Connecting Kaurismäki to irony is not surprising, but is surprisingly enough, not so much scholarly researched in the past. Irony appears in different disguises, largely depending on the function...Show moreConnecting Kaurismäki to irony is not surprising, but is surprisingly enough, not so much scholarly researched in the past. Irony appears in different disguises, largely depending on the function of it; what the ironist wants to achieve. Applying it can originate from an urge to complicate a matter of discussion but can also be applied to translate the oppositional stance the ironist wants to reveal. In the case of the enigmatic Kaurismäki his intentions or motivations in his choice of theme and subject are essential to the humour he adapts in telling his stories, but always remains somewhat vague. This thesis provides an image of how irony prevails and functions in his cinema on the base of a series of comparative case studies linked to three of his films: I Hired a Contract Killer (1990), The Man Without a Past (2002) and The Other Side of Hope (2017). It eventually sets out an idea of a filmmaker who, by applying irony, both distances though simultaneously engages himself with his audience in his own wayward fashion.Show less
This paper has primarily attempted to determine whether neoliberal economic policy is making a return to Brazil, and secondarily what the most likely explanation for this could be. The elections of...Show moreThis paper has primarily attempted to determine whether neoliberal economic policy is making a return to Brazil, and secondarily what the most likely explanation for this could be. The elections of October 2018 provided the context to perform an analysis on this subject: the two candidates competing in the second round of elections, Jair Bolsonaro and Fernando Haddad and their visions on economic policy for Brazil have been analyzed through the method of content analysis. The programas de governo or governing programs of both candidates has served as the main subject of the study. Additionally articles in journals and interviews have been taken into consideration. Neoliberal economic policy in this paper is defined as a specific set of economic policies associated with the Washington Consensus. Although the Washington Consensus contains a total of ten advised economic reforms, the analysis in this paper will focus on specifically three, namely privatization, trade liberalization and austerity. This will be followed by a demonstration of a ‘retreat’ of neoliberal economic policy worldwide at the hand of the trade policies of the Trump administration in the United States and the change of direction made by International Financial Institutions. Thirdly, the political situation of the last years in Brazil will be described in order to provide the reader with the necessary context for the analysis. Fourthly, the turn to neoliberal economic policy under the current Temer administration will be demonstrated to establish that neoliberalism has returned to Brazil, albeit in the form of a government with near to no public support: favorable views of the (neoliberal) reforms among the candidates under study would be a strong indication a continuation of this policy under a new president is likely. This has been researched through the programas de governo, articles and interviews. Lastly, two possible explanations have been considered. The paper will conclude that it is indeed likely that Brazil, now with a candidate enjoying significant public support, will continue on the path of neoliberal economic policy. This return to neoliberal economic policy will be concluded to be due to a form of crisis management in Brazil.Show less
The thesis focuses on medicine policy in the PRC from 1949 until 1962. The aim of the research is to decide whether or not deteriorating Sino-Soviet relations have contributed to the remarkable...Show moreThe thesis focuses on medicine policy in the PRC from 1949 until 1962. The aim of the research is to decide whether or not deteriorating Sino-Soviet relations have contributed to the remarkable change in Chinese medicine policy that took place throughout the designated time period. The author analyzes all available issues of both English and Chinese versions of the leading Chinese Medical Journal to demonstrate policy change, political development and a change in Sino-Soviet relations.Show less
With Jordan's poor economy prior to the outbreak of the Syrian Civil War and the subsequent influx of more than 1 million Syrian Refugees into the nation, the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan has...Show moreWith Jordan's poor economy prior to the outbreak of the Syrian Civil War and the subsequent influx of more than 1 million Syrian Refugees into the nation, the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan has suffered economically from their arrival. The worsening of the demographic imbalance, increasing the water scarcity further, and impacting the high unemployment rates of the nation, it is hard to see how Jordan could possibly benefit from the refugees. However through the careful and efficient use of the investments made into the refugee camps and into Jordan as well by the international community, Jordan can turn this burden into a boost for both the Jordanians and the Syrian refugees.Show less
Unrecognized states seek legitimacy, both domestic and international. The most recent unrecognized state is the Russian backed 'Donetsk People's Republic' (DNR) in South-Eastern Ukraine. The DNR...Show moreUnrecognized states seek legitimacy, both domestic and international. The most recent unrecognized state is the Russian backed 'Donetsk People's Republic' (DNR) in South-Eastern Ukraine. The DNR presents itself with their 'state' media, published on-line in Russian and English. This thesis analyzes the media with the help of Analyzing the articles published, it becomes clear the legitimation strategies of the DNR focus on highlighting the differences between the DNR, which is portrayed as the victim, and Ukraine, which is portrayed as the agressor. The strategy is based more on discrediting Ukraine than promoting the DNR. Such a strategy may be relatively successful, given that local attitudes are relatively anti-Ukrainian due regular shelling and the predominance of Russian news media in the region. The English language articles follow the same line. However, these articles do not reach a wide audience and the effect on international legitimacy is negligible.Show less
