تتناول هذه الورقة البحثية العلاقة الإشكالية في الواقع العربي المعاصر بين العلمانية والإسلام السياسي من خلال تتبع الموقف من هذين الموضوعين لدى اثنين من أعمدة الفكر العلماني في سوريا والعالم العربي....Show moreتتناول هذه الورقة البحثية العلاقة الإشكالية في الواقع العربي المعاصر بين العلمانية والإسلام السياسي من خلال تتبع الموقف من هذين الموضوعين لدى اثنين من أعمدة الفكر العلماني في سوريا والعالم العربي. المفكر الأول هو الفيلسوف السوري صادق جلال العظم الذي عرف بانتقاده الحاد للفكر الإسلامي بشكل عام ولتيارات الإسلام السياسي بشكل خاص أما المفكر الثاني فهو الشاعر علي أحمد سعيد إسبر المعروف بأدونيس والذي يشترك مع العظم في نهجه الرافض للإسلام السياسي والداعي لتغيير جذري في الواقع العربي للاستجابة لتحديات العصر. يركز البحث على موقف المفكرين المذكورين من حدثين مفصليين في المنطقة العربية هما الثورة الإيرانية (1979) والثورة السورية (2011)، وذلك من خلال تحليل ما صدر عنهما من مواقف متضمنة في المؤلفات أو المقالات أو اللقاءات الصحفية لكل منهما, حيث يلحظ تبايناً واضحاً بين موقفهما من هاتين الثورتين بما يطرح تساؤلاً مهماً حول علاقة خلفياتهما المذهبية بالتحولات التي طرأت على موقف كل منهما تجاه الإسلام السياسي خلال هاتين الثورتين. تم تخصيص قسمين منفصلين لتحليل توجهات كلا المفكرين على امتداد حياتهما الفكرية مع إبراز التمايز الكبير في موقفهما من الثورتين السورية والإيرانية ومن المضامين الإسلامية التي حملتها هاتين الثورتين، حيث يبرز تحليل مواقف كل منهما الاتساق المثير للتساؤل بين الانتماء الطائفي لديهما والانحياز للثورة التي يشكل المكون الطائفي الذي ينتميان إليه أكثرية واضحة فيها. الراحل صادق جلال العظم الذي ينتمي بخلفيته المذهبية إلى الإسلام السني أعرب مبكراً عن انتقاده للتجربة الخمينية المستندة للمرجعية الشيعية في حكم إيران وجاهر برفضه لأي دور للإسلام في الحياة السياسية لكن تحولاً كبيراً طرأ على موقفه هذا خلال العقود التي تلت الثورة الإيرانية إلى أن انتهى به المطاف إلى التأييد الكامل وغير المشروط للثورة السورية التي انطلقت من حواضن الأكثرية السنية في سوريا، وذلك بالرغم من حضور الإسلام السياسي الكثيف في تلك الثورة. أما أدونيس ذو الخلفية المذهبية العلوية الأقرب للتشيع فلم يجد حرجاً في أن يكون من أوائل المشجعين للثورة الإيرانية رغم طابعها الإسلامي الواضح ورغم تناقض هذا الدعم مع مجمل طروحاته السابقة، لكنه بالمقابل أظهر تحفظاً واضحاً في إظهار أي قدر من التأييد للثورة السورية واختار الانحياز للنظام البعثي السوري رغم تهجمه المتكرر في السابق على التجربة البعثية في الحكم. القسم الثالث في البحث يتناول ردود الأفعال في الأوساط الثقافية السورية والعالمية على هذه التحولات التي طرأت على توجهات المفكرين والمحاولات الجادة لتفسير هذه التحولات. يخلص البحث إلى أنه بالرغم من تعذر إثبات جنوح واضح لدى أي من المفكرين لتأسيس مواقفهما الفكرية على قواعد انتماءاتهما الطائفية ومع أن التحولات التي شهدتها مواقفهما تجاه الثورتين الإيرانية والسورية لا يمكن الجزم بكونها نتيجة انحياز واع لانتماء طائفي معين، لكن مع كل ما سبق تظل الخلفية الطائفية وما ينتج عنها من ذاكرة جمعية و تصورات ذهنية مسبقة للآخر ونواياه عوامل لا يمكن إنكارها في تشكيل مواقف كلا المفكرين وتحديد توجهاتهما من القضايا المعاصرة ومقاربتهما للعلمانية والإسلام السياسي.Show less
This research uses the television series SKY castle as a case study with the focus on trying to answer the question: How does Sky Castle discuss education fever as a byproduct of status...Show moreThis research uses the television series SKY castle as a case study with the focus on trying to answer the question: How does Sky Castle discuss education fever as a byproduct of status consciousness in Korean society? SKY is an acronym used to refer to the top three universities in Korea using the first letter of their names: Seoul National University, Korea University, and Yonsei University. The case study draws on Pierre Bourdieu’s distinction theory to show the impact that education has on status awareness in South Korea as portrayed in SKY Castle. Chapter 1, discusses this methodology and the theoretical framework of this paper and the choice for focusing on SKY Castle as a case study will be further argued. Chapter 2 focusses on the actual analysis of the television series SKY Castle. The findings of Chapter 2 are discussed in Chapter 3 by showing an overview and interpretation of these findings. Lastly, in Chapter 4 this paper gives a conclusion and discusses the limitations of this research and future research possibilities. Sky Castle can be seen as a dialogue with reality, highlighting specific social issues and can be seen as a way to open the discussion towards the current debate in Korea on the topic of status and education fever. The popularity and success of the television series imply that the subject with regard to the Korean educational fever and status consciousness, speak to the social concerns of the Korean viewers.Show less
