In this thesis, the argument is made that the extent to which secrecy was employed in early twentieth-century lynching in the American Deep South is dependent on whether that secrecy provided the...Show moreIn this thesis, the argument is made that the extent to which secrecy was employed in early twentieth-century lynching in the American Deep South is dependent on whether that secrecy provided the desired sense of security from persecution to those participating in a lynch mob. Using three case studies, ranging from a highly publicized and public killing in Waco, Texas, to a group slaying of remotely situated Mexican Texans by a division of Texas Rangers, to a highly coordinated attack on a jewish factory boss in the dark of night, it is argued that either the cover of obscurity or the anonimity in a large group setting could each supply the needed sense of safety for those participating in the lynching to commit to the act fully. The circumstances which would dictate the public or secretive approach varied widely in the studied cases, yet there are some common grounds to be found among them as well.Show less
Donald Trump was a highly controversial figure in the 2016 and 2020 elections. He presented himself as America’s hero (Mercieca, 2020). Trump's 2016 campaign was marked by an unique and...Show moreDonald Trump was a highly controversial figure in the 2016 and 2020 elections. He presented himself as America’s hero (Mercieca, 2020). Trump's 2016 campaign was marked by an unique and idiosyncratic rhetoric and campaigning style in which social media play a large role and especially his use of Twitter was remarkable (Polak, 2018). Trump’s rhetoric was full of pathos-driven techniques like: America first exceptionalism, hyperboles, repetition, fear appeals, ad populum and ad hominem arguments (Mercieca, 2020) while his rhetoric lacked complexity (Skinnel, 2018). Furthermore, Trump was known to distort facts (Skinnel, 2018). Although Trump was suspended from Twitter, begin January 2021, shortly after losing the election and the storming of the capitol took place, he has recently made a re-entrance on Twitter. The author of this paper wishes to contribute to the current research on Trump’s unique rhetorical style which continues to have a strong influence in America and do so by analysing Trump’s Twitter use during the 2020 elections, making use of a corpus based approach supplemented by a qualitative analysis of his rhetoric.Show less
Donald Trump has frequently been labelled an idiosyncratic aberration and has equally been accused of breaking with American foreign policy tradition. However, by applying the foreign policy...Show moreDonald Trump has frequently been labelled an idiosyncratic aberration and has equally been accused of breaking with American foreign policy tradition. However, by applying the foreign policy traditions uncovered by Mead (Wilsonianism, Hamiltonianism, Jeffersonianism and Jacksonianism), scholars began arguing that Trump was perfectly traditional because he adhered to one or more of these historic traditions. Simultaneously, scholars argued that Trump rejected the myth of American exceptionalism that informs said traditions. This begs the question of how one can be traditional, yet also reject their foundational myth. Scholars had failed to consider these two facets in tandem, and had only focussed on Trump’s campaign and early presidency therefore failing to provide a prudent analysis of Trump’s entire foreign policy. This thesis aimed to rectified both by asking the following question: how has Trump’s re-interpretation of American exceptionalism influenced the utilisation of the dominant traditions in American foreign policy in his foreign policy discourse? Through the use of a critical geopolitical analysis, it was uncovered that Trump redefined American exceptionalism to an conditional state of objective greatness that only he could achieve and maintain, rather than an inherent trait. This allowed him to argue that his predecessors had made America unexceptional, stirring feelings of betrayal that he could then mobilise for his own political gain. This demagogic ‘exceptional me 2.0’ strategy shaped his application of all the four traditions wherein he blames Wilsonianism for American decline and aims to rally disappointed Hamiltonians, Jeffersonians and Jacksonians against them in order to effectuate a great reset of American foreign policy and domestic politics.Show less
This thesis entails a historical comparative analysis of the three feminist waves, based on a historical literary analysis, and is exemplified by three case studies that illustrate each specific...Show moreThis thesis entails a historical comparative analysis of the three feminist waves, based on a historical literary analysis, and is exemplified by three case studies that illustrate each specific time period. The historical analysis and the case studies are then compared in order to evaluate historical changes and developments. Through this, the following research question is answered, ‘What does a historical comparative analysis of four women between the 19th, 20th, and 21st centuries show with regard to the effects of changing domesticity values on the roles of women in American higher education?’ The women chosen for the case studies both diverged from, and conformed to social rules in their time period, thereby illustrating which rules exactly were in place. Therefore, the effects that these expectations had on women in higher education are illustrated as well. The term domesticity that is used in this thesis is derived from the Cult of Domesticity that was present in the 18th and 19th centuries, prohibiting women from entering the public sphere in any way. The effects that domesticity had on women in higher education is evaluated through mechanisms of femininity and masculinity, the ‘duality of education’ by Anderson-Faithful and Goodman, and the ‘feminist dilemma’ by Joan Scott. These themes show that domesticity has influenced women in higher education, and continues to do so, despite improvements in women’s social and legal rights.Show less
The purpose of this study is to investigate how Hellenic reconstructionist in America construct their religion and what their reconstruction principles are. This study is done on the basis of two...Show moreThe purpose of this study is to investigate how Hellenic reconstructionist in America construct their religion and what their reconstruction principles are. This study is done on the basis of two primary sources. This study is a literature study. The two primary sources used in this study were: A Beginner’s Guide to Hellenismos written by Timothy Jay Alexander and Hellenismos: Practicing Greek Polytheism today written by Tony Mierzwicki. An important secondary source which was used in this study is a thesis written by Tao Thykier Makeeff named Do Satyrs Wear Sneakers? Hellenic Polytheism and the reception of Antiquity in Contemporary Greece – a Study in Serious Play. The results show that primary and secondary sources are the most important sources on which Hellenic reconstructionist base their religion. In America UPG (Unverified Personal Gnosis) is also very important for the Hellenic reconstructionist to shape the religion. The results also show there are differences and similarities between the two primary sources and a secondary source about Hellenic reconstructionism in Greece.Show less
In this thesis, I analyze journal articles from The Annals of American Academy of Political and Social Science during the 1910s to better understand the conceptualization of American foreign policy...Show moreIn this thesis, I analyze journal articles from The Annals of American Academy of Political and Social Science during the 1910s to better understand the conceptualization of American foreign policy during this period. This was a period of change and shifts, when European imperial powers were receding in global hegemony and American power was ascending. I argue that the authors of these articles interpreted this period of change as an opportunity for America and articulated a new global order by political, economic, and social interaction of global affairs through US intervention.Show less
This thesis analyses the role of R2P in the justificatory speeches of American presidents Bush, Clinton and Obama through the case studies of Somalia 1992-1994 and Libya 2011.
