In this thesis research has been conducted regarding the following question: is it possible to translate the long Qur’anic surah sūrat al-Raḥmān into Dutch, whereby the following three criteria are...Show moreIn this thesis research has been conducted regarding the following question: is it possible to translate the long Qur’anic surah sūrat al-Raḥmān into Dutch, whereby the following three criteria are met: 1. the meaning is preserved 2. the oral and aural aspect is conveyed 3. the translation is presented in natural and accessible Dutch. To meet the criterion of aurality and orality the translation must meet the testible criteria of rhyme, metre, parallelism, lexical echoes, conciseness, the relation between the sound of words and the atmosphere of a verse or surah, and repetition, which are the most important linguistic structures underlying orality and aurality. Recognizability for Muslims is part of the criterion of meaning. A translation method according to these criteria has been used in the testcase and the translation process has been described. The above resulted in a translation that met the criteria of the research question.Show less
This research is concerned with the dynamics of infrastructure investments between China’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) and Japan’s Partnership for Quality Infrastructure (PQI). It explores the...Show moreThis research is concerned with the dynamics of infrastructure investments between China’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) and Japan’s Partnership for Quality Infrastructure (PQI). It explores the past and present political and economic relationship between the two countries, how both initiatives came into being, and contextualizes them within the contentious political relations between the two countries. Where most literature on the topic adopts a zero-sum confrontational approach, this research uses a comparative case study analysis and explores the overlapping strategies, seeking whether competition or cooperation is present in Japanese and Chinese infrastructure investments. As the BRI has received more attention in recent years, the primary focus of this research is thus on Japan’s PQI. Furthermore, it answers the question if cooperation is viable, depending on either party’s interests. The cases discussed are primary regions in the formulations of both the BRI and PQI and include Pakistan, the Greater Mekong subregion, and Kenya. Based on the findings of this research it concludes that cooperative outcomes are possible through the initiatives’ complementarity and by making use of both country’s comparative advantages in the recipient countries. Comparative advantages mainly present themselves by China’s large-scale, risky, and high investments vis-à-vis Japan’s technical knowledge and cost-benefit assessments. Competition is in turn rarely evident, but the potential for aligning the two initiatives remains untapped.Show less
In formal peace negotiations, women often do not get a seat at the table. However, the growing field of everyday peacebuilding argues that peacebuilding does not only take place at the negotiation...Show moreIn formal peace negotiations, women often do not get a seat at the table. However, the growing field of everyday peacebuilding argues that peacebuilding does not only take place at the negotiation table, but also in everyday interactions between “normal” people. In order to find out how everyday peacebuilding works, this research project uses the case study of women in Lebanon to explore in what ways women in Lebanon contribute to peacebuilding in informal and non-organised ways. Hereby this study fills a significant research gap, as no research has yet been done on women and everyday peacebuilding in Lebanon. Through carrying out and analysing qualitative interviews with Lebanese women, this study concludes that the women contribute to everyday peacebuilding by avoiding conflicts and expressing unity and solidarity between groups in Lebanese society. The women recognise these actions as important parts of peacebuilding, and do not see a gendered element in their actions.Show less
This paper opens a discussion into sustainable practices and their influences on museums. It specifically examines how museums have used fashion and textile exhibitions to advocate for...Show moreThis paper opens a discussion into sustainable practices and their influences on museums. It specifically examines how museums have used fashion and textile exhibitions to advocate for sustainability while further presenting suggestions on how museums can proceed with sustainable goals in mind. Understanding that sustainability in museums needs collaborative and international aid to be implemented successfully, this research hopes to deepen scholarly pursuits in this subject by analysing how European museums have fostered environmental awareness and how they have used collective action to educate audiences on the interplay of materials and sustainability ethics.Show less
