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
This research is a crafted investigation of how Nigeria's foreign policy frameworks formed the country's external relations under the leadership of President Olusegun Obasanjo's civilian...Show moreThis research is a crafted investigation of how Nigeria's foreign policy frameworks formed the country's external relations under the leadership of President Olusegun Obasanjo's civilian administration (1999–2007). The study attempts to uncover the variants of strategies used during the administration of President Obasanjo to deal with the complexities in international diplomacy against the background of Nigeria's historic orientations and the complex problems it encountered within the time frame of the study. This study investigates Nigeria's diplomacy, regional engagement, and international alliances in that particular era, and it tries to provide insights into the complex approach it was used by Nigeria in order to establish its international influence. This paper aims to explore the underpinning elements determining the nature of Nigeria's foreign policy strategy of Constructive and Beneficial Concentricism through a systematic investigation of its objectives and application with other countries, international organizations or regional blocs. Also, a critical assessment is done on how successful these types of diplomacy have built the national interests of Nigeria, promoted stability in the region and stimulated economic development. This study aims to reveal those variables that matter for the foreign policy of Nigeria as well as discover the reasons for the changing place of the country in the world community via a thorough examination of the successes and failures of the foreign policy of Nigeria. In addition to secondary literature and expert analysis, this paper improves the primary sources like official documents, policy statements and diplomatic letters to project the big picture of Nigeria's foreign policy trajectory during the Obasanjo administration. The research advances the understanding of the dynamics that made Nigeria interact with the international community to strengthen external relations and offers the reader helpful insights for individuals with an interest in the nation's diplomatic efforts.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
This paper examines the role of defensible space theory - efforts to design buildings and public spaces in a way that reduces the ability to commit crime - within the Irish planning system, and to...Show moreThis paper examines the role of defensible space theory - efforts to design buildings and public spaces in a way that reduces the ability to commit crime - within the Irish planning system, and to what extent that the Irish anti-social behaviour strategies include and adapt such theories. Across analysis of municipal and national level planning strategies within recent decades, this paper tracks the inclusion and non-inclusion of defensible space and related topics within government literature, as well as the research gap into defensible space within Ireland. Three Dublin case studies with a strong historic presence of anti-social behaviour - the Fatima Mansions, O’Connell Street, and Portobello Plaza - are examined, and to what extent redesigns of these areas have included urban design efforts to reduce criminological capacity. These case studies identify a far less rigorous implementation of defensible space than in countries such as the United Kingdom, with the absence of guidelines generally resulting in a less thorough and more flexible application of such efforts. When defensible space efforts are applied, they typically stem from architect-led efforts, or are a by-product of improved planning processes, such as creating permeability and mixed-use development. Through additional engagement with planners, this ultimately paints a picture of a country that has utilised social impacts, not defensible space, towards a reduction in anti-social behaviour, though still possesses the ability to integrate some defensible space elements to improve this system.Show less
Food studies are an increasingly prominent field of study for studying various socioeconomic processes in the urban environment. This paper explores the sociocultural usage of food studies through...Show moreFood studies are an increasingly prominent field of study for studying various socioeconomic processes in the urban environment. This paper explores the sociocultural usage of food studies through the study of foodscapes. Food is not merely a source of sustenance, but can also function as a method of expressing or experiencing a sense of identity. Foodscapes, which concern the manner in which people relate to the food they consume, is thus an important concept for sociocultural food studies. Foodscapes are additionally one of the major factors able to contribute to a distinctly urban sense of identity, but are as of yet understudied. This thesis will explore the relation between a city’s foodscape and the feeling of urban identity through the lens of Rotterdam’s Cape Verdean community, using semi-structured interviews.Show less