The present study focuses on the novel features which Parvīn Iᶜtiṣāmī (1907-1941) introduced into the genre of munāẓara to utilize it as an influential platform to voice her criticism of the socio...Show moreThe present study focuses on the novel features which Parvīn Iᶜtiṣāmī (1907-1941) introduced into the genre of munāẓara to utilize it as an influential platform to voice her criticism of the socio-political crisis in Iran. Parvīn Iᶜtiṣāmī, the prominent female Persian poet of the twentieth century, composed her poetry when Riżā Shāh Pahlavī (1878-1944) took control of Iran after the coup d’état of 1921. As a result of the political change, freedom of expression was curtailed more severely than before. She employed innovative strategies and techniques in the composition of “The Drunk and the Sober,” one of her popular munāẓaras, to express her reflections about the situation during the suffocating years of Riżā Shāh’s dictatorship. Relying on the classical Persian literature, she borrowed the recurrent themes, imagery and formal features such as rhyme scheme and radīf from antinomian poetry (qalandariyyāt). The poet employed the ambiguity and paradoxical features of qalandarī imagery. She masterfully introduced new elements into the munāẓara to incorporate her criticism of the contemporary situation. As a result, “The Drunk and the Sober” can be read at two levels: as a mystical poem at the surface, and as the poet’s socio-political criticism at the deeper layer of signification.Show less
Bachelor thesis | South and Southeast Asian Studies (BA)
closed access
This paper investigates if the implications of the Belt and Road Initiative can be considered an advantage to Thailand in terms of economic development. First, the reader is introduced to the...Show moreThis paper investigates if the implications of the Belt and Road Initiative can be considered an advantage to Thailand in terms of economic development. First, the reader is introduced to the parameters of economic development defined by contemporary scholars. Second, the paper presents a case study analysing a transnational high-speed railway located in the country of Laos. From this case study references and assumptions are combined into an attempt to analyse the economic, political, and socio-cultural implications of the Belt and Road Initiative in Thailand. The paper will attempt to draw conclusions from existing literature of economic development and how the different actors and levels operate within the development regime of the Belt and Road Initiative. As the Belt and Road Initiative is suspected to play a major part in the current re-structuring of the Southeast Asian region the process of regionalisation is highlighted as an important aspect of the Belt and Road Initiative and elaborated upon. It can be expected that the Belt and Road Initiative development regime exerts a variety of impacts at different levels identified as the national, regional, and local.Show less
This thesis looks at the relationship between the Cool Japan products and how the export of these products reflects upon the public opinion of the Chinese and South Korean public. It addresses the...Show moreThis thesis looks at the relationship between the Cool Japan products and how the export of these products reflects upon the public opinion of the Chinese and South Korean public. It addresses the limitation of cultural diplomacy as a source of soft power in the context of Sino-Japanese and South Korean-Japanese relations.Show less
