In Northern Pakistan lies a cave temple with vast untapped research potential. Kashmir Smast is a religious cave and settlement site in the Mardan District of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. This site is...Show moreIn Northern Pakistan lies a cave temple with vast untapped research potential. Kashmir Smast is a religious cave and settlement site in the Mardan District of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. This site is currently dated from at least the 2nd century CE and may be one of the earliest dated sites associated with Hinduism in Pakistan, with occupation continuing until at least the 11th century. Researchers have identified Kashmir Smast as the earliest Śaivite site in the northwest based on material culture including a wide range of religious motifs found on unique seals (Nasim Khan, 2003). However, there is also evidence of Vaiṣṇava, Buddhist, Zoroastrian, and Islamic connections through the archaeological and textual evidence associated with the site. Based on a range of material connected to Kashmir Smast the principal deity is believed to be the goddess Bhīmā, associated with fortune and prosperity. To date very few studies have explored Bhīmā in detail with most studies offering her a cursory mention within the iconography found on the seals and coinage. This thesis takes this opportunity to contribute a new perspective to the understanding of this site and develop wider research around this goddess, through exploring an interdisciplinary approach to analysing religious change.Show less
In this thesis, I argue that, perhaps more than any other contributing factor, the card game known as Hyakunin Isshu karuta plays a major role in the popularity of the Hyakunin Isshu anthology...Show moreIn this thesis, I argue that, perhaps more than any other contributing factor, the card game known as Hyakunin Isshu karuta plays a major role in the popularity of the Hyakunin Isshu anthology today, and has done so ever since the conception of the game. Where the once-popular woodblock printed parodies and educational books that featured the poems inevitably fell out of fashion, karuta has seen attempts at modernization, standardization and national organization that secured not only its own survival into the twenty-first century, but that of the anthology as well. As there was very little research on this specific topic at the time of writing, I sought to answer this question: how has karuta, and the popularity thereof, concretely contributed to the popularity of the Hyakunin Isshu in the past 70 years?Show less
Labeled Language analyses the use of language in the Mencius with the goal of finding out how gender differences feature in this Confucian text. It uses an innovative (original) methodology that...Show moreLabeled Language analyses the use of language in the Mencius with the goal of finding out how gender differences feature in this Confucian text. It uses an innovative (original) methodology that fuses text (data) mining and traditional close reading analysis, building from a gap in the academic literature on the topic of language and gender in the Mencius.Show less
The use of queer as an umbrella term provides no single definition and thus allows individuals to experience their unique identities. However, this way of using the word also flattens the group...Show moreThe use of queer as an umbrella term provides no single definition and thus allows individuals to experience their unique identities. However, this way of using the word also flattens the group creating 'queernormativity'. This idea of there being a 'right' way of being queer is quite problematic, because it is not just an identification marker. Being queer is also a way of doing. Through the increasing effects of globalisation a trend of 'global queerness' has formed which is often dominated by Western knowledge. Recently more focus is on overcoming this Euro-American metropolitanism. One way is through film as it is a form of popular culture presenting alternative ideas and possibilities. Film festivals in particular present the perfect arena for these ideas to present themselves. However in recent decades these established communities struggle with commercialization. This research focuses on understanding how queer Asia is represented in film at European film festivals.Show less
China has been important for the global luxury industry in the last decades. A recent trend in the Chinese luxury industry has been the growth of Chinese luxury brands, however, literature mostly...Show moreChina has been important for the global luxury industry in the last decades. A recent trend in the Chinese luxury industry has been the growth of Chinese luxury brands, however, literature mostly focuses on the influence of Western brands in this industry. This thesis therefore analyzed what factors have had, and still have, the biggest influence on this quick rise and success of local Chinese brands in the Chinese fashion luxury industry. This is done through a combination of the meso-, and macro-environment analysis of the industry. Porter’s five forces model and the DESTEP-model have been used to realize this. The results have shown that there are multiple factors that have contributed to the growth of upcoming Chinese brands in this industry. The factors that can be considered as most beneficial are the easy to enter market, growing sense of nationalism and the growing importance of sustainability.Show less
The current degradation of Lancang-Mekong River basin’s ecosystem is partly caused by the development of hydropower plants. If nothing is done to stop the damage being done, the Mekong River...Show moreThe current degradation of Lancang-Mekong River basin’s ecosystem is partly caused by the development of hydropower plants. If nothing is done to stop the damage being done, the Mekong River Commission expect catastrophic consequences to the ecosystem by 2040. Thus, the thesis explored how regional organisations in the Mekong region address the current environmental issues related to hydropower development in the Lancang-Mekong River basin, and what the drivers of hydropower development are. By analysing reports, press releases, and strategies from regional organisations, the thesis found that the collective action problems of poverty reduction and environmental protection have created a dichotomy between economic development and environmental protection based on a trade-off and off-setting approach that is best explained by Nancy Fraser’s foreground and background stories. This dichotomy has resulted in a system, where benefits to the river are viewed as secondary to benefits from and beyond the river. Thus, new approaches to hydro-governance are needed in the region.Show less
Debates about the ownership of cultural heritage have been ongoing between colonizer and colonized countries. It has only been recently that the Netherlands has been reflective of its colonial...Show moreDebates about the ownership of cultural heritage have been ongoing between colonizer and colonized countries. It has only been recently that the Netherlands has been reflective of its colonial history and has returned 472 looted art objects back to Indonesia that came into Dutch hands during the colonial period. However, Indonesia has been requesting the return of cultural heritage objects since the 1960s, with its aim to support a new national narrative of the Indonesian state. The Netherlands has been unwilling to return objects due to a loss of power in the colonies and a loss of cultural control. This thesis explores the colonial thought and power structures that underlie the discourse on the restitution of colonial artifacts, such as in the case study of the Java Man remains. By performing an adaptation of a Critical Discourse Analysis (CDA) and employing concepts such as heritage, universal value, looted, and restitution, this thesis argues that the Dutch state and institutions, such as Naturalis, claiming ownership of the looted artifacts proves to reflect the presence of a lingering colonial way of thinking, where the West is thought of as superior in terms of scientific research and architecture. The exhibition Early Humans where the Java Man remains are stored and presented, lacks information regarding the excavation of the artifacts and the colonial context they were found in. The lack of information regarding the colonial history reaffirms the power structures of the museum, linked to their colonial past of collecting. By analyzing the discourse surrounding the remains, this thesis aims to add how such colonial thinking and power structures have been reinforced through the debate of cultural heritage ownership.Show less
This thesis is an examination of the character of wakashu as depicted in Ihara Saikaku's late 17th-century collection of short stories Nanshoku ōkagami. It looks at overall similarities between the...Show moreThis thesis is an examination of the character of wakashu as depicted in Ihara Saikaku's late 17th-century collection of short stories Nanshoku ōkagami. It looks at overall similarities between the stories and constructs a general view of this type of sexuality-wise intriguing youth as well as comparing it to the earlier medieval character of chigo.Show less