De metafoor is een dankbaar argumentatiemiddel in de politiek. Een metafoor dient ertoe een complex concept te bezien in termen van een concreter concept. Zodoende worden bepaalde eigenschappen...Show moreDe metafoor is een dankbaar argumentatiemiddel in de politiek. Een metafoor dient ertoe een complex concept te bezien in termen van een concreter concept. Zodoende worden bepaalde eigenschappen benadrukt, terwijl andere eigenschappen worden verdrongen. Hierdoor heeft de metafoor een sturende werking. In navolging van de Conceptuele Metaforentheorie (CMT) wordt in dit onderzoek ervan uitgegaan dat metaforen alomvattend en systematisch zijn. Metaforen zijn volgens deze theorie verbonden met het menselijk conceptueel systeem. Mensen zouden in hun hoofd conceptuele metaforen hebben, waar systematisch talige metaforen uit voortvloeien. In deze kwalitatieve studie is exploratief onderzocht op welke manier links-progressieve politici metaforen als argumentatiemiddel hebben ingezet in het debat over de Spreidingswet in vergelijking met rechts-conservatieve politici; zij hebben verschillende opvattingen over het onderwerp migratie. Hierbij is onderzocht of dit leidt tot verschillend metafoorgebruik. Dit onderzoek is relevant omdat in reeds uitgevoerd onderzoek naar migratiemetaforen gegevens ontbreken over links-progressief en Nederlands gebruik hiervan. Reeds uitgevoerd onderzoek naar migratiemetaforen identificeerde rechts-conservatief gebruik van metaforen dat ertoe diende om migranten te dehumaniseren en mensen bang te maken voor migranten, om zo het standpunt te ondersteunen dat het land waarin zij wonen minder of geen migranten moet opnemen. De onderzoeksvraag van dit onderzoek luidt: ‘Hoe maken Kati Piri en Jasper van Dijk gebruik van metaforen om hun standpunten te verdedigen in het debat over de Spreidingswet, in vergelijking met Ruben Brekelmans en Gidi Markuszower?’ Ter beantwoording van de onderzoeksvraag is voor de identificatie van talige metaforen geput uit de Metaphor Identification Procedure (MIP, na uitbreiding aan de Vrije Universiteit (VU) verworden tot MIPVU) die ertoe dient om het identificatieproces objectiever, systematischer en generaliseerbaarder te maken, waar behoefte aan was vanuit onderzoekers die kritisch waren over deze aspecten bij toepassing van de CMT. Met deze methode zijn transcripten van het Spreidingswetdebat in de Tweede Kamer geanalyseerd. Voor de ontwarring van conceptuele metaforen bestaat geen systematische analysemethode. Dat analyseonderdeel blijft inherent interpretatief en subjectief. Uit de analyse blijkt dat de links-progressieve politici Kati Piri en Jasper van Dijk enkel migratiemetaforen inzetten met betrekking tot het doeldomein ‘migranten’, met als doel om empathie voor migranten op te wekken ter ondersteuning van het standpunt dat de Spreidingswet moet worden aangenomen zodat migranten op een meer humane manier kunnen worden opgevangen. Zij bezien migranten in termen van water, objecten en dieren. Deze metaforen zijn oorspronkelijk geïdentificeerd als metaforen die rechts-conservatieve anti-migratieretoriek ondersteunen, maar Piri en Van Dijk zetten deze in om links-progressieve pro-migratiestandpunten te ondersteunen. De metaforen van Piri en Van Dijk zijn overwegend niet-opzettelijk en hebben daarom geen sterke sturende werking. De rechts-conservatieve politici Ruben Brekelmans en Gidi Markuszower bezien migranten als water en objecten om hen te dehumaniseren, om zo empathie voor migranten te minimaliseren om een streng migratiebeleid te rechtvaardigen. Zij bezien de Spreidingswet in termen van een ‘magneet’ voor migranten en een ‘kerstcadeau’ voor gemeenten om de standpunten te ondersteunen dat de Spreidingswet leidt tot meer migratie naar Nederland en dat deze wet te willekeurig kan worden toegepast. De argumentatie van Brekelmans en Markuszower is dat het invoeren van de Spreidingswet leidt tot een onwenselijke situatie in Nederland. Zij bezien Nederland daarom in termen van een asielzoekerscentrum, en bezien een land met veel migranten als de hel en een land met weinig migranten als de hemel. Alle geïdentificeerde metaforen van Brekelmans en Markuszower zijn potentieel opzettelijk en hebben daarom een sterke sturende werking. Piri en Van Dijk zetten dus niet bij alle doeldomeinen metaforen in, Brekelmans en Markuszower wel. Piri en Van Dijk sturen daarbij bovendien minder sterk met metaforen dan Brekelmans en Markuszower. Door een discrepantie in het corpus en vraagtekens bij de representativiteit van de politici voor hun flank is vervolgonderzoek naar meer politici van beide flanken nodig.Show less
