This thesis examines China’s cultural (foreign) policies. Taking a sample of three different case studies, this thesis aims to find an answer to the question of how China is using cultural heritage...Show moreThis thesis examines China’s cultural (foreign) policies. Taking a sample of three different case studies, this thesis aims to find an answer to the question of how China is using cultural heritage as a means to becoming a modern imperial power. A possible reason for the Chinese government to do this is that the current global power dynamic is shifting eastwards, away from the U.S., and towards China. Over the three case studies, which all fall into a different type of imperialism, it becomes clear that the cultural heritage policies China employs are not just soft power, but indeed are cultural imperialism.Show less
Over the past fifty years, Seoul has seen significant transformations in politics, business, and culture. These changes have simultaneously impacted the urban fabric of Seoul to a great extent....Show moreOver the past fifty years, Seoul has seen significant transformations in politics, business, and culture. These changes have simultaneously impacted the urban fabric of Seoul to a great extent. Within contemporary government redevelopment policies, there is a trend that focuses on composing a modern and global image of Korea. Despite the positive impacts of these policies, such as an increase in wealth and living conditions of the average Korean, the redevelopment projects have also negatively affected the livelihoods of Seoul’s locals. This thesis explores this phenomenon through the lens of place memory, urbicide, and heterotopia and answers the question ‘How has the redevelopment of Seoul impacted the urban fabric of Euljiro-dong and its locals?’ This is done through a historical overview of redevelopment in Seoul spanning from the Chosŏn period until the twenty-first century. In addition, the contemporary impact of redevelopment is explored through a case study and a survey that focused on business owners in Seoul’s Euljiro-dong. In conclusion, this thesis demonstrates that the planning of Seoul is characterised by a distinct form of urban destruction. Although South Korea has grown immensely based on democracy, there is still room for improvement in local participation and bottom-up initiatives.Show less
This thesis explores the neomercantilist dynamics in the US-China chip war, a critical geoeconomic rivalry of the modern era where superpowers vie for dominance in semiconductor technology. By...Show moreThis thesis explores the neomercantilist dynamics in the US-China chip war, a critical geoeconomic rivalry of the modern era where superpowers vie for dominance in semiconductor technology. By analyzing the strategies and policies of both the United States and China, this study investigates the alignment of their actions with neomercantilist theory and assesses the implications for global economic and geopolitical dynamics. The research reveals that both nations employ neomercantilist strategies such as trade protectionism, industrial policy, strategic resource control, and technological nationalism to secure their economic and national security interests. The findings highlight the resurgence of protectionist policies reminiscent of the 19th century, challenging the post-Cold War principles of free trade and globalization. The thesis concludes by discussing the broader implications for the global semiconductor industry, international trade relations, and geopolitical stability, emphasizing the need for collaborative international frameworks to manage the intersection of trade, technology, and security.Show less
This thesis explores the factors contributing to the complexity of finding a perfect depiction of Jesus, addressed through three sub-questions. First, the arguments for changing the dominant white...Show moreThis thesis explores the factors contributing to the complexity of finding a perfect depiction of Jesus, addressed through three sub-questions. First, the arguments for changing the dominant white depiction of Jesus reveal historical and contemporary social contexts as significant factors. Historical arguments highlight the importance of Jesus's story and social class, while contemporary arguments focus on societal impacts, such as racial attitudes. Second, the nature of powerful religious symbols is examined, showing how individual perceptions and the interplay of inner and outer worlds affect a symbol's power. Third, the responsibility of depicting Jesus's image is discussed, involving religious institutions, individuals, museums, and artists, emphasizing the collective responsibility to foster a meaningful and inclusive representation. The thesis concludes that the complexity arises from historical and contemporary arguments, individual symbolism, and the various entities involved in depicting Jesus. Highlighting the ongoing debate and collective responsibility, the thesis underscores the importance of continuous dialogue and awareness in shaping the image of Jesus, acknowledging the impossibility of a universally perfect depiction.Show less
