This thesis aims to answer the research questions when does the word immigrant become a salient political issue. Migration and the immigrant have never been a more pressing issue to solve, and with...Show moreThis thesis aims to answer the research questions when does the word immigrant become a salient political issue. Migration and the immigrant have never been a more pressing issue to solve, and with current global trajectories they are likely to become even more central to international politics in the years to come. Academic literature remains adamant on finding the explanatory factor(s) for why and how the immigrant is politicised through political language, and from the perspective of understanding this political polarisation for the sake of preventing the harm to immigrants, this is an important and worthwhile pursuit. But this thesis argues that the Faroe Islands are a deviant case, as it contains all the common quantifiable explanatory metrics, yet immigration is not politicised. This contradicts the common correlative theories and instead connects the politicisation of immigration to the fundamental aspect of being a sovereign state and argues that the duty of discussing the phenomenon of immigration necessitates the words to define the debate, and it is the introduction of these words into the common sphere that sharpens, and therefore politicises, the immigration topic.Show less
This paper sets out to investigate how the invisibility of Roma manifests itself in the lived experience of college-educated non-Roma Hungarians. Paying particular attention to the phenomenon of...Show moreThis paper sets out to investigate how the invisibility of Roma manifests itself in the lived experience of college-educated non-Roma Hungarians. Paying particular attention to the phenomenon of everyday racism, audiovisual methods were utilized in order to answer the research question. Namely, this method was used to investigate microaggressions appearing through personal and vicarious stories told by the participants. The analysis of data revealed often missed aspects of microaggressions, namely those of non-verbal types. Studying these features provides additional insight into microaggressions which are important concepts for the understanding of everyday racism and prejudice in society.Show less
This thesis focuses on how Japanese immigrants living in the Netherlands develop a sense of belonging to Dutch society and maintain Japanese identity through interaction with Japanese communities....Show moreThis thesis focuses on how Japanese immigrants living in the Netherlands develop a sense of belonging to Dutch society and maintain Japanese identity through interaction with Japanese communities. This study employs a mixed method of 19 online surveys and eight semi-structured interviews. By asking in the ordinary language, two categories of belonging in society are found. These are: human interaction to create emotional safety and having the right to participate in a social system. The survey result shows that 10 out of 19 respondents have a sense of belonging to Dutch society. Overall, these people tend to have lived in the Netherlands longer than those who do not, such as students. Many of these long stayers are in a relationship or married to a Dutch person and live in the Netherlands with work experience. During the stay in the Netherlands, Japanese immigrants go through identity transformation from the intensification of Japaneseness to identity shifting between Japanese and Dutch cultures. The main role of the Japanese community is to provide emotional and informational support that contributes to maintaining Japanese identity. The opportunity of bridging with locals by Japanese ethnic networks is limited.Show less
In 2020 the monoethnic Perikatan Nasional coalition seized power from the multi-ethnic Pakatan Harapan coalition, resulting in a reversal of societal progress towards a more multicultural Malaysia....Show moreIn 2020 the monoethnic Perikatan Nasional coalition seized power from the multi-ethnic Pakatan Harapan coalition, resulting in a reversal of societal progress towards a more multicultural Malaysia. This development mimics the rise of populism within Europe, and thus warranted investigation to see if current understandings of European populism could explain this phenomenon in Malaysia. This study utilised discourse analysis to examine the coalition manifestos and member-party political rhetoric of the key Malaysian political coalitions from 2015 to 2020, establishing that Pakatan Harapan is the sole populist coalition consisting of non-populist parties. Pakatan Harapan was formed as a response to the widespread corruption of the previous ruling Barisan Nasional coalition, thus once they had gained power the divisions between its member-parties proved too great for the coalition to survive, resulting in the creation of Perikatan Nasional. This study refutes previous research that claimed populism was not feasible within Southeast Asia, providing evidence that such movements are not only possible but exist within the region.Show less
How do homeland tours influence the presumed relation young diasporans have with their ‘homeland’? This research has shown that Birthright has an impact on the Dutch participants’ identity and...Show moreHow do homeland tours influence the presumed relation young diasporans have with their ‘homeland’? This research has shown that Birthright has an impact on the Dutch participants’ identity and feelings of belonging to a Jewish community mainly through the socialization process of the group. Nonetheless, it also showed the limitations of political socialization on a homeland tour. The agency of the participants and other, stronger forms of political socialization are preventing Birthright from establishing a strong connection and support for Israel. On top of that, the in-depth interviews shed light on the complex realm of identity formation, feelings of belonging and attachment, that has been absent from previous survey-based research on the influence of Birthright. It tried to fill the gap left in the literature that has primarily been focused on Jewish-American relations with Israel by examining young Dutch Jews. This research led to more questions and it presents that much more research on Jewish-Dutch relations with Israel is necessary.Show less