Master thesis | Cultural Anthropology and Development Sociology (MSc)
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This thesis foregrounds what an ethnographer can learn from unexpected waiting. In particular, it looks at the ways analogue photography can help navigate a research project that is perpetually...Show moreThis thesis foregrounds what an ethnographer can learn from unexpected waiting. In particular, it looks at the ways analogue photography can help navigate a research project that is perpetually deferred. Before entering the field, the preliminary focus of this research was on the organised Heem days. Heem is a young initiative that aspires to evoke interfaith encounter through gardening and making art on designated Heem days. The intention of this research was to research the interfaith encounter between participants through gardening together and making art. When entering the field, the Heem days were repeatedly delayed. At the end of the fieldwork period, no Heem days had taken place. This period of waiting created a space and necessity to pay attention to the slow process and everyday aspects of Heem, through the people and place. Analogue photography was an adequate method to study this waiting process. Due to the limited number of photos that can be made, it stimulates the researcher to be in the moment and preselect what is important and what not. Through the concepts of waiting, everyday and analogue photography, this study explores the purchase of waiting for ethnography. The key finding of this study is that also in the (unexpected) process of waiting for something to happen in the field, a lot of valuable information can be found. Furthermore, analogue photography can teach us to slow down and look at our field – and personal lives – with new eyes. The research has a multimodal output that consists both of a textual part and an ethnographic photobook. The first reflects on the unexpected process of waiting for the organized days of Heem to happen, using the concepts waiting, everyday and analogue photography. The ethnographic photobook expresses the process of waiting at Heem, including the place, the mundane happenings and objects and the people of and around Heem. The photobook ends with photos of an organised Heem day that I participated in after fieldwork to also show what Heem was preparing for.Show less
Master thesis | Cultural Anthropology and Development Sociology (MSc)
open access
The thesis focuses on the experiences of inclusion and participation of deaf and hard of hearing people in team sports, considering their own perspectives towards their reduced hearing, then...Show moreThe thesis focuses on the experiences of inclusion and participation of deaf and hard of hearing people in team sports, considering their own perspectives towards their reduced hearing, then translating this to their experiences on the sports field. Attributes that either support or obstruct inclusion are brought forward by sports policies and programs, the participants themselves, and literature research. While the research has given directly observable examples and tools of how inclusive practices in sports can be enabled, it has also shed light on indirect and structural issues that somehow impact sports experiences: general participation in the deaf or hearing world; the sense of belonging one has in each; the ability of sign language as an influencing and communicative tool; and the interaction or lack thereof with other deaf or hard of hearing people. Thus, a distinction is made between physical participation and social participation in team sports, where each pertains to a different side of what it means to achieve inclusion.Show less
Master thesis | Cultural Anthropology and Development Sociology (MSc)
open access
This study investigates what factors influence ethnic identity and sense of belonging amongst first- and second- generation individuals of the Ghanaian diaspora in the Netherlands. The experiences...Show moreThis study investigates what factors influence ethnic identity and sense of belonging amongst first- and second- generation individuals of the Ghanaian diaspora in the Netherlands. The experiences shared by interlocutors portray that ethnic identity is fluid and interchangeable, instead of a fixed phenomenon. Ghanaian interlocutors demonstrated that they live within a double consciousness, as they are able to move between worlds of connectedness and disconnectedness with their Ghanaian and Dutch identities. Furthermore their sense of belonging is closely related to larger structures of (everyday) racism prevalent in Dutch society and personal notions affiliated with The Netherlands as home. Then in Ghana sense of belonging is also multifaceted as they are perceived as too "Dutch".Show less
Master thesis | Cultural Anthropology and Development Sociology (MSc)
open access
Severe menstruation pain is often normalized by society. However, this can be a sign of endometriosis. Endometriosis is a condition that affects people with a uterus1, where endometrial tissue...Show moreSevere menstruation pain is often normalized by society. However, this can be a sign of endometriosis. Endometriosis is a condition that affects people with a uterus1, where endometrial tissue grows outside the uterus. Often this tissue grows in the pelvic, the ovaries, abdominal cavities. Despite the fact that one in ten people with a uterus have endometriosis, there is little attention for or understanding of this condition. Therefore, this research, consisting of a documentary and accompanying text, explores the complexity of the everyday life experiences of four women with endometriosis living in a Dutch and Belgian context. By placing this research topic in a larger anthropological discourse about illness experiences, it allowed me to approach endometriosis as a condition that is socially constructed by people women themselves and society. Three major themes play a major role in the women's everyday illness experiences. First, there is a lack of awareness for the condition in society that often results in misunderstandings and false diagnoses. Second, the ongoing process of grief and acceptance. Finally, the desire of women for a more holistic approach to endometriosis care. The aim of the research is to create more awareness for the condition and to help us think more openly about chronic pain linked to menstruation.Show less