This thesis goes into blockchain technology as a possible solution to the lack of effectiveness in contemporary humanitarian aid delivery. The literature review lays out the contemporary...Show moreThis thesis goes into blockchain technology as a possible solution to the lack of effectiveness in contemporary humanitarian aid delivery. The literature review lays out the contemporary humanitarian aid supply chain and the bottlenecks that hold back the effectiveness. The supply chain is divided into three separate chains and problems inherent to that specific chain are analyzed. Blockchain and its potential for the humanitarian aid industry is outlined and applied to the within- case study of the use of blockchain technology by the United Nations World Food Programme. The case study analyses the solution that blockchain has to offer to the bottlenecks in practice. This thesis concludes with stating that blockchain has the potential to increase effectiveness in certain parts of the contemporary humanitarian supply chain.Show less
This thesis looks into the motivations behind Hezbollah's military support for Syria's president Assad, despite its ideological opposition to repression and initial support for the Arab Spring. It...Show moreThis thesis looks into the motivations behind Hezbollah's military support for Syria's president Assad, despite its ideological opposition to repression and initial support for the Arab Spring. It compares these findings to the existing literature on the nature of Hezbollah. It is found that pragmatic considerations concerning Hezbollah's own security and its weapons supplies through Syria were its main motivators, despite ideologically charged rhetoric. In the literature, this reality is best reflected by those that acknowledge the duality of Hezbollah's ties to Lebanon and aims of integration into Lebanese politics on the one hand and its ties to Iran and fight against Israel on the other.Show less
Research master thesis | African Studies (research) (MA)
open access
Abstract Inspired by personal experience, this research analyzes the challenges and paradoxes of belonging of the Rastafari returnees in Ethiopia. With a biblically and historically buildt identity...Show moreAbstract Inspired by personal experience, this research analyzes the challenges and paradoxes of belonging of the Rastafari returnees in Ethiopia. With a biblically and historically buildt identity, the Rastafari have formed a strong identity and view Ethiopia as Zion. However, the whistle that signaled repatriation is the 500 acres land grant given by His Imperial Majesty Emperor Haile Selassie I to the black peoples of the world, mainly those in the west, as a token of gratitude for reaching out to Ethiopia and its people during the Italian invasion of Ethiopia. The Rastafari people returned to Ethiopia, the Promised Land, fulfilling their “homecoming.” The research examines the multi-dynamic facets of the Rastafari community’s confrontations on their journey of striving to make a home and feel at home, thereby unravelling the consistent conditions that facilitated the contradicting relationship of the community with Ethiopia and Ethiopians. In order to do so, the research identifies the challenges and investigates how these are manifested and how the paradoxes of the community are demonstrated. Capitalizing on the opportunity of meeting the global Rastafari, the research curiously inquires whether the challenges faced by the community in Ethiopia are shared by Rastafari elsewhere. Furthermore, the study cross-examines the applicability of the directive issued by the Ethiopian government. In the absence of full integration, the research investigates whether the community in Ethiopia is leveraging on its international connections. To respond to these questions, the study makes use of Horst Moller’s theories on identity of (MacLeod, 2014), Nyamonjah’s belongingness (2006), the homeland-diaspora relationship examined by Wingrod and Levi (2006), and the zones of transit identified by Akinyoade and Gewald (2015). The research was conducted through an ethnographic approach in the Rastafari community in Ethiopia, with the researcher being a quasi-member of that community. Open interviews and participant observation are what the researcher immersed herself into in order to collect data. The personal experience and some specific quotes of the informants are compartmentalized to form the themes of the subjects included. This research-at-home also brings the personal experience to the text with the intention of enriching and deepening the experience of the reader. Unexpected events gave way to methods of unintended findings that perfectly and coherently suited the thesis, as it provides information on whether the experience of the Rastas in Ethiopia is shared by other Rastafari in Africa and globally. These events further helped to bring a fresh knowledge by thoroughly assessing the practicality of the directive concerning the Rastafari, which was issued by the Ethiopian government. The apparent persistence of the trans-nationality of the Rastafari cannot go unchecked. Therefore, the researcher shares the data collected in this regard. I conclude that the post-repatriation era of the Rastafari in Ethiopia is crammed with consistent tribulations, ironies, and paradoxes perpetuated by the state, by local Ethiopians and by the returnees themselves. However, this research equally concludes that, despite the challenges the Rastafari face in their daily lives, they are determined to stay ‘home.’Show less