The American slavery debate, raging from the early nineteenth century up until the Civil War, almost destroyed the Union through its increasing political, economical and social anxiety. Southerners...Show moreThe American slavery debate, raging from the early nineteenth century up until the Civil War, almost destroyed the Union through its increasing political, economical and social anxiety. Southerners argued against any federal interference of their institution of slavery and abolitionists, especially those who were more radical, vehemently opposed any continuation of the institution. In this tumult, several writers took up the pen to argue against or specifically in favor of slavery, which they did in sentimental novels intended to sway their readers. I argue that each of the authors of the works discussed in this thesis reframe the African American plight in order to portray what the authors feel is the idealized version of African Americans, regardless of whether it had any bearing on reality. In this way, white superiority remained intact. Stowe’s Uncle Tom’s Cabin, while advocating for the abolition of slavery, treats her enslaved characters as childlike and simplistic. Eastman’s Aunt Phillis’s Cabin portrays her enslaved characters as utterly devotional to the white families they work for, going even as far as to argue for removing their own autonomy so to better serve their masters. And Page’s In Ole Virginia, written during the post-Reconstruction period, portrays free African Americans as witnesses to the better times experienced while in servitude.Show less
This thesis re-views Jack Kerouac's "On The Road" through the cultural-anthropological lens of "liminality" in order to understand the novel's endurance as well as its contemporary reflection of a...Show moreThis thesis re-views Jack Kerouac's "On The Road" through the cultural-anthropological lens of "liminality" in order to understand the novel's endurance as well as its contemporary reflection of a generation in limbo. This thesis contends that the liminal characteristics and rituals studied by Arnold van Gennep and Victor Turner in small-scale African communities can be modernized and applied to such ritualistic phenomena as road travel in Kerouac's novel, which utilizes the anonymity of the American highway as a liminal space that allows freedom of self-definition. Such a reading returns "On the Road" to its contemporary socio-political landscape and makes it clear that the novel depicts not a subversive countercultural movement, but that it is actually part of a private ritual of passage that eschews the mainstream culture only on a temporary and minimal basis. By way of the liminal phase, the narrator appropriates characteristics of the socially and ethnically marginal while reproducing and reinforcing the values of the mainstream (white) culture against these marginal people.Show less
This thesis analyses the double trauma of loss of belonging and exclusion from US society after the events of 9/11 as experienced by the characters of the novel Once in a Promised Land by Laila...Show moreThis thesis analyses the double trauma of loss of belonging and exclusion from US society after the events of 9/11 as experienced by the characters of the novel Once in a Promised Land by Laila Halaby. Building on the theory of Orientalism provided by Edward Said, edited with the work of Fadda-Conrey, the chapters discuss each trauma separately. Doing so creates an overview of the double trauma experienced by the main characters of Salwa and Jassim.Show less
This thesis illuminates the idea of a cross-cultural genre comparison within the field of Literary Studies. Commonly, this means focussing on a certain genre and its characteristics within the...Show moreThis thesis illuminates the idea of a cross-cultural genre comparison within the field of Literary Studies. Commonly, this means focussing on a certain genre and its characteristics within the literatures of two or more different cultural contexts. However, as an experiment, this thesis assumes the narrative status of literature and contemporary popular culture to be similar. This would mean that it is possible to compare genres cross-culturally within literature and within other types of media. After discussing the field of World Literature and the existence of transcultural narratives, the thesis will move on to a case study between American and Japanese authors. To clarify the potential and usefulness of cross-cultural genre comparisons, three genres will be looked at: gothic, mystery/detective and Lovecraftian weird tale literature. The first two will be explored in short stories by American author Edgar Allan Poe (1809-1849) and those by three Japanese writers, namely Tanizaki Junichirō 谷崎潤一郎 (1886-1965), Akutagawa Ryūnosuke 芥川龍之介 (1892-1927) and Edogawa Rampo 江戸川乱歩 (1894-1965). The third genre will be used to see how the literary characteristics of weird tales by American author H.P. Lovecraft (1890-1937) have been used, not only in Japanese literature, but also in Japanese popular culture, like manga and anime. As such, it will eventually show how key conventions within the genres of gothic, mystery/detective and Lovecraftian weird tale literature cannot be explained from within one national or cultural context alone and how cross-cultural and cross-media studies add to the international potential of Literary Studies.Show less