Master thesis | Cultural Anthropology and Development Sociology (MSc)
closed access
In this visual ethnographic research is explored what processes enabled embodiment of traumatic experiences through performed text and dance. The main method of observational cinema enabled to...Show moreIn this visual ethnographic research is explored what processes enabled embodiment of traumatic experiences through performed text and dance. The main method of observational cinema enabled to follow the creation process for the performance of Birds in embodying emotions and trauma of the main character that are based on the personal experiences of the choreographer and director of the performance, Dalton Jansen. Exploring and building the narrative of traumatic experiences of the main character of Birds enabled further steps into embodying the emotions and narrative connected to the traumatic experience by the performers through performed text and dance. By analysing performed text and dance separately insights are found in how they each enabled to express trauma and emotions in different ways. However, the connection exercises and space-holding for trauma at the beginning of the creative process, formed the base that enabled the embodiment in the performers.Show less
Master thesis | Cultural Anthropology and Development Sociology (MSc)
closed access
Despite the remaining importance of academic achievement and successful study completion of all students, little is known about the impact of the campus environment on students beyond the study...Show moreDespite the remaining importance of academic achievement and successful study completion of all students, little is known about the impact of the campus environment on students beyond the study programme, on their social and institutional belonging, which also contribute to academic success. Therefore, this thesis explores two themes. One, how students of Leiden University experience feeling “at home” or alienated in their campus environment in the age of the growing student mobility, within and across borders, and the role study associations and (D&I-supported) student-led networks play in this. Two, the role diversity awareness (practices and projects) play in students feeling “at home” or alienated at the university, by looking at the Diversity and Inclusion (D&I) policy in practice, particularly as seen from the students’ perspectives.Show less
Master thesis | Cultural Anthropology and Development Sociology (MSc)
closed access
This research explores the link between social stratification, spatial segregation, capital allocation, agency and power. Poelenburg and Oude Westen, two ‘deprived’ neighborhoods in the Netherlands...Show moreThis research explores the link between social stratification, spatial segregation, capital allocation, agency and power. Poelenburg and Oude Westen, two ‘deprived’ neighborhoods in the Netherlands, are the stage of this research. The article follows the analysis of social stratification as a structure in which people are hierarchized along the lines of their social role in that structure. This hierarchy causes for unequal resource allocation, spatial segregation and stigmatization. This is shown in a lack of cultural, social, economic and symbolic capital by the residents in both neighborhoods. However, the findings of this research show how institutional actors in each neighborhood are creating a framework of opportunities for the youth. Consequently, the youth become active agents in accumulating capital by countering the assumed habitus of the fields they engage in. The research concludes with four examples of how the youth in Poelenburg and Oude Westen are claiming power by accumulating capital. This poses an answer to the main research question: How do youth and institutional actors in Oude Westen and Poelenburg co-create opportunities wherein the youth can accumulate capital by countering the assumed habitus of their social fields and thereby claiming power to, power with and power from within?Show less
Master thesis | Cultural Anthropology and Development Sociology (MSc)
open access
In 2014, ISIS committed genocide against the Yazidi population of north-eastern Iraq. This caused hundreds of thousands of Yazidis to be displaced from their homes and communities. Many of them...Show moreIn 2014, ISIS committed genocide against the Yazidi population of north-eastern Iraq. This caused hundreds of thousands of Yazidis to be displaced from their homes and communities. Many of them fled to the Kurdistan Region of Iraq, and others journeyed to countries such as the Netherlands in search of security and stability. Through the use of participant observation in both locations and unstructured life-history interviews with women and their families, this research sought to understand practices and meanings surrounding Yazidi motherhood across time and in different spaces.Show less
Master thesis | Cultural Anthropology and Development Sociology (MSc)
closed access
Researching concepts like diaspora and nostalgia has often been done with the assumption of a certain constant in privilege. Transnationalism and feelings of in-betweenness are nuances that make...Show moreResearching concepts like diaspora and nostalgia has often been done with the assumption of a certain constant in privilege. Transnationalism and feelings of in-betweenness are nuances that make sensorial expressions of nostalgia unique. Feminist theory and its intersection with ethnographic methods can help gain a greater understanding of these expressions in which more attention is given to ethics and the researchers’ positionality. Zine-making as a practice can serve as a tool for presenting research findings while being aware of one's positionality as well as the expression of the sensory elements of the field.Show less
