This thesis aims to address the question: “How does the representation of Kurdish cultural resistance in visual art made by the Kurdish-Dutch diaspora fit within the Kurdish political discourse?”...Show moreThis thesis aims to address the question: “How does the representation of Kurdish cultural resistance in visual art made by the Kurdish-Dutch diaspora fit within the Kurdish political discourse?” To answer this question, films by Beri Shalmashi and Reber Dosky were analyzed by means of Visual Discourse Analysis on the basis of themes and symbols that fit within Kurdish political discourse. Unlike traditional International Relations (IR), this thesis takes an aesthetic turn and presents a more expressive and critical view from a diasporic narrative of the Kurdish question, which will deepen the knowledge concerning this conflict through visual discourse analysis. The themes and symbols discussed are cultural memory and collective trauma, the geo-linguistic homeland, autonomy, feminism, and the Kurdish mountains. These themes and symbols are all linked to Kurdish nationalism and cultural resistance and play an important role in the creation of a Kurdish identity among the Kurds living in diaspora. Moreover, this thesis demonstrates how the Kurdish diasporic community represents itself and how politicized Kurdish culture is.Show less
The Thesis explores how developments of literature and politics are intertwined in the history of modern Iran. The short story Antari Ke Lutiyash Morde Bud by Iranian author Sadegh Chubak is...Show moreThe Thesis explores how developments of literature and politics are intertwined in the history of modern Iran. The short story Antari Ke Lutiyash Morde Bud by Iranian author Sadegh Chubak is analyzed as an aesthetic source which offers insights in Iranian political developments. The themes of freedom and imprisonment and how they relate to each other in the text are read in the context of Iran's political history.Show less
