Bachelor thesis | Cultural Anthropology and Development Sociology (BSc)
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Unconditional love is theorized across different fields to be key for making our politics more forgiving and our social justice more effective. This is because of love’s 1) willed character in...Show moreUnconditional love is theorized across different fields to be key for making our politics more forgiving and our social justice more effective. This is because of love’s 1) willed character in contrast to mere sentimentalism, 2) its dynamic tendency towards turning love into action and help, 3) the forgiveness it brings that is necessary for embracing the heterogeneity of politics, 4) the purpose and embrace it can give to the anger that sprouts out of societal injustice, 5) the embodiedness and personal touch that they give to policies of care, and 6) a common interest with justice towards giving loveable people what they deserve. However, this is not just theory, and as a proper anthropologist I have shown how different actors longing for social justice put this love-justice relation into practice. Ranging from meditating to embody love and turn political and societal ideals of embrace into a reality, to seeing love as entailing and impulsing a drive towards LGBT+ inclusion campaigns and justice, all across the world love is employed as a vital component for making a better world. I have argued that unconditional love has a wide variety of benefits it can bring to social justice, both seen by academics and by actors that put this into practice. Because in the end, love’s dynamic character cannot let us sit still when we see that those we love deserve better.Show less
Bachelor thesis | Cultural Anthropology and Development Sociology (BSc)
closed access
This thesis expands on an arguably underexplored interdisciplinary collaboration within both social and data science disciplines, and their potential to reimagine algorithmic systems as more...Show moreThis thesis expands on an arguably underexplored interdisciplinary collaboration within both social and data science disciplines, and their potential to reimagine algorithmic systems as more culturally and human-centered. To do so, this thesis firstly departs from current narratives related to the dichotomy between humans and machines to analyze the novel role social scientists play in this digital reality and future. Secondly, this thesis addresses what an interdisciplinary methodology of social scientists applying computational techniques may look like, as well as helps to answer the part of the research question that deals with “incorporating” the two disciplines. This more technical section focused on Laura K. Nelson’s Computational Grounded Theory which sets out to incorporate computational tools for social scientists wanting to conduct content analysis. Finally, this thesis highlights viable solutions for social science research and more culturally-centered research is working towards creating more human-centered algorithms by exploring possible strategies for cultural interpretations of these existing systems by evaluating metrics of algorithmic systems.Show less
Bachelor thesis | Cultural Anthropology and Development Sociology (BSc)
closed access
Following the pioneer work of Bettie,Ortner and McRobbie, this thesis analyzes how cultural discourses arisen from big societal trends in the last decades have contributed to a limited...Show moreFollowing the pioneer work of Bettie,Ortner and McRobbie, this thesis analyzes how cultural discourses arisen from big societal trends in the last decades have contributed to a limited consideration of young women’s class realities. As the internet has become part of everyday life, it has opened up new possibilities for identity formation and representation. Following the increasing blurring between offline and online spaces and identities, the analysis also looks at class, at the intersection of other social axes, as it acquires a transmediated nature, and presents the ways in which online presence and practice remains highly classed and gendered. The three chapters unveil the influence of postfeminism, neoliberalism, and postindustrialism on class expressions, the impact of digital spaces on identity negotiation, and the agency of young women in countering dominant discursive structures. Through an intersectional and transmediated lens, this work emphasizes the importance of recognizing class complexities within contemporary identities. By connecting historical insights with present-day considerations, it contributes to a comprehensive understanding of class dynamics and the nuanced interactions between class, gender, and digital spaces. Current considerations include the content of popular discourse and media, the use of digital spaces and a conceptualization of internet aesthetics such as 'cottagecore' and 'dark academia'. Each chapter offers a specific lens into why and how the class realities of young women are both expressed and hidden through the current prevalent discourses informing the construction, explanation and understanding of young women’s identities.Show less
