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 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
This study addresses the harm of humanitarian aid provision in Yemen which suffers from limited sovereignty and various contesting political actors. By using a conceptual approach and a qualitative...Show moreThis study addresses the harm of humanitarian aid provision in Yemen which suffers from limited sovereignty and various contesting political actors. By using a conceptual approach and a qualitative case study of various texts, the study investigates the harm resulting from complex relations between different political actors in Yemen and aid/humanitarian organisations working to improve human lives. The study asks what is the harm posed by aid provision in Yemen? How does this harm manifest in Yemen and, what are the outcomes of this harm? In Yemen, the main harm of aid provision, amidst what I describe as the crisis of sovereignty, is the augmentation of the crisis of sovereignty due to the involvement of aid organisations. The study argues that harm, in the case of Yemen, is an unintended consequence of various institutional and organisational disparities while the outcomes affect the economic and humanitarian situation of the local population. This unintended harm of the augmented crisis of sovereignty in Yemen, I argue, stands in contrast with the morally perceived harm of injustice portrayed in the literature. The result of this study is the conceptual rendering of harm both as an inevitable consequence and non-moral harm.Show less
The link between patriotism and the military service is not as clear as may be expected. Patriotism is not as simple as love for one’s country, rather, it is a multifaceted concept. Looking at...Show moreThe link between patriotism and the military service is not as clear as may be expected. Patriotism is not as simple as love for one’s country, rather, it is a multifaceted concept. Looking at psychological and symbolic patriotism, and professed versus performed patriotism, this study explores Israeli expats’ experiences abroad and their connection to the home state. Looking at Israel’s mandatory military service, this paper focused on the Israeli expats’ decision on whether to return and serve in the IDF at the age of eighteen. Conducting a total of 13 interviews, of which 10 were expatriates residing in Maastricht, the Netherlands, three main arguments were developed in assessing why some choose not to return and serve. The three main arguments are: (i) Israeli expats see themselves as Israeli/Jewish through culture and not religion; (ii) the belief in the existence of a patriotism scale; and (iii) Israeli expats experience adaptation to Western society and attitudes.Show less
This study examines immigrant experiences of contact and conflict with the Dutch to understand the impact of social integration on reinforcing or preventing formation of modern gender-attitudes....Show moreThis study examines immigrant experiences of contact and conflict with the Dutch to understand the impact of social integration on reinforcing or preventing formation of modern gender-attitudes. For that purpose, in-depth conversational interviews were conducted with 22 first- and second-generation Turkish immigrants in the Netherlands. It contributes to the literature by revealing the process of formation through individual experiences of immigrants narrated by them. Thereby, rather than correlating their behaviours with assigned categories that often fall short of explaining the variation, we have access to the process first-hand. Since gender-attitudes are central to explain immigrant behaviour, understanding the formation is essential for both literature, and policymakers. The study demonstrates that traditional attitudes can be reformed through close contact with the Dutch whilst intergroup conflict hinders the formation. The recurred themes among the sample have been: i) Rapprochement with the Dutch, and ii) Divergence from Turkish community, as reinforcing egalitarianattitudes; i) Resentment and Segregation, and ii) Peer Pressure and Channeling, as causing maintenance of traditional-attitudes.Show less
In the aftermath of terrorist attacks in Europe, political elite articulations often link terrorist attacks to an increase in migration. The chief focus of this study is to explain how migrants...Show moreIn the aftermath of terrorist attacks in Europe, political elite articulations often link terrorist attacks to an increase in migration. The chief focus of this study is to explain how migrants were perceived in France by political elites and the media in the context of the November 2015 attacks in Paris. Manifestos of the leading candidate parties published prior to the 2017 elections and media articles published in the aftermath of the attacks have been analyzed through the discourse analysis method. This study finds that the migration-terrorism nexus was accorded increased saliency by the far-right party. However, both leading candidates attempted to securitize the issues surrounding migration and presented the migration-terrorism nexus as a threat that merits urgent action. Finally, this study explains how the media conveyed the frames surrounding the migration-terrorism nexus to the public against the background of the existing security discourse. A study of this design has contributed towards a better understanding of the portrayal that informs France’s stance on issues such as terrorism and migration.Show less
The effects of global climate change are causing new patterns of human migration, which arises questions about decision-making in climate migration. This thesis analyses the influence of distance...Show moreThe effects of global climate change are causing new patterns of human migration, which arises questions about decision-making in climate migration. This thesis analyses the influence of distance to the host country in migration decision-making through the perceptions of Marshallese and I-Kiribati. In 32 surveys and 12 in-depth interviews among these Pacific islanders, this study finds that the reason for migration – more climate security – shapes migration motivations significantly. It therefore argues that climate change should be included as a factor in research on migration distances. In addition, it uncovers that that distance is not perceived solely geographical, but that the islanders also discern sociocultural, economic, climatic and political distance. This research therefore suggests that the definition of distance will be expanded to fit it into this multi-dimensional character.Show less
The research focuses on the phenomenon of organized football fandom in Bulgaria. The main goal is to apply the theory of collective action to the case of fan groups in order to assess whether this...Show moreThe research focuses on the phenomenon of organized football fandom in Bulgaria. The main goal is to apply the theory of collective action to the case of fan groups in order to assess whether this can be a new solution to the collective action dilemma. For this purpose, 18 in-depth interviews were conducted in an effort to analyze five elements which are sought to be met in order to claim that the problem can be solved – common identity, contribution, solidarity, exclusive benefits, and restricted free-riding. It is found that the free-rider issue is not overcome by the members of the group. Nonetheless, this paper contributes to the existing literature on football fandom by claiming that it is possible for organized fans to solve the collective action problem due to the special latent functions of their free-riders who ensure the group’s adaptability and cohesion that enhance the solidarity in the long run.Show less