With this thesis, I want to focus on Kuniyoshi’s supernatural prints portraying one Japanese warrior house in particular: the Taira 平 clan. The Taira clan, also known as the Heike 平家, was one of...Show moreWith this thesis, I want to focus on Kuniyoshi’s supernatural prints portraying one Japanese warrior house in particular: the Taira 平 clan. The Taira clan, also known as the Heike 平家, was one of the most prominent noble families of the Heian period (794 - 1185), even controlling the Emperor until they were finally defeated. Their tragic demise during the decisive naval Battle of Dan-no-Ura 壇ノ浦の戦い (1185) of the Genpei War 源平合戦 (1180 - 1185) at the hands of the Minamoto 源 clan, has gone down as one of the most infamous events in Japanese history. The rise and fall of the Taira has been popularized by the canonical work Heike Monogatari 平家物語, which describes the events leading up to and during the Genpei War. Although the author and the date of creation of the Heike Monogatari are unknown and much of its contents have been proven to be fictious, the Heike Monogatari has remained as one of the most important Japanese pieces of literature throughout the ages. Thus, it is no wonder that the tragic story of the Heike still captured the imagination of ukiyo-e artists during the late Edo period (1600 - 1868). By visually analyzing supernatural prints featuring the Taira clan of Utagawa Kuniyoshi (1798 - 1861), I hope to shed light on some elements underexplored by previous researchers. Rather than simple political satire, I argue that the charm of these prints for Edo townspeople was actually far wider and more varied. Dissecting the prints’ artistic and cultural elements one by one, I will attempt to lay bare the period eye and to surmise how a person living in the Edo period could have enjoyed them. I hope my research might deepen our shared understanding of Edo popular culture and its social and cultural background.Show less
Research master thesis | Middle Eastern Studies (research) (MA)
open access
Since 2011, Yemen has been torn apart by two subsequent crises: the 2011 uprisings which sought to overthrow the Saleh-government, and the current conflict between the Houthis and the government of...Show moreSince 2011, Yemen has been torn apart by two subsequent crises: the 2011 uprisings which sought to overthrow the Saleh-government, and the current conflict between the Houthis and the government of president Hadi. Although women are often portrayed as primary victims of these crises, such moments of profound change can also offer possible positive changes for women. In this thesis, I analyse the impact of these two crises – the 2011 uprisings and the current conflict – on women’s political empowerment in Yemen. Did women get more opportunities to participate in politics due to these crises? Two important conclusions follow from this research. Firstly, there is a notable difference between women’s participation in informal politics and formal politics during and after crises; although women might be empowered in informal politics, this does not necessarily lead to empowerment in formal politics. And secondly, different crises have different impacts on women’s political participation. The nature of the subsequent formal political process determines the likelihood of women’s formal political empowerment.Show less
This thesis conveys an interpretation of the feminist timeline from the times of He Zhen and her Anarcho-feminist contemporaries in China, to Mao’s time, in which female Red Guards were second...Show moreThis thesis conveys an interpretation of the feminist timeline from the times of He Zhen and her Anarcho-feminist contemporaries in China, to Mao’s time, in which female Red Guards were second-class men, to recent times, in which feminist NGO’s are trying to obtain equal rights regarding gender equality. This thesis discusses the concept of agency as a praxis regarding the actions and speech of the main character of the popular Chinese TV Drama: The