as the subgenre challenges the categories of media as we understand them: the otome visual novel format combines romantically-themed prose with visual, audial, and interactive elements. Otome visual novels evoke a feeling of influence over the plot progression through interactivity, yet present walls of text as their method of story-building and therefore require a significant amount of reading, which could preclude their consideration as either literature or games per se. Because of this generic ambiguity, visual novels have long been overlooked in academia. This thesis presents a comprehensive analysis of otome visual novels as part of Japanese (women’s) reading habits using Espen Aarseth’s concept of ‘ergodic literature’, supported by theory from Reading Studies, Literature Studies, and Game Studies. In doing so, this thesis sheds light on the subgenre’s immense popularity in its country of origin and illuminates its unique position to bridge the academic fields of Literature Studies and Game Studies in the digital age.Show less
This thesis studies a Middle Dutch Book of Hours which was copied in 1498 and illuminated in 1499 for Aef van Bolgerien, an inhabitant of Beverwijk, and which is currently preserved in the Special...Show moreThis thesis studies a Middle Dutch Book of Hours which was copied in 1498 and illuminated in 1499 for Aef van Bolgerien, an inhabitant of Beverwijk, and which is currently preserved in the Special Collections of Leiden University Libraries under the shelfmark BPL 2747. While several aspects of this manuscript have already received scholarly attention (in particular its colophon and decoration), this thesis presents a first comprehensive study into the history and contents of the codex. It focuses in particular on the way(s) in which the book was customized for the use by Aef van Bolgerien. Books of Hours were often made to order, meaning their contents could be adjusted to the preferences of the comissioner. As a result, while Books of Hours are the most surviving type of texts from the Middle Ages, they show great variety among them. As the selection of additional prayers in particular is specific to each copy, they offer insight into both the relgious practice of the first owner and, in general, into the practice of customising Books of Hours. For this reason, the eleven additional prayers contained in BPL 2747 were chosen to be transcribed and edited as part of the thesis. In the first chapter, the historical developments surrounding the production and use of the Book of Hours are discussed, focussing on developments in lay religious culture, the Devotio Moderna, and the vernacular translation of the Hours that was created in this context. The second chapter introduces the manuscript central to the study, BPL 2747, and provides insight into elements such as the materiality, provenance and decorations of the book. The third chapter contains a transcription of the prayers separate from the Hours. The final chapter, chapter 4, adresses the dissemination of the prayers and what they may tell us about van Bolgerien’s devotional practice.Show less
This thesis examines the identities and experiences of second-generation British Muslim women in Nida Manzoor’s We Are Lady Parts (2021). Despite the proliferation of scholarship about the...Show moreThis thesis examines the identities and experiences of second-generation British Muslim women in Nida Manzoor’s We Are Lady Parts (2021). Despite the proliferation of scholarship about the complexity of Islamic practices and experiences of Muslims in the West, (immigrant) Muslim women are still plagued with homogenizing assumptions that relegate them to the realm of the passive or the dangerous. We Are Lady Parts demonstrates these realities while also offering alternative ways of understanding Muslim women by centering universal issues of faith, friendship, love and belonging. Using postcolonial and feminist theoretical frameworks, I aim to understand how unconventional representations of punk Muslim women undermine current patriarchal and colonial discourses both in Muslim and non-Muslim communities. I pay special attention to the women’s gender performativity and the ways in which it enables performative agency in their musical performances. I then address the heterogeneity of the characters’ identities by analyzing how they navigate their desires, romantic relationships, and religion. Finally, I examine the ways in which the women are excluded from embracing a British identity and how they form alternative paths to belonging via sisterhood and a decolonial worldview.Show less