Master thesis | Cultural Anthropology and Development Sociology (MSc)
open access
Rotterdam has one of the largest amount of migrants living in its city in relation to other cities in the Netherlands (IDEM Rotterdam 2019: 1). Most European countries, including the Netherlands,...Show moreRotterdam has one of the largest amount of migrants living in its city in relation to other cities in the Netherlands (IDEM Rotterdam 2019: 1). Most European countries, including the Netherlands, look at integration as a two-way process between migrants and the host society while also assuming assimilation to social cohesion (Anthias et al. 2013: 3). A big part of social integration is establishing social relationships through bonding and bridging (Wessendorf & Phillimore 2019: 126). But migration studies often take social networks for granted while researching migrants’ lives. Therefore, there is a need to research the influence of migrants’ social networks on social integration from a sociological point of view (Ryan 2011: 720). Studies on integration often focus on younger migrants. While first-generation older migrants are one of the most disadvantaged groups because of their migration background, age, and otherness (Warnes et al. 2004: 307). Therefore, this research investigates the influence of first-generation middle-age to older migrants’ social networks on their social integration process in Rotterdam. The research draws on three months of ethnographic fieldwork in the social lives of eight migrants living in different neighbourhoods throughout Rotterdam. The aim is to find out what the experiences of these migrants are regarding their migration trajectory, family and non-family social networks, and sense of belonging in a transnational context, considering their social integration process. In this thesis, I argue what the influences of the social networks are and that all experiences are situational by giving examples of multiple experiences per subject. In the conclusion, I connected the different aspects of the social networks’ influences to argue that all these aspects influence each other and therefore the experiences the migrants have.Show less
Master thesis | Cultural Anthropology and Development Sociology (MSc)
open access
This research presents an historical-ethnographic case-study of ‘Buurland’: a collaborative housing community in Utrecht. By using various audio-visual and ethnographic methods I explore how...Show moreThis research presents an historical-ethnographic case-study of ‘Buurland’: a collaborative housing community in Utrecht. By using various audio-visual and ethnographic methods I explore how Buurland became the community it is now and how this communal living is lived and experienced by different ‘Buurlanders’. The focus of this research is on processes of re-design and place-making and the factors that allowed this re-design to occur. The temporality of the place, and the attitude and close ties of the initiating group prove to be important in this process. Furthermore, drawing upon discourses on architecture and communal living, I argue that the specific design of the housing blocks fosters social interactions between neighbors. In addition, Buurland’s case-study shows how lack of policy in a residential area leads to creative communal practices organized by neighbors. The yearly ‘Zwemfest’ is a key communal practice, which forms a binding ritual among the members of the community. In 2023 the housing blocks of Buurland will be demolished and make place for social housing appartements and mid-market rental housing. The aim of housing corporation Mitros is to ‘create’ a new community with a similar communal character. The question remains if Mitros will succeed in doing so. The outcomes of this research are presented in an article, ‘Making Buurland’, and in an ethnographic film, ‘Buurland, a Land Ruled by Neighbors’.Show less
Master thesis | Cultural Anthropology and Development Sociology (MSc)
open access
This article explores the multiplicity of experiences and perspectives of people practicing consensual non-monogamy (CNM) and questions how their values about love, intimacy, relationality, and...Show moreThis article explores the multiplicity of experiences and perspectives of people practicing consensual non-monogamy (CNM) and questions how their values about love, intimacy, relationality, and sexuality relate to their practice of CNM. To gain these insights, I used experimental ethnographic methods such as autoethnography, film, and in-depth unstructured interviewing, alongside a theoretical framework based on Foucault’s view on sexuality and the concept of mononormativity combined with the wider contextualizing academic discussion surrounding CNM. This resulted in argumentation that centers around the idea that the discourse and narratives surrounding love sex and relationality one adheres to, relate not only to various practical approaches to CNM but also to one’s sense of identity and morality within it. First, I explored sexually nonexclusive relationships or open relationships, in the context of the youth hook-up culture, and then in married couples exploring swinging and BDSM non- monogamously. I argued that both of these relationships’ structures depended on a mononormative separation of romantic love and sexuality, while for the first group this separation was implicit and extradyadic sexuality went unspoken, the second group created this dissociation voluntarily and critically as they presented sex as a form of play and claimed to take advantage of the conventional structure of marriage. After this, I focused on polyamory i.e., romantic CNM, and its use of language to label feelings, relationships, and social phenomena to change the way polyamorists relate and communicate. Which impacted not only polyamorists’ philosophy of relationality but also causes a reorganization of their lives and their sense of identity. However, as this sanitized holistic vision of love is essentialized into a relational identity, it still carries underlying mononormative tendencies.Show less
