Yang Guifei is considered to be one of China’s most beautiful women. Her beauty is portrayed in several Chinese historical and literary writings over the ages. Each generation of (mostly male)...Show moreYang Guifei is considered to be one of China’s most beautiful women. Her beauty is portrayed in several Chinese historical and literary writings over the ages. Each generation of (mostly male) authors is influenced by the technique of the male gaze and imbued her with their own contemporary beauty ideals creating new, updated versions of Yang as the perfect beauty. Most of the descriptions of Yang Guifei’s beauty tend to be general and are applicable to any beautiful woman in premodern China. Trends that remain consistent through time are cloud-like hair, red cheeks and lips, a creamy bosom and a white skin. Changes in the portrayal of her beauty can be found in the way of presenting her physique and feet.Show less
This thesis explores whether and to what extends Chino’s kara-yamato binary structure in traditional Japanese art history can fit into Japanese art in modern time periods, and what would be the...Show moreThis thesis explores whether and to what extends Chino’s kara-yamato binary structure in traditional Japanese art history can fit into Japanese art in modern time periods, and what would be the reason behind. It does so by analysing different artworks in the Meiji period, the early Taisho period and the contemporary period, and applying Chino's structure onto these artworks. In doing so, it extends the context of the structure further and tries to discover if new understandings of the structure can be added to the academic debate. The result of the analysis suggests that whether or not Chino’s structure can be applied onto certain contexts highly depends on Japan’s view towards the West in that context. The structure can fit better in earlier periods, and does not fit in more modern periods. Such change in the applicability of Chino's structure is influenced by Japan's cultural relation with the West throughout its modern history. It suggests that Japan has moved from the status of seeing itself in the cultural periphery in relation to the West, to taking more proactive role to challenge social inequalities and (re)construct cultural identities.Show less
The author looks at the way humanitarianism evolved during the Cold War/decolonization period, namely the merging of humanitarian relief and political activism. The case study used for this thesis...Show moreThe author looks at the way humanitarianism evolved during the Cold War/decolonization period, namely the merging of humanitarian relief and political activism. The case study used for this thesis is Operation Omega, a radical NGO active during the Bangladesh Liberation War in 1971.Show less
Bachelor thesis | South and Southeast Asian Studies (BA)
open access
Since the late 1940’s, the Kashmir region has been a disputed area. The three central actors involved in this conflict (the Kashmiri people, India and Pakistan) have been claiming sovereignty over...Show moreSince the late 1940’s, the Kashmir region has been a disputed area. The three central actors involved in this conflict (the Kashmiri people, India and Pakistan) have been claiming sovereignty over the region. Ever since, there has been a constant dispute over the Kashmiri territory which of late has turned more violent. In July 2016, another wave of armed riots erupted in Kashmir after the Indian army killed the pro-Kashmir independence militant, Burhan Wani. Such event raised the question one more time concerning who has a legitimate right over this territory, and if there is a possibility to finally close this chapter of uncertainty in Kashmir.Show less
Contradictory to a common assumption in criminology, which assumes crime rates to be the lowest among senior citizens, the crime rates among the elderly share of the Japanese population is on the...Show moreContradictory to a common assumption in criminology, which assumes crime rates to be the lowest among senior citizens, the crime rates among the elderly share of the Japanese population is on the rise in recent years. This development is accompanied by a rapidly aging Japanese population. Considering the speed of this process in Japan and seeing other industrialised nations follow the aging trend, this phenomenon poses a severe threat to the economy and social security in aging societies and Japan in particular. As the number of elderly offenders is rising much faster than the total share of senior citizens in Japan, it is of crucial importance to identify potential causes for the rise of criminal offenses amongst the Japanese elderly. Analysing crime rates, demographic change, government reports and secondary literature, this study identifies potential factors that contribute to rising elderly crime rates between 1989 and 2014. As a result, this research finds that social disintegration is the most significant factor in explaining the changing crime patterns in Japan.Show less
