Master thesis | Cultural Anthropology and Development Sociology (MSc)
open access
The research focuses on the execution of the policy program called Resilient Bospolder/Tussendijken 2028. The main aims of this policy are to reduce CO2 emissions and to improve the quality of life...Show moreThe research focuses on the execution of the policy program called Resilient Bospolder/Tussendijken 2028. The main aims of this policy are to reduce CO2 emissions and to improve the quality of life in called Bospolder/Tussnedijken. Frequently referred to simply as BoTu, this neighborhood in Rotterdam is often presented as having higher than average poverty rates. In this study, I will try to understand how the two mentioned sets of goals combine under the term resilience. I will do that by focusing on the implementation of the program and the way residents of BoTu experience it. The concepts of citizenship and energy ethics will be crucial for my research. I will discuss debates surrounding these concepts and try to build upon them. With this, I will try to also contribute to academic debates about policy implementation, citizenship, and energy ethics. I will also touch upon the concept of resilience and temporalities concerning policy projects. The first will help me understand resilient projects in general, while the second will be beneficial for conceptualizing findings in my field. This study is based on my fieldwork in BoTu from January 2022 to early April 2022. It was conducted as part of Port City Futures research program and in collaboration with Veld Academie. The latter is an organization tasked by the municipality of BoTu to monitor the development of the resilience program.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