The following thesis incorporated and developed a unified framework based on the theories of Henri Lefebvre and Frantz Fanon to amplify existing scholarship’s narratives and offer a new perspective...Show moreThe following thesis incorporated and developed a unified framework based on the theories of Henri Lefebvre and Frantz Fanon to amplify existing scholarship’s narratives and offer a new perspective and method of assessing the historical experience of urban spaces, with the primary case study of Seneca Village. The identified crossovers between Lefebvre’s theory of “Production of Space” and Frantz Fanon’s theory of “Decolonization”, formed the backbone of the unified framework, which was applied to a series of publicly available, digitalised primary sources from municipal archives of New York City. The topographical maps, population census, report, newspapers, and political posters analysed through the unified framework have provided several conclusions. Firstly, the historical experience of Seneca strongly coincides with the physical and representational violence in the form of the material destruction of the village and inducing social barriers to isolate the African American community of Seneca Village from the general social fabric of the city. Secondly, the power specialisation within Seneca falls in between the dwellers of the village and the Board of Commissioners for Central Park. Through the legitimization of authority, the Board of Commissioners have expanded their overarching control of the space of the village and subjected it to manipulations beneficial to the board itself. Hence, it formed a one-sided power dynamic at the expense of the village’s dwellers. Thirdly, the paradoxical conundrum was identified where authority, granting freedom through the 1799 Gradual Slavery Abolishment Act, continued to establish discriminatory practices against the Seneca’s dwellers through manipulation and redefinition of the space; developing further injustice in the matter. In conclusion, the application of the unified framework in supplement to existing scholarship has put forward a new, theoretical perspective on re-assessing the historical experience of Seneca Village.Show less
This thesis examines the role of filial piety (xiào 孝) in the broader moral framework from Confucius’ 孔子 and Mengzi’s 孟子 perspectives on moral cultivation, focusing primarily on the original texts...Show moreThis thesis examines the role of filial piety (xiào 孝) in the broader moral framework from Confucius’ 孔子 and Mengzi’s 孟子 perspectives on moral cultivation, focusing primarily on the original texts such as the Analects ( 論語 Lúnyǔ) and Mengzi (Mèngzǐ 孟子) in the Confucian canon. After Confucius’ primary teachings, Mengzi was the most notable follower and further progressed the development of the Confucian tradition. Confucius proposed that the root of all virtues was filial piety and emphasised the practical extension of filial piety in the form of roles and rituals to promote his socio-political ideal of social order. Mengzi similarly emphasised social order amidst a time of social unrest, however approached the virtue of filial piety from a different theoretical perspective. Confucius presents a methodological top-down approach in his educational approach, aiming to ground filial piety as a fundamental virtue to cultivate potential political rulers. Mengzi on the other hand, approaches virtues from a bottom-up perspective, starting from the sentiments residing in our human nature. Mengzi exhibits filial piety as a natural expression of intrinsic goodness residing in human nature, positioning filial piety as a virtue that develops naturally. Confucius approaches virtues from a different perspective by focusing on the externalities and rituals grounded in filial piety. Hence, both Confucian philosophers operate within the same conceptual framework yet portray a fundamentally distinct perspective towards the central virtue of filial piety as the locus of the Confucian tradition.Show less
This essay explores the use of music as a distinctive philosophical tool through epochs and cultural areas to ascertain whether music is more than a melodic form of entertainment and whether there...Show moreThis essay explores the use of music as a distinctive philosophical tool through epochs and cultural areas to ascertain whether music is more than a melodic form of entertainment and whether there is a consensus as far as music as a philosophical medium is concerned. It compares the attitudes of Plato, Xunzi and the Wesley brothers, (the founders of Methodism). The research focused on two apparently diverse philosophies and compared them with that of Plato. The writings of the philosophers were studied to identify attitudes towards the use of music. The research discovered similar attitudes towards music in all three philosophies studied: that music is influential and affects people’s behaviours. It would appear that music as an educational and controlling tool is a recognised phenomenon acknowledged in all three philosophies researched. This essay has revealed an interesting and unexpected convergence of ideas and opinions across the diverse philosophies researched. It exposed lesser-studied philosophers to scrutiny when compared to a foundational philosopher such as Plato to expose similar attitudes towards the use of music. This research has demonstrated the link between philosophy and religious and ceremonial music and identified other musical genres that could be explored for similar links. It has also identified similar ideas about music in all three authors studied; Plato, Xunzi and the Wesley brothers were all convinced of the value of music and approved of the use of music to impact the behaviour of the listener. However, there are conflicting views from philosophers such as Kant who believed that music was merely agreeable. Also, the censorship of music approved by Plato and Xunzi, that occurs in some countries such as the Russian censoring of Pussy Riot, is generally condemned by the lovers of music. This warrants further investigation as the suppression of music is contrary to the beliefs of many artists and the recipients of their art. The conclusion drawn from this research is that music has been recognised as an educational and controlling tool that has been used as such throughout history and in diverse cultures.Show less