Story of Yanxi Palace. Agency as a praxis is the most fitting definition to use in the analysis of the portrayal of Wei Yingluo in The Story of Yanxi Palace. As a praxis, feminism is more practical and shows how a simple action could be called feminist, such as the speaking of Wei Yingluo and small actions individually. Post-Structuralist Deconstruction and Discourse Analysis have proven to be useful tools in analyzing the binaries present. Wei Yingluo stands up against a man of higher status. I argue that Wei Yingluo demonstrates agency in the scenes I discuss. In spite of the rules she walks her own path and finds a way out while both surviving and following her own set of morals. In this setting of Qing Imperial China, the rules and the balance of status were quite clear, yet speaking up was not easy. This thesis uses Post-Structuralist methods to deconstruct popular culture, in this case The Story of Yanxi Palace and argues that, using feminism as a praxis, Wei Yingluo shows agency in (almost) all of her actions and speech.Show less
The population of Japan has been ageing rapidly in recent decades. This demographic change of a graying population causes various problems for the Japanese society.In the year 2000, in reaction to...Show moreThe population of Japan has been ageing rapidly in recent decades. This demographic change of a graying population causes various problems for the Japanese society.In the year 2000, in reaction to these demographic changes the Japanese government came up with a solution to remedy the lack of care workers: it introduced a new long-term care insurance system. Additionally, In 2006 the government introduced the first caregiver migration policy as part of a trade agreement, and the following year it began promoting innovations in healthcare technology. In this thesis, the main question I will try to answer is whether and how much these three measures are effective in terms of alleviating the labor shortage caused by the increasing need for eldercare.Show less
De sarin-gasaanval van 1995 in de metro van Tokyo gevoerd door leden van de groepering Aum Shinrikyo, waarbij 12 mensen op het leven kwamen en vijfduizend anderen gewond raakten, kan gezien worden...Show moreDe sarin-gasaanval van 1995 in de metro van Tokyo gevoerd door leden van de groepering Aum Shinrikyo, waarbij 12 mensen op het leven kwamen en vijfduizend anderen gewond raakten, kan gezien worden als een zwarte bladzijde in de japanse geschiedenis. Nog nooit eerder was er in Japan een antropogene (veroorzaakt door menselijk handelen) ramp geweest van dergelijke proporties of met gebruik van zenuwgas, waardoor er een aantal problemen waren waar de hulpdiensten tegenaan liepen. In deze thesis is er geprobeerd om een antwoord te geven op de vraag welke problemen er waren tijdens de noodhulpverlening bij de saringasaanval van 1995 en of dit gevolgen heeft gehad voor de procedures rondom rampenbestrijding tijdens antropogene rampen na 1995, waarbij gelet is op o.a. problemen in communicatie tussen verschillende organen betrokken bij rampenbestrijding en bij het adequaat reageren op de aanwezigheid van gevaarlijke stoffen.Show less
近年空家の数が増加しており、空家の存在が周辺地域に悪影響を及ぼしている事が問題となっている。例えば、放棄された空家の存在は、崩壊や犯罪の誘発など、周囲に悪影響を及ばす恐れがある。少子高齢化に伴い、空家の数は急増しており、2013年現在、全国の層住宅数に占める空家の割合は13.5%と過去最高を記録した。このままでは2033年の空家率は30%に上昇すると予想されている。空家の増加は...Show more近年空家の数が増加しており、空家の存在が周辺地域に悪影響を及ぼしている事が問題となっている。例えば、放棄された空家の存在は、崩壊や犯罪の誘発など、周囲に悪影響を及ばす恐れがある。少子高齢化に伴い、空家の数は急増しており、2013年現在、全国の層住宅数に占める空家の割合は13.5%と過去最高を記録した。このままでは2033年の空家率は30%に上昇すると予想されている。空家の増加は、メディアでも次第に取り上げられつつある。少子高齢化と人口減少により、空き家が増加しているという新聞記事をよく見かける。空家研究には実態把握だけでなく、根本的な原因の理解、より具体的な議論も必要である。特に、英語で書かれている出版物やメディアで述べられている空家の要因は、少子高齢化や人口減少のみに限定されている場合が多く、包括的な空家の増加の理解には達していない。 住宅の意味や日本的な住宅の歴史、そして法律も空き家の増加に影響している。それゆえ、この論文では、原因は人口の減少だけではないことを、学術文献および政府文書の議論を通して調査し、説明する。 研究は、主に学術文献および行政文書の分析を通して行う。Show less
