An attempt at reconstructing the practice of bird-divination for the speakers of Proto-Indo-European by comparing the terminology for this practice in Greek, Latin and Hittite texts.
Research master thesis | Asian Studies (research) (MA)
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This thesis analyses the development of Ryukyuan narratives of political legitimacy under the influence of the imperial Chinese tributary system. For centuries, the Ryukyu Kingdom, which was...Show moreThis thesis analyses the development of Ryukyuan narratives of political legitimacy under the influence of the imperial Chinese tributary system. For centuries, the Ryukyu Kingdom, which was annexed by Meiji Period Japan in 1879 and is today divided among Japan's Okinawa and Kagoshima Prefectures, formed an important linking bridge between China and Japan, East Asia's two dominant political entities. Based on a close reading and partial translation of relevant passages from several historical documents, most notably the kingdom's two official histories Chūzan Seikan and Chūzan Seifu, the thesis investigates the socio-political shift in succeeding conceptualisations of Ryukyuan kingship, the monarch's political legitimacy, and the country's state doctrine that occurred from the late fifteenth and early sixteenth to the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries.Show less
This objective of this thesis is to discuss how an interface can give access to digitalized museum collections. In order to achieve this research objective, this thesis discusses the research...Show moreThis objective of this thesis is to discuss how an interface can give access to digitalized museum collections. In order to achieve this research objective, this thesis discusses the research question How does the interface of Google Arts&Culture give the user access to the oeuvre of Claude Monet? By using the three principles of Information Flaneur Model, this thesis critically examines Claude Monet’s (1840-1926) collection interface provided by Google Arts&Culture from the perspectives of Exploration, Orientation and Playfulness. The analysis shows the importance of a browsing-based interface concerning the improvement of visitors’ exploratory experience and the significance of building up a media visualization interface overview with a clear navigation structure. Additionally, this thesis also discusses the advantage of providing interactive, playful and creative digital approaches for the visitors to view museum collections online.Show less
Martin Schongauer's schilderij Die Geburt Christi wordt in dit werkstuk onderzocht op drie verschillende gebieden, namelijk het schilderij zelf, wat staat erop? Als tweede een vergelijking met de...Show moreMartin Schongauer's schilderij Die Geburt Christi wordt in dit werkstuk onderzocht op drie verschillende gebieden, namelijk het schilderij zelf, wat staat erop? Als tweede een vergelijking met de prenten van Schongauer zelf, welke elementen zijn herkenbaar of juist verschillend van aard vergeleken met het schilderij? Als derde enkele inspiratiebronnen van Schongauer, wie waren dit, zijn er elementen uit deze werken terug te vinden in Schongauer's werk? Zo ja, hoe en welke elementen?Show less
Master thesis | Classics and Ancient Civilizations (MA)
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Julius Caesar beschrijft in de De Bello Gallico dat hij 430.000 Usipetes en Tencteri heeft gedood. Een enorm aantal slachtoffers dat in onze maatschappij al snel de stempel genocide zou krijgen. In...Show moreJulius Caesar beschrijft in de De Bello Gallico dat hij 430.000 Usipetes en Tencteri heeft gedood. Een enorm aantal slachtoffers dat in onze maatschappij al snel de stempel genocide zou krijgen. In de Romeinse tijd werd Caesar hier niet voor aangeklaagd, maar werd er een aanklacht ingediend tegen hem om het breken van officieuze internationale wetten. Dit laat al een verschil in perspectief zien tussen de Romeinse en onze maatschappij. In dit onderzoek wil ik in kaart brengen wat het verschil is in perspectief van de Romein en van de moderne mens met betrekking tot de vele Germaanse slachtoffers in de veldslag tussen Caesar en de Usipetes en Tencteri in 55 v.Chr en hoe Caesar dit beeld heeft kunnen beïnvloeden door middel van het schijven van de Gall.Show less
In 2019, the occurrence of forest fires in the Amazon rainforest gained worldwide attention. Actors at different political levels thereby exhibited conflicting understandings of the issue,...Show moreIn 2019, the occurrence of forest fires in the Amazon rainforest gained worldwide attention. Actors at different political levels thereby exhibited conflicting understandings of the issue, appropriate responses to it and responsibility to be taken. As linkages were drawn between the perception of the rainforest fires as a global environmental problem, and ramifications for the pursuance of economic interests, the case of the political discussion around the 2019 Amazon rainforest fires is illustrative of valuations of the environment within a Global Political Economy (GPE) context. In order to further understanding of these valuations, this thesis looks into the use of particular conceptions of nature-society relations and spatial scales, which both come forward in political ecology literature. Through a textual analysis of statements by civil society actors, Amazonian countries and foreign governments, it finds that ecological change is made political, and political legitimacy is created or limited for different involved actors, through references to the value of the Amazon rainforest and the scale of this value. This leads to the conclusion that conceptions of nature-society relations and spatial scales reflect and have implications for the ways in which we define environmental problems, politicize the environment and allocate forms of environmental responsibility to different actors.Show less