My Master Thesis will focus on comparing two works of fiction, Virginia Woolf’s 1928 novel Orlando: A Biography and Charlie Kaufman’s 2020 film, I’m Thinking of Ending Things. These two seemingly...Show moreMy Master Thesis will focus on comparing two works of fiction, Virginia Woolf’s 1928 novel Orlando: A Biography and Charlie Kaufman’s 2020 film, I’m Thinking of Ending Things. These two seemingly unrelated and temporally distant works find common ground in their complex interpretation of the theme of Time. Both Woolf’s writing and Kaufman’s cinematography manage to capture the intricacy of non-linear time, and history through the lens of subjectivity and individual consciousness. This Thesis's main aim is to thoroughly analyze how both works destabilize the commonly misunderstood concept of Time and in turn, highlight a different, more philosophical side of it. To do so effectively, I will utilize Henri Bergson’s philosophy and specifically his concept of “la durée” (duration), which he extensively theorizes upon in his books “Creative Evolution” and “Time and Free Will”. Themes of Subjectivity, gender, as well as rebirth/creation, will all be inspected in various ways through Bergson’s theories.Show less
My thesis focuses on a specific Dehua porcelain Guanyin statue in the Victoria and Albert Museum (V&A 19-1886), a mother-like Guanyin holding a boy-like child in her arms with Buddhist symbols...Show moreMy thesis focuses on a specific Dehua porcelain Guanyin statue in the Victoria and Albert Museum (V&A 19-1886), a mother-like Guanyin holding a boy-like child in her arms with Buddhist symbols around them. This statue and its variations flooded into Europe in the eighteenth century, arousing discussions about the iconography of Child-giving Guanyin. Their popularity in Europe has been generally attributed to the resemblance to Madonna and Child. This thesis disagrees with the conventional interpretation, and explores Buddhist images in the context of transcultural objects from the 15th to the 18th century. This approach highlights the interactions between material change, religious representations and transcultural objects. Porcelain Guanyin statues worked as mediators between the deity and worshippers. V&A 19-1886 depicts Guanyin of the South Sea holding a child, which represents compassion and nurturing. Such Buddhist images emerged in the late Ming, when the cult of Guanyin underwent popularization and secularization, and attracted a universal appeal in the transcultural context. Instead of reducing the Child-giving Guanyin porcelain statues to mere visual parallels with Madonna and Child, this analysis underscores the significance of contextual shifts in transforming religious objects across diverse cultural landscapes, and enriches our understanding of the dynamic process.Show less
The Eurozone crisis is an example of how democratic regimes can be threatened under emergencies, and it revealed two contributing phenomena – the state of exception and technocracy. This thesis...Show moreThe Eurozone crisis is an example of how democratic regimes can be threatened under emergencies, and it revealed two contributing phenomena – the state of exception and technocracy. This thesis aims to understand the link between the two in the context of emergency politics, through the paradox of politics. This paradox, which can be traced back to Rousseau, brings to light an aporia in democratic politics, where we need good citizens to make good laws and good laws to make good citizens. This thesis starts by analysing each phenomenon individually and the way they threaten democracy. It then interprets them through the paradox of politics as arrangements meant to resolve that paradox, but infringing upon the ideal of democracy it subscribes to (inspired by the analysis of political theorist Bonnie Honig). Finally, it analyses the link between them and the potentials for the democratization of emergency politics. The main conclusions are 1) in emergency politics, technocracy and exception display a link of mutual reinforcement that infringes upon democratic politics (empirically and conceptually), and 2) the democratization of emergency politics requires not only a deexceptionalization of emergency (as suggested by Honig), but also a process of detechnocratization of democracy.Show less