The Ryūkyū archipelago, in Southern Japan, is home to some ancient techniques for crafting (Kijōka-bashōfu) and dyeing (Bingata) textiles which are not found elsewhere in mainland Japan. The...Show moreThe Ryūkyū archipelago, in Southern Japan, is home to some ancient techniques for crafting (Kijōka-bashōfu) and dyeing (Bingata) textiles which are not found elsewhere in mainland Japan. The Kingdom of Ryūkyū was annexed to the Japanese empire only in recent times (1879), after centuries of relative independence, and the Japanese governments of the first decades of the 20th century has made considerable efforts to reshape and silence the local identity. This process of neutralization of local culture also affected the visibility and the perceived identity of those crafts within the national cultural discourse throughout the whole century. My thesis inspects different issues related to the intercurrent relations between heritage and nation. I will reconstruct what has been done to the Ryūkyū local heritage in the past and what the latest developments have been. I will also highlight the differences existing between the ways the identity of these crafts, Kijōka-bashōfu in particular, are presented in documents aiming at the international, rather than domestic, public. By doing so, I will offer an insight on the cultural policies implemented by the Japanese governments in this respect. Finally, I will operate an audiovisual analysis on a documentary made by entities independent by Japan, representing the everyday life and the activities of local craftspeople involved in the production of these textiles. With that, I will also assess how the local discourse on identity differs from the national discourse.Show less
Recent years have seen the release of a number of cyberpunk films and series, both in cinemas and on streaming services such as Netflix. Among them are Blade Runner 2049 (2017), Ghost in the Shell ...Show moreRecent years have seen the release of a number of cyberpunk films and series, both in cinemas and on streaming services such as Netflix. Among them are Blade Runner 2049 (2017), Ghost in the Shell (2017), Altered Carbon (2018), and this year’s Alita: Battle Angel (2019). The original Blade Runner (1982) can be seen as the first cyberpunk movie with its benchmark depictions of a distinctly dystopian future and Asian oriented cityscapes. Ghost in the Shell and Alita: Battle Angel are both films based on Japanese anime. My focus of interest for the past year has been gender and sexuality, I have been combining this with my interest for Japanese animation. Cyberpunk has been particularly an interesting genre because it depicts our (generally dark) vision of a technologically advanced future, yet it actually tells more about our contemporary society and condition. The genre has often been critiqued on the fact it has been dominated by (white, straight) men, which produced the one-sided stereotyped depiction of women and minorities in the genre. Japan has often been the setting of these cyberpunk narratives. This had to do with Japan’s technological and economic growth in the 1980s, which caused fascination and anxiety towards Japan in the West. One of the reasons why the Hollywood version of Ghost in the Shell peaked my interest is because it is a recent live-action version of a very popular franchise that focuses on a female cyborg. It is additionally one out of many films that has been accused of whitewashing its main protagonist, which was a reason for me to not see this film when it played in theatres. Mamoru Oshii’s Ghost in the Shell from 1995 was an international co-production, and is considered to be one of the greatest anime films. The film also inspired the Wachowskis to make The Matrix trilogy, The Matrix is up to today one of the most well-known cyberpunk films. In my thesis I will be looking at the (heteronormative and race) ideologies that are at play in both of the Ghost in the Shell films. In my first chapter I will lay a foundation of the sides of cyberpunk I will focus on. I will discuss techno-Orientalism, Donna Haraway’s Cyborg Manifesto, cyberfeminism, and feminist post-cyberpunk. In my second chapter I will give an analysis of Rupert Sanders’ Ghost in the Shell film, while focusing on the ideology, queer moments, whitewashing, and oriental style. And finally in my third chapter I will focus on Mamoru Oshii’s Ghost in the Shell. As the “ghost” is a reference towards the soul (and spiritual identity), and the “shell” references towards the (mechanical) body, I will discuss identity, the male gaze, Haraway’s “informatics of domination”, and heteronormativity. I will also be discussing the possibilities and limitations of the cyborg body and the objectifications it goes through in both the GITS films.Show less
