According to many scholars, the Chinese media increasingly subjugates women and depicts them in relation to marriage, and by extension home and motherhood. Women who do not adhere to these ideals,...Show moreAccording to many scholars, the Chinese media increasingly subjugates women and depicts them in relation to marriage, and by extension home and motherhood. Women who do not adhere to these ideals, are stigmatized by the media. At the same time, the media bestows men with important social roles and expectations. In my research, I investigated whether single men and single women are indeed depicted according to different standards.Show less
This thesis takes the THAAD incident as a case study to explore the influence of political factors on the mass consumption of Korean Popular Culture in China.
Elder care in China faces great problems, increasingly due to the ageing of society. In order to tackle issues related to elder care, China has actively been seeking international partners to...Show moreElder care in China faces great problems, increasingly due to the ageing of society. In order to tackle issues related to elder care, China has actively been seeking international partners to collaborate with to share and exchange ideas on the topic. The Netherlands has been one of them, already cooperating with China since 1998. This thesis will describe the issues related to the Chinese elder care, as well as provide a first, exploratory insight into the cooperation between China and the Netherlands.Show less
In this thesis, the Venice Biennale is taken as a focus point illustrating how the Chinese Contemporary art field is presented to an international public, how the Chinese government has interests...Show moreIn this thesis, the Venice Biennale is taken as a focus point illustrating how the Chinese Contemporary art field is presented to an international public, how the Chinese government has interests in retaining a certain image of this field and how that fits in the wider perspective of governments using contemporary art events as soft power platforms.Show less
In 2020, the Chinese government will implement a Social Credit System. This system is meant to increase the social control and stability within Chinese society. The methods of this system, such as...Show moreIn 2020, the Chinese government will implement a Social Credit System. This system is meant to increase the social control and stability within Chinese society. The methods of this system, such as use of mass surveillance and Artificial Intelligence, have sparked controversy in global media. This thesis puts the system in perspective with two already implemented social management systems, the Dangan and the Hukou. The comparative analysis shows five similar elements between the systems and six differences. Furthermore, this thesis proposes a narrative of continuation of social management for the Social Credit System, rather than seeing the system as something entirely new.Show less
Sexual harassment is a worldwide problem. Its importance has been emphasized beyond scholarly discussion by global public initiatives, such as the #MeToo movement. This campaign came to China in...Show moreSexual harassment is a worldwide problem. Its importance has been emphasized beyond scholarly discussion by global public initiatives, such as the #MeToo movement. This campaign came to China in January 2018 and encouraged thousands of women and men to use social networks as a channel to speak out about their experiences. Now, their WeChat posts bear testimony to the scope of the issue in China. This study aims to analyze these posts and answer the following research question: How do Chinese WeChat users discuss sexual misconduct, such as harassment or abuse, in #MeToo movement related posts, and what are the main topics they raise? Thematic analysis revealed that the most often mentioned themes included: the definition of sexual harassment, the causes of sexual harassment in Chinese society, as well as different types of offenders. In particular, this study identified that WeChat users acknowledge that sexual harassment may go far beyond physical harassment and also includes verbal harassment or gender harassment. Second, the analysis reveals that users tend to view a broad range of specifically Chinese societal and cultural reasons including gender inequality, patriarchy, traditional cultural norms, and wrong parenting educating patterns as contributing factors to the existence of sexual harassment in Chinese society. Finally, from the WeChat users' perspective, gender inequality and patriarchy are supported by traditional cultural norms which might be transmitted in the society via wrong educating patterns at home or school.Show less
Through analysis of 36 articles in Kenya's most-read newspaper 'the Daily Nation', it has become apparent that most articles concerning the Belt and Road Initiative in this medium were written by...Show moreThrough analysis of 36 articles in Kenya's most-read newspaper 'the Daily Nation', it has become apparent that most articles concerning the Belt and Road Initiative in this medium were written by people in the employ of the Chinese government. The articles were also extremely positive on joint cooperation between Kenya and China and made a big point of China's goodwill vis-a-vis the Kenyan populace.Show less
The present research is an attempt to explore the presented and hidden narratives, or non-disclosed behaviors, of the galleries of two art hubs located in Beijing: Caochangdi art village and 798...Show moreThe present research is an attempt to explore the presented and hidden narratives, or non-disclosed behaviors, of the galleries of two art hubs located in Beijing: Caochangdi art village and 798 art district. These two districts are perceived as radically different from each other: 798 is considered by many workers of the field as commercialized, whereas Caochangdi is deemed to be "about art." However, is there an actual difference between the galleries of the two art hubs? Thus the research question was easily defined: “What are the narratives the two Beijing’s Contemporary art district’s galleries use to present themselves and do the districts differ in it or are they similar? In which way would they be similar?” This research aims at answering this question through a series of interviews. These interviews were based on theory drawn from secondary sources and are aimed at defining commercial (innovative) or non-commercial (inventive) behaviors in the sample galleries.Show less