“Technology is the engine that powers superpowers.” As China has risen to contest American hegemony in Asia, the US has sought to slow down its development in the increasingly securitized...Show more“Technology is the engine that powers superpowers.” As China has risen to contest American hegemony in Asia, the US has sought to slow down its development in the increasingly securitized technology sector and prepares to wrestle for the control of the contested Indo-Pacific region. In this context, China’s Digital Silk Road (DSR) is seen by many experts as its attempt to achieve both self-sufficiency and a leading global position in technology and digital norm-setting. Washington, on its side, has pressured allied states to reject Chinese technology investments on the grounds of risks for both the security of recipient countries and their relations with the US. Literature on the DSR has often been limited to a descriptive role of its projects, while others have argued it provides and expands a model of digital authoritarianism for developing countries. This thesis aims to bridge the gap in understanding between the DSR and American perceptions of its geopolitical position in the Indo-Pacific through an analysis of the latter’s pressures on a regional actor to reject the Chinese investments in the digital sphere – Malaysia. By analyzing Malaysia’s responses to Washington’s diplomatic offensive, this thesis argues that current US engagement is ineffective in swaying middle powers from welcoming deeper technological cooperation with Beijing. Based on the current interests of Malaysia and other countries in the region, economic considerations would constitute a much more efficient framework of action for the US, while appeals to political ties and national security are less likely to yield the results Washington seeks.Show less
Research master thesis | Linguistics (research) (MA)
open access
This thesis investigates the distribution and syntactic structures of deverbal nominalizations in English, Hungarian, and Serbian. Deverbal nominalizations are distinct from regular nouns in that...Show moreThis thesis investigates the distribution and syntactic structures of deverbal nominalizations in English, Hungarian, and Serbian. Deverbal nominalizations are distinct from regular nouns in that they are derived from verbs and thus contain both nominal and verbal properties. The significant work by Grimshaw (1990) established specific diagnostics advocating a strict dichotomy between event and result nominals: event nominals emphasize the action denoted by the verb, and result nominals focus on the outcome of the event denoted by the verb. However, ample cross-linguistic evidence shows that the distinction between these two types of deverbal nominals is less clear-cut than thought before, and a lot of this variation is found in forming the plural of these nominals. There is also no uniform syntactic structure for these kinds of nominals. This means that all the existing syntactic proposals in the literature deviate from one another in multiple ways. Therefore, the primary objective of this study was to bridge the gaps in the literature on the usage of deverbal nouns and their syntactic structures. This thesis presents acceptability judgment data on deverbal nouns that occurred in the singular and plural alongside an additional diagnostic by Grimshaw (1990): type of reading, adverbial modification, argument structure, and aspectual modification. The results indicate that Hungarian and Serbian allow plural event nominals in all contexts, while English only allows them without any modifiers. These findings are contra Grimshaw (1990) and underscore the crucial role of contextual factors in (dis)allowing plurality with event nominals. In addition to its empirical contributions, this thesis evaluates the applicability and generalizability of Grimshaw’s (1990) theorem by analyzing languages from different language families, thereby enriching the understanding of deverbal nominalizations across diverse linguistic contexts.Show less
This thesis examines the role of the Belt and Road Initiative and the Global Gateway by adopting an economic statecraft perspective. This analysis leads to the conclusion that these two...Show moreThis thesis examines the role of the Belt and Road Initiative and the Global Gateway by adopting an economic statecraft perspective. This analysis leads to the conclusion that these two connectivity initiatives are significantly contributing to the proliferation of protectionism and supranational capitalism within the European Union. Consequently, they are influencing the broader Liberal International Economic Order. By utilizing a qualitative methodological approach, I argue for the emergence of a new political-economic paradigm, which I term neo-ordoliberalism.Show less