During the 20th century many Latin American countries successfully fulfilled the transition to democracy process. Both Chile and Argentina democratised during the 20th century. However, the...Show moreDuring the 20th century many Latin American countries successfully fulfilled the transition to democracy process. Both Chile and Argentina democratised during the 20th century. However, the democracies that developed after the process differed. In Chile, Pinochet executed a lot of control over the transition to democracy, whereas in Argentina, Videla only slightly influenced the transition to democracy. In both countries a successful democracy was established with a different basis. Thus, the role of the dictator during the transition to democracy process is not clear-cut, and the development of democracy depends on many different factors, which are not always controllable.Show less
In 2003, China’s Ministry of Culture published the ‘Interim Regulations on the Administration of Internet Culture’: a list of rules concerning all cultural products on the internet, including music...Show moreIn 2003, China’s Ministry of Culture published the ‘Interim Regulations on the Administration of Internet Culture’: a list of rules concerning all cultural products on the internet, including music. On August 10th, 2015, the Chinese Ministry of Culture used article 16 on the Interim Regulations on the Administration of Internet Culture to censor a total of 120 Chinese songs from the internet. The ministry labeled the 120 songs as blacklisted, because their content was seen as ‘endangering social morality’, according to article 16. A key point of censorship and morality in music in China is that the Chinese government’s rules and regulations for what is considered moral and immoral in music are phrased in very generic terms, leaving room for interpretation. That leaves us with the question, can the blacklisting of the 120 songs be meaningfully related to these rules and regulations? This thesis explores the complex relationship between music, morality and politics in contemporary China by performing a discourse analysis on the banned songs and the legislations regarding internet culture.Show less
“Geïllustreerd sugoroku” (e-sugoroku 絵双六) is een bordspel dat sinds het ontstaan ervan in de Edoperiode in talrijke thema's is verschenen. In dit onderzoek werp ik een blik op sugoroku uit de late...Show more“Geïllustreerd sugoroku” (e-sugoroku 絵双六) is een bordspel dat sinds het ontstaan ervan in de Edoperiode in talrijke thema's is verschenen. In dit onderzoek werp ik een blik op sugoroku uit de late Meijiperiode die specifiek gericht zijn op meisjes en vrouwen, om vast te stellen hoe deze in verhouding staan tot hun historische context. Uit een bespreking van secundaire literatuur over sociale ontwikkelingen uit deze periode en een analyse van verschillende sugoroku uitgegeven tussen 1886 en 1910 blijkt dat de inhoud van de spellen beïnvloedt is door het sociale klimaat waarin gedebatteerd werd over de rol en identiteit van vrouwen. De sugoroku waren in staat om standpunten uit dit debat mee te geven aan spelers, voornamelijk door middel van het wel of niet representeren van bepaalde levensmogelijkheden voor vrouwen. De bevindingen uit deze scriptie dragen bij aan onze kennis over de omstandigheden waarin meisjes in de late Meijiperiode opgroeiden en de rol die gedrukte media als deze hierbij hebben gespeeld.Show less