There are many things that escape our perception on a daily basis. Ranging from paranormal encounters to neurophysiological health to algorithmic control, there is a plethora of invisible phenomena...Show moreThere are many things that escape our perception on a daily basis. Ranging from paranormal encounters to neurophysiological health to algorithmic control, there is a plethora of invisible phenomena that dominate western culture. Because these things live outside of human perception, they require extra steps to prove their existence. Historically, photography has been a useful tool to capture the invisible. This thesis will investigate the representation of invisibility and its aesthetic forms in the twenty-first century. Specifically, with a focus on new media art. Melting Memories is an artwork by Refik Anadol which discusses the elusive nature of our memory. To represent memory as a tangible object, Anadol has leaned heavily on a photographic history as well as on a transparent aesthetic and policy that is projected onto the algorithmic. Moreover, this transparency is rooted in a photographic spectrality that has been redefined to fit new technology. Melting Memories is a reimagining of real neurophysiological data on memory collection in a way that touches on memory preservation and individual versus collective experiences. The artwork is an ode to memory and a celebration of its changeable nature that was meant to combat the morbid truths of memory loss. By incorporating all these themes, this work becomes a productive case study for investigating the alleged dichotomy between the invisible and the visible in the current media landscape.Show less
Through an interdisciplinary, hybrid research methodology of literature review and visual research, this research aims to gain knowledge of the healing qualities of photography in treating personal...Show moreThrough an interdisciplinary, hybrid research methodology of literature review and visual research, this research aims to gain knowledge of the healing qualities of photography in treating personal trauma. According to renowned trauma researcher Bessel van der Kolk, conscious awareness of traumatic effects is key in the healing process thereof. Following photovoice principles this research will look at the qualities of photography in bridging the gap between subconsciousness and awareness. Furthermore, I will look at how trauma has been depicted throughout photography, working towards the visual research in which I will implement gained knowledge in a photographic series on personal trauma, called November 8th counts 30 days. Creating a photographic series, I will argue, can function as a tool in healing from trauma, allowing for catharsis within the maker and relatability and reflection within the viewer.Show less
Raffaella Carrà (1943-2021) was an Italian actor, singer and television presenter with a career that spanned over fifty years (1960-2000s), achieving international fame by the 1970s, particularly...Show moreRaffaella Carrà (1943-2021) was an Italian actor, singer and television presenter with a career that spanned over fifty years (1960-2000s), achieving international fame by the 1970s, particularly within Europe and Latin America. Carrà’s stardom was marked by her controversial stance with regards to sex and freedom of sexuality. She had an extensive fan base and went on to be heralded as an icon of women’s liberation and the LGBTQ+ movement. She broke the well-established image of what an Italian woman should be, re-appropriated the significance of femininity and broke bounds of tradition. Carrà had a multi-faceted career, however, she owed the longevity of her presence in the public eye and her status as a pop icon to her collaboration with the Italian national broadcasting channels of the RAI (Radiotelevisione Italia). Under the control of a government-run administrative body, the RAI as all other vestiges of Italian society, was under the influence of both religious and political conservativism of the post WWII years. Carrà stepped into the public visual space on a stage provided to her by the RAI, during a period where Italy faced both political turmoil domestically and stood in the path of strong winds of change that blew across the Western world at large. This thesis will analyse how Raffaella Carrà used television as a space to promote message of change and equality for the conservative Italian society. Her iconicity will be examined through textual analysis of her lyrics and the visual analysis of her image. The three-way interplay between audience, broadcast media and pop icon will be studied through the eyes of cultural critics. It will be shown that Carrà stepped onto the public stage with agency. By recognising and directly addressing the concerns of her multifarious audience, she refined the concept of television audiencehood in Italy and opened space for the marginalised members of society.Show less
This thesis is a complete edition of the MS. album amicorum of the publisher and printmaker Pieter Schenck I, in Leiden University Library Special Collections (LTK 903), together with a critical...Show moreThis thesis is a complete edition of the MS. album amicorum of the publisher and printmaker Pieter Schenck I, in Leiden University Library Special Collections (LTK 903), together with a critical introduction and apparatus.Show less