This thesis looks at the promotion of democracy within the Democratic Republic of Congo preformed by the UN mission MONUC. This thesis reasons that the strategy used within MONUC was not suitable...Show moreThis thesis looks at the promotion of democracy within the Democratic Republic of Congo preformed by the UN mission MONUC. This thesis reasons that the strategy used within MONUC was not suitable for the country as it was highly concentrated on the national level, barely taking the important local issues and causes for the continuing of violence into account. Next this thesis suggests that the promotion of democracy had unwanted side effects that partly evolved from the MONUC mandate that highly prioritised elections over the implementation of institutions that could have guided the elections and regulated the local security issues that the country was facing.Show less
In deze masterscriptie is onderzoek gedaan naar het als exclusionair gepercipieerde taalgebruik van Geert Wilders tijdens de Algemene Politieke Beschouwingen van 2015, waarbij taalgebruik is...Show moreIn deze masterscriptie is onderzoek gedaan naar het als exclusionair gepercipieerde taalgebruik van Geert Wilders tijdens de Algemene Politieke Beschouwingen van 2015, waarbij taalgebruik is opgevat als argumentatie en de stilistische presentatie daarvan. Uit het onderzoek blijkt dat de door Wilders gebruikte argumentatieve topen en de stilistische vormgeving daarvan een mogelijke bijdrage leveren aan de indruk dat hij asielzoekers en vluchtelingen buitensluit.Show less
This article examines the position of the Dutch planters in Indonesia after the transfer of sovereignty in 1949 until this nationalisation of the Dutch businesses in 1958. It studies the political...Show moreThis article examines the position of the Dutch planters in Indonesia after the transfer of sovereignty in 1949 until this nationalisation of the Dutch businesses in 1958. It studies the political and economic position of these planters and the changes it had to go through after the transfer of sovereignty, in the light of the ongoing New Guinea conflict between the Netherlands and Indonesia. The study argues that the Dutch planters had trouble with adjusting to the new political and social situation, which was hardened by the political relationship between the former colonizer and colonized.Show less
Research master thesis | Linguistics (research) (MA)
open access
This thesis consists of two interconnected parts: a synchronic section dealing with Lio phonology, and a diachronic section dealing with the internal relations of the Central Flores language group,...Show moreThis thesis consists of two interconnected parts: a synchronic section dealing with Lio phonology, and a diachronic section dealing with the internal relations of the Central Flores language group, of which Lio is a member. The first section is a description of the phonetics and phonology of Lio (Austronesian), a language spoken in Flores, an island in the Lesser Sunda island chain of eastern Indonesia. I describe the phonemic inventory, phonotactics, stress system and adaptation of loanwords into Lio. This is based on fieldwork carried out in Central Flores in July-August 2017 which focused mainly on Lio. This is a contribution to the state of linguistic documentation in Central Flores, which remains relatively poorly documented. This will also set the stage for the second part of the thesis, because Lio is an important language for reconstructing aspects of Proto-Central Flores. The second section is a historical analysis of the relations of the Central Flores languages, and a reconstruction of Proto-Central Flores. I present evidence that the Central Flores languages form a valid innovation-defined subgroup, which underwent a period of splitting and isolation at the level of Proto-Central Flores. Then I address the internal relations of the Central Flores group and the process of differentiation from Proto-Central Flores to the modern Central Flores languages. Lio is one of the more conservative members of the Central Flores group, and is crucial for distinguishing the reflexes of certain Proto-Central Flores phonemes. The Central Flores group forms a linkage, with patterns of intersecting isoglosses which are not easily captured in a tree diagram. Therefore, the findings of this section will be cast in the framework of Historical Glottometry, a wave model-based methodology which is better equipped to represent and model the relations holding between linkages.Show less
China consists of an enormous geo-body, with different geographical, cultural, and linguistic differences. Hence, many differences exist within its population, which consists of fifty-five...Show moreChina consists of an enormous geo-body, with different geographical, cultural, and linguistic differences. Hence, many differences exist within its population, which consists of fifty-five minorities and the Han majority. Although the state creates space for the acknowledgement of internal differences, it also continuously emphasizes China’s unity. This has led to a paradox of unity in diversity. Prior research on cultural diversity within China has mainly focused on minority nationalities, giving less attention to the Han as they are often deemed ‘invisible’. This research will however focus on the Han as it aims to answer the question: “How do Han students identify themselves in the paradox of unity in diversity?” by examining what the sense of belonging of students from Shandong University is built on. The data will show that self-identification of the students is simultaneously vertically and horizontally related, depending on the role of the ‘Other’: identities exist in tandem with each other, while they can also gain preference. Furthermore, through the constant emphasis on ‘national’ and ‘hometown’ identities ―one representing unity, the other diversity― it becomes evident that the paradox of unity in diversity is an integral part of the students’ self-identification.Show less
Research master thesis | Asian Studies (research) (MA)
