The 2018 Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC) in Beijing was an historic event to chart the next stage of Sino-African relations. The event was also symbolic in showcasing a FOCAC that is co...Show moreThe 2018 Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC) in Beijing was an historic event to chart the next stage of Sino-African relations. The event was also symbolic in showcasing a FOCAC that is co-owned by China and Africa. In view of growing Sino-African cooperation under the FOCAC, this thesis researches how Chinese and African media framed this edition of the FOCAC. I ask the following research question: What are the implications of Chinese and African news outlets’ different discourses of the FOCAC for China’s soft power in African countries? The thesis uses selected media from China (Xinhua, CGTN) and Africa (The Star, Daily Nation, Vanguard, Ahram Online, SABC News). I use content and discourse analyses of news articles and reports of the 2018 FOCAC to distinguish different versions of the FOCAC story, as well as themes emphasized by the respective news outlets. I also conduct a visual analysis of television items concerning the FOCAC where I examine their source and emphasized discursive elements in the visual materials. By conducting this multifaceted analysis of media discourse of the FOCAC, this thesis adds a new angle to scholarly research on Chinese soft-power and cultural diplomacy in Africa.Show less
The statement “a picture tells a thousand words” is pretty often used.I want to find out if there is real value in this statement. In this thesis I will discuss the representations of images of the...Show moreThe statement “a picture tells a thousand words” is pretty often used.I want to find out if there is real value in this statement. In this thesis I will discuss the representations of images of the SARS and COVID-19 virus in People’s Republic of China (PRC). Images help us learn, images grab attention and they are helping to explain tough concept. That is why I think it is interesting to take a look at the representations of images of SARS and COVID-19. In this context I speak about images that are directly related to the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) or are at least have been approved by it. In my research I will focus on two time periodes. 2002-2003, the time of the SARS virus outbreak and 2020, the year of the global pandemic caused by COVID-19. I will analyze images from both time periodes to investigate if the images show similarities in representing the virus or have changed over time and I will try to analyze why this is the case.Show less
The author explores the motives of Chinese parents to send their children to Waldorf school and how those change over time. Through the grounded theory analysis of field work data, the author...Show moreThe author explores the motives of Chinese parents to send their children to Waldorf school and how those change over time. Through the grounded theory analysis of field work data, the author concludes that there is a multitude of motives to make the initial decision for Waldorf. Being a Waldorf parent, however, is characterized by worrying much about whether the decision is still right and how to improve the childrens' education.Show less
The aim of this thesis is to examine how the discourse of the Chinese government regarding the environment has evolved over time, and what role environmental propaganda has played in generating...Show moreThe aim of this thesis is to examine how the discourse of the Chinese government regarding the environment has evolved over time, and what role environmental propaganda has played in generating this discourse. This research also touches on the underlying messages and values of this propaganda, and how it communicates and constructs specific representations about the environment and environmental protection.Show less
Political leaders have for some time been aware of the importance of national image. In China, following the reform and opening up of the 1970s and ‘80s, leaders have progressively become aware of...Show morePolitical leaders have for some time been aware of the importance of national image. In China, following the reform and opening up of the 1970s and ‘80s, leaders have progressively become aware of this, and aware of the negative national image that China has internationally. This thesis focuses on just one small part of a larger project to improve China’s approval rating abroad: a book of Xi Jinping’s speeches, compiled and translated into English: titled The Governance of China. This thesis investigates how the CCP may be using this English-language publication to attempt to influence the national image of China, in the eyes of the international public.Show less
Cryptocurrencies, although in their infancy, are becoming increasingly important for the global economy. Bitcoin was the first invented cryptocurrency, created by a group or person under the...Show moreCryptocurrencies, although in their infancy, are becoming increasingly important for the global economy. Bitcoin was the first invented cryptocurrency, created by a group or person under the pseudonym of Satoshi Nakamoto in 2007, allowing for the exchange of economic value by use of its verifiable and cryptographically secure blockchain. While many countries still don’t even know how to define cryptocurrencies, China has been regulating them for years. The Chinese tech industry also often exemplifies that it is at the forefront of global blockchain technology development with its numerous fast-growing companies and tokens such as DeepBrain Chain, Ontology Network, NEO, Tron, and QTUM, thus suggesting that the tech must be succeeding in certain areas, perhaps either as a result of government regulation, or in spite of it. This paper has contextualised the state of the Chinese blockchain industry in regards to a new type of blockchain political economy and in terms of the Chinese regulatory climate.Show less