In the world of Sinophone cinema, Malaysia has played a significant role in its creation and production though its pioneering contributions have often been underestimated in past decades. The early...Show moreIn the world of Sinophone cinema, Malaysia has played a significant role in its creation and production though its pioneering contributions have often been underestimated in past decades. The early 2000s saw a resurgence of Sinophone Malaysian cinema with the Malaysian New Wave, led by independent filmmakers, which subsequently spurred a rise in Sinophone Malaysian film productions throughout the 2010s. This thesis examines multiple sounds of Sinophone Malaysian independent cinema in the 2010s, focusing on its linguistic and sonic elements in relation to the identity of Malaysian Chinese. It provides a close reading of four recent films by Malaysian Chinese filmmakers: “The Story of Southern Islet” (2020) directed by Chong Keat-aun, “Absent Without Leave” (2016) and “Boluomi” (2019) by Lau Kek-huat, and “Malu” (2020) by Edmund Yeo. The analysis centers on the role of multilingualism, creolized languages, accents, and sounds in constructing Malaysian Chinese identities, and representing diverse, sliding positions of minoritarian voices, as well as the ongoing tension between diaspora and anti-diaspora. In doing so, this thesis affirms the subjectivity of Sinophone Malaysian cinema and argues for its significance in studying the intersection between Sinophone cinema and Malaysian cinema.Show less
This thesis asks the question of how we can understand the nature of ‘kyōka’ (lit. "crazy poems") in the centuries before they became a clearly established genre in early modern Japan. This is not...Show moreThis thesis asks the question of how we can understand the nature of ‘kyōka’ (lit. "crazy poems") in the centuries before they became a clearly established genre in early modern Japan. This is not so much done through a poet’s self-identification of a poem's genre as rather by attempting to chart the relative levels of ‘ga’ (refinement) and ‘zoku’ (‘vulgarity’) characteristics in the poems, and in this way create a new approach to the study of early kyōka. It is pointed out that ga and zoku are not equal categories, but rather that the degree of ‘infiltration’ of zoku determines how a poem can be understood. This approach is then used to look at the ‘Craftsmen’s Poetry Contest in Seventy-one Rounds’ (Shichijūichiban shokunin utaawase) from 1502. Situated in a genre of poem contests developed at the royal court, it ostensibly encompasses poems that sit firmly in a court tradition far removed from the early modern kyōka setting, yet shows remarkable zoku characteristics, and the question is raised whether this poem collection (and possibly others) can be considered 'kyōka hiding in plain sight'.Show less
De opkomst van YouTube-sterren brengt nieuwe manieren om je te verontschuldigen met zich mee. Deze verontschuldigingen worden aangeboden binnen het zogenaamde actietype YouTuber apology. In deze...Show moreDe opkomst van YouTube-sterren brengt nieuwe manieren om je te verontschuldigen met zich mee. Deze verontschuldigingen worden aangeboden binnen het zogenaamde actietype YouTuber apology. In deze scriptie wordt onderzocht welke strategische manoeuvres worden ingezet in YouTuber apologies om tot een verzoening te komen tussen de beledigers en beledigden. Daarnaast wordt er ook gepoogd antwoord te vinden op de vragen “Hoe is het mogelijk dat de naam van een actietype niet strookt met de daadwerkelijke inhoud?” en “Wat zijn dan wel de voorwaarden voor het actietype YouTuber apology?” Om deze antwoorden te vinden, wordt er een corpusonderzoek gedaan op basis van checklists die zijn opgesteld aan de hand van de theorieën beschreven in hoofdstuk 2. Als eerste wordt er een volledige uiteenzetting van het actietype YouTuber apology gegeven, om daarna, aan de hand van deze uiteenzetting, de strategische manoeuvres die gebruikt worden in de YouTuber apologies te duiden. Al met al worden er twee strategische manoeuvres consequent gebruikt in de YouTuber apologies, namelijk het inspelen op de vriendschapsband met het publiek en het opwekken van medelijden door afbreuk aan het zelfbeeld. Deze strategische manoeuvres zijn beide van de categorie “aanpassing aan het publiek” en spelen specifiek in op de band die YouTubers hebben met hun fans. Het is dus meer van belang dat ze verantwoording afleggen aan hun fans, dan dat ze hun verontschuldiging aanbieden aan de originele beledigden. Daarnaast is het zo dat een actietype een naam krijgt van het publiek en niet van onderzoekers. Hierdoor is het mogelijk dat de naam van een actietype niet strookt met de inhoud ervan. Het is van belang om in het achterhoofd te houden dat een actietype niet gelijk is aan een taalhandeling. Wanneer een onderzoeker de randvoorwaarden van een actietype onderzoekt, is het dus aan hen om cultureel bepaalde randvoorwaarden te omarmen en niet om ze uit te sluiten.Show less