open access
In 1997, Yang Yi杨义(b. 1946) published his groundbreaking Chinese Narratology (中国叙事学, 1998), in which he expounded his ideas about a Chinese narratology that developed and manifests itself...Show moreIn 1997, Yang Yi杨义(b. 1946) published his groundbreaking Chinese Narratology (中国叙事学, 1998), in which he expounded his ideas about a Chinese narratology that developed and manifests itself separately from Western narratology. I will take Yang’s narratology framework as a starting point, with a focus on Yang’s understanding of narrative structure, and do a close reading of the novel The Lantern Bearer (带灯, 2013) by Chinese author Jia Pingwa 贾平凹(b. 1952) (the English translation by Carlos Rojas was published in 2017). I do this in order to answer the following research question: How does Yang Yi’s narratological approach of narrative structure compare to a “Western”-narratological approach of narrative structure? In my analysis, for Western narratology, I will focus on Mieke Bal’s (1997) Narratology: Introduction to the Theory of Narrative. I will argue that Yang’s idea of narrative structure allows for a reading that would not be possible by using only Bal’s theory of narrative structure. As a case study, I will investigate how the narrative structure of Jia Pingwa’s novel The Lantern Bearer relates to narrative structures found in traditional Chinese fiction from the Ming (1368-1644) and Qing (1644-1911) period.Show less
The Responsibility to Protect principle introduced both the state’s and the international community’s responsibility to protect human rights. The principle is regarded as an emergent norm that is...Show moreThe Responsibility to Protect principle introduced both the state’s and the international community’s responsibility to protect human rights. The principle is regarded as an emergent norm that is yet to be successfully diffused and classified as a global norm. This thesis assesses the principle’s normative trajectory through the use of Finnemore and Sikkink’s ‘norm life cycle theory’ (1998). This work works toward a better understanding of Russia’s approach towards the emergent norm of human rights by default. By assessing Russia’s approach towards intervention, this study reviews the claim that Russia seeks to undermine the norms that underpin R2P. This has been conducted via a qualitative case study that reviews the following cases: Georgia, Crimea, Libya and Syria. The findings demonstrate that although Russia is actively engaged with the principle’s norm development process, it did also attempt to interpret the norm according to its own preferences. However, only once was the norm was truly undermined - in the case of Crimea.Show less
This research focuses on children of post-war Dutch migrants in Australia and their transnational ties to the Netherlands. The main question is how, why and when the transnational ties changed in...Show moreThis research focuses on children of post-war Dutch migrants in Australia and their transnational ties to the Netherlands. The main question is how, why and when the transnational ties changed in different political environments, such as the shift from assimilation to multicultural policy in Australia. The research starts at the migrants' childhood and ends in their later life.Show less
In this thesis, the nature of the shared vocabulary between Baltic, Slavic and Germanic has been researched. 294 lexical items that have been suggested in the past to be part of this shared lexicon...Show moreIn this thesis, the nature of the shared vocabulary between Baltic, Slavic and Germanic has been researched. 294 lexical items that have been suggested in the past to be part of this shared lexicon have been (re-)examined through etymological research. The shared lexicon has been placed into the context of the prehistory of the Baltic, Slavic and Germanic language families. It is argued that most of the shared lexicon is the result of an Indo-European substrate that itself contained a pre-Indo-European (neolithic) substrate and that this donor language was spoken by inhabitants of the Corded Ware culture.Show less
Major policy shifts are rare phenomena on a national level, and identifying the specific moments when these transitions take place is not always possible. In the case of the Netherlands, 1982...Show moreMajor policy shifts are rare phenomena on a national level, and identifying the specific moments when these transitions take place is not always possible. In the case of the Netherlands, 1982 proves to be an exception: the ‘Wassenaar Accord’ was a turning point in the governmental policymaking regarding the influence of labour unions and employers’ organisations, after years of economic malaise. The enduring lack of economic growth in combination with high inflation, known as stagflation during the 1970s, paved the way for the new cabinet to force employers’ organisations and trade unions into an agreement on wage cuts in exchange for shorter working years. New policies through a breakthrough agreement were needed because of what an Economist article from 1977 described as the ‘Dutch disease’: high unemployment and lack of economic growth despite natural resource exports. The timing of the negotiations in Wassenaar coincided with neoliberal economists taking over the IMF and the World Bank (Harvey 93). What does this remarkable transition tell us about the way states should handle economic events such as stagflation, or more specifically the Dutch disease? This research seeks to provide the background information on that matter and answer the following question: how should the Dutch policies which were meant to counter the Dutch disease be identified? The processes leading up to the Wassenaar Accord can be traced back to causal mechanisms which will clarify to what extend the Dutch policies where identifiable as policies befitting neocorporatism, if they shifted towards the international trend of neoliberalism and perhaps if the Netherlands found a third way between the two established explanations.Show less