This thesis explores the role of the OEEC in the management of Western European overseas colonies. Through a qualitative historical research drawing mainly on the archival collection of the OEEC,...Show moreThis thesis explores the role of the OEEC in the management of Western European overseas colonies. Through a qualitative historical research drawing mainly on the archival collection of the OEEC, it argues that beyond its primary objectives of administering Marshall Aid, the OEEC became a platform in which Western European powers organized their relations with their overseas territories. Beyond economic concerns, these territories were considered as a political question, and the OEEC developed into a venue in which the interests of Europe were safeguarded, at the crossroads between integration and decolonization.Show less
En la presente investigación se analiza el mapudungun en las redes sociales, especialmente, en Facebook. Este proyecto trata de evidenciar el hecho de que, en la actualidad, las plataformas...Show moreEn la presente investigación se analiza el mapudungun en las redes sociales, especialmente, en Facebook. Este proyecto trata de evidenciar el hecho de que, en la actualidad, las plataformas digitales mantienen una relación estrecha con el mundo exterior. Dentro de este orden de ideas, se demuestra como el mapudungun en Facebook contribuye notablemente al activismo mapuche contemporáneo. De este modo, se investigan factores relacionados con el ámbito político, social y cultural de la sociedad chilena. La realización de este trabajo no solamente significa un avance lingüístico, sino también sociopolítico, ya que se presenta información complementaria para la comprensión de los procesos políticos actuales del país. Además, es necesario mencionar que, a día de hoy, dicha cuestión aún no ha sido abordada en su totalidad. Para llevar a cabo este propósito se ofrece, inicialmente, una contextualización del estudio en la que se aborda la correlación de poderes, las estructuras hegemónicas y el conflicto mapuche, de tal forma que destaca un enfoque histórico de los hechos. Posteriormente, se concede un marco teórico y una revisión de la literatura en la que salen a la luz los conceptos más relevantes en relación al activismo digital y las vivencias mapuches en los medios de comunicación. La metodología trata de especificar y justificar el plan de acción, por lo que cada uno de los pasos tomados son clarificados. El análisis se concentra en un corpus recreado por el propio autor, de modo que la información necesaria fue recopilada por este mismo. Si bien, este corpus fue facilitado por una página de Facebook, “Kimeltuwe, materiales en mapudungun”. En este caso, se seleccionaron publicaciones de diferentes tipos, por ejemplo, imágenes, memes y gráficos. Los resultados demuestran como el ambiente del multiculturalismo neoliberal chileno, basado en una mentalidad colonial, sigue perjudicando a la población mapuche, la cual hace notar su disconformidad a través de las redes sociales. Las señales de protesta se enfocan principalmente en la construcción de la identidad mapuche, la búsqueda de la autonomía y autodeterminación de su pueblo y los procesos de territorialización.Show less
Chinese dynasties are often described in terms of “universal emperorship”, because their territory was vast and they had a large influence on the wider region. This has also been applied to the Han...Show moreChinese dynasties are often described in terms of “universal emperorship”, because their territory was vast and they had a large influence on the wider region. This has also been applied to the Han dynasty, which is the first major Chinese dynasty. However, there is much evidence suggesting that the Han empire used a more limited notion of empire, which challenges the theory of universal emperorship. Therefore, this paper explores the question: to what extent does the foreign policy of the Han dynasty reflect the principle of universal emperorship? To answer this question, historical evidence about the foreign policy of the Former Han dynasty is analyzed according to three aspects of universal emperorship: political emperorship, geographical emperorship and cultural emperorship. This case study yields the conclusion that the foreign policy of the Han empire does not reflect the theory of universal emperorship. Instead, the Han dynasty accepted the independence of other states, and sought for equal relations with their leaders. This result suggests that the association between Chinese empires and universal emperorship has to be revised.Show less