The 2008 uprisings in Tibet have had a profound impact on Sino-Tibetan relations. This thesis looks at the Han-Chinese point of view on these uprisings as seen in a series of documentaries...Show moreThe 2008 uprisings in Tibet have had a profound impact on Sino-Tibetan relations. This thesis looks at the Han-Chinese point of view on these uprisings as seen in a series of documentaries broadcasted by CCTV. The thesis shows how the use of documentary film steers public opinion and how the documentaries fit into a broader hegemonic discourse.Show less
The aim of this thesis is to explore Official Chinese English-language media for the purpose of researching if the Chinese leadership instrumentalizes protests for international purposes. I...Show moreThe aim of this thesis is to explore Official Chinese English-language media for the purpose of researching if the Chinese leadership instrumentalizes protests for international purposes. I compared rational protest management theories and a theory based on the Chinese concept of 'face'. I used two different cases studies to analyze the applicability of these theories: the 2012 anti-Japanese and the 2017 anti-THAAD protests. Case study research shows that the Chinese leadership uses anti-foreign protests as an instrument to justify foreign policy and international actions. However, the leadership does not always have complete control over protests. I propose to compare the leadership's policy position and nationalist demands to predict and explain protest management.Show less
For a long time, common belief among researchers on women in China has been that starting already before the Cultural Revolution, women were mobilized to work according to the needs of the Party,...Show moreFor a long time, common belief among researchers on women in China has been that starting already before the Cultural Revolution, women were mobilized to work according to the needs of the Party, and that gender erasure took place during the Cultural Revolution. Within this research, six propaganda posters were examined, along the lines of the importance of models for the CCP. The posters were meant to paint a positive picture on whatever the Party needed from the people, in order to mobilize them. The Party encouraged women to start working in labor fields traditionally occupied by men, because of labor forces, and propagated this as a means of achieving gender equality, while actually the opposite was achieved. The Party uses gender equality as a means to get people to do as it wanted, and this came to its climax during the Cultural Revolution, however the Party never made gender equality a real priority. Even though gender equality was never really established, propaganda posters did give women the believe that equality is a possibility.Show less
Cryptocurrencies have caught the attention of the media internationally. Some states are impartial or even encourage cryptocurrencies, whereas others want to regulate them. In China’s case the PRC...Show moreCryptocurrencies have caught the attention of the media internationally. Some states are impartial or even encourage cryptocurrencies, whereas others want to regulate them. In China’s case the PRC wants to sternly regulate the decentralized virtual asset in order to reduce financial risk and scams. The Chinese media has been reporting the strict regulations and depicted a certain “frame”. This thesis attempts to analyze that frame and how it is portrayed in the Chinese media by. This will be done by identifying the primary frames and tones in Chinese news articles.Show less
This thesis explores how Chinese newspapers report on Singles Day, a holiday celebrated on November 11. The thesis covers the origins of Singles Day and how it has evolved from an Anti-Valentine’s...Show moreThis thesis explores how Chinese newspapers report on Singles Day, a holiday celebrated on November 11. The thesis covers the origins of Singles Day and how it has evolved from an Anti-Valentine’s Day to a Global Shopping Festival. This development, amongst others, is represented by the term “Double 11”, which has become Alibaba’s precious trademark to promote this holiday. Furthermore, a chapter illustrates how top-down and bottom-up forces constitute China’s media landscape, and also explains what methodologies have been used for the study. The main body consists of an analysis and discussion of six newspaper articles in Chinese. By analyzing articles by the People’s Daily, the official mouthpiece of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), and the Beijing News, a mainstream newspaper, the thesis compares and contrasts what discourses emerge in two newspapers in Beijing and how these newspapers differ in style and content. A qualitative discourse analysis has resulted in the main finding that the People’s Daily mainly provides positive, informative reports on how the holiday is progressing, while the Beijing News creates vivid and sensational narratives that constructively criticize the success story of Singles Day.Show less
The rise of populism in Europe poses a challenge to the Chinese government. As a force against globalisation and its effects it deserves rejection, but how to portray the ineffectiveness of...Show moreThe rise of populism in Europe poses a challenge to the Chinese government. As a force against globalisation and its effects it deserves rejection, but how to portray the ineffectiveness of European political elites in handling populism without offending European partners. This thesis argues that through Chinese government-supported media a two-sided approach can be laid bare. More internationally-oriented media are much more cautious in reporting on European leaders than media for domestic consumption.Show less
