Research master thesis | Literary Studies (research) (MA)
open access
In popular culture, the European Middle Ages (ca. 500-1500) are commonly portrayed as a culturally homogenous time period in which the supremacy of the white, heterosexual male is taken for granted...Show moreIn popular culture, the European Middle Ages (ca. 500-1500) are commonly portrayed as a culturally homogenous time period in which the supremacy of the white, heterosexual male is taken for granted. This makes the period attractive to the far-right, whose members view the Middle Ages as an alternative to our modern, multicultural times. In the past, Medieval imagery and rhetoric have consequently been appropriated by groups and individuals ranging from the Ku Klux Klan and the Nazis to Anders Breivik, the Charlottesville protesters and Vladimir Putin. In this thesis, Guus van der Peet examines how the appropriation of history has taken place in the Dutch Language Area. He analyses four case studies: 1) an antisemitic sequel to the Middle Dutch classic Vanden Vos Reinarde; 2) the academic publications of Jan de Vries, a national-socialist professor in Leiden; 3) two Youtube videos from the Flemish far-right student association Schild & Vrienden; 4) two speeches by alt-right politician Thierry Baudet. In the end, Van der Peet concludes that there is a significant difference between the Flemish and Dutch appropriation of the past. Whereas the Flemish far-right repeatedly references the Middle Ages, the Dutch far-right deviates from the international tradition by instead appropriating the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries.Show less
Research master thesis | Arts and Culture (research) (MA)
open access
2022-08-31T00:00:00Z
How can you conceptualise a multi-layered and chronologically dense case study in its entirety without losing focus on the parts, and vice versa? This methodological problem lies at the heart of...Show moreHow can you conceptualise a multi-layered and chronologically dense case study in its entirety without losing focus on the parts, and vice versa? This methodological problem lies at the heart of this thesis, in which the seventeenth-century Roman church of Domine Quo Vadis will be used as a case study. Using a palimpsestic framework, this thesis sets out to explore the historical and material dimensions of the Domine Quo Vadis while also acknowledging its status as a mediator of the divine.Show less
Bachelor thesis | South and Southeast Asian Studies (BA)
closed access
This thesis compares two Rajasthani storytelling traditions: kavad bacana and kathputli. Even though both storytelling practices are going through a process of modernization, traditional kavad...Show moreThis thesis compares two Rajasthani storytelling traditions: kavad bacana and kathputli. Even though both storytelling practices are going through a process of modernization, traditional kavad bacana and kathputli respond in different ways, which we may link to the theoretical concepts of appropriation and revitalization.Show less
This thesis argues and explains how Blackstar and No Plan cleverly use intertextuality as a tool to explore and explain Bowie’s notions of mortality and resurrection.
Recently, a change has been noticeable in the artworks of Thai artists. Appropriations from Japanese, European and American cultures have become more common and Thai artists seem to be more...Show moreRecently, a change has been noticeable in the artworks of Thai artists. Appropriations from Japanese, European and American cultures have become more common and Thai artists seem to be more critical about their cultural identity. Thai cultural symbols and elements, as large standing Buddha's or characters from the Ramakien, are placed next to Disney figures and Batman, and artists are singing the Thai national anthem in other countries. Much is happening which has not been possible in the last decades. In this thesis an attempt was made to understand this current development. The Thai cultural identity, or the alleged 'Thainess', has been investigated and several possibilities of understanding Thainess were created. This concept is based on the effects of the nation-state, identity and the sense of belonging which all proved to be highly influential for Thai artists and their sense of Thainess. The contemporary artists Kata Sangkhae, Jirapat Tatsanasomboon and Rirkrit Tiravanija have shown that there are various ways to represent a sense of Thainess in artworks. However, not Thainess seemed to be the most important factor for Thai artists and the creation of their artworks, rather the individual positioning of the artists themselves. Cultural identities are fluid constructs and open to changes. The positioning and the context of the artist are most probably much more influential than their sense of Thainess. The three artists have therefore all different positions concerning Thainess and are also fundamentally different from each other, from critical to protective. But all three artists prove that the tension between the local and the global is something that they are aware of.Show less
