This thesis analyses the construction of Hong Kong national identity in online discussions about the high speed rail connecting Hong Kong to Mainland China and the Hong Kong-Zhuhai sea bridge in...Show moreThis thesis analyses the construction of Hong Kong national identity in online discussions about the high speed rail connecting Hong Kong to Mainland China and the Hong Kong-Zhuhai sea bridge in localist Facebook groups. The paper argues that the Hong Kong identity constructed in these discussions is indeed nationalist, i.e. based on the belief that the members of the nation share a common origin, and is built on the following themes: antiMainland Chinese sentiment, anti-CCP thought, and the importance of money as identity constructing entity in Hong Kong society. As a result, the construction of Hong Kong national identity by Hong Kong localists relies heavily on Othering Mainland Chinese, while there are few references to Hong Kongese cultural characteristics. The contributions of this paper are that it argues for the possibility of a Hong Kong identity to be seen as national identity and how this national identity is constructed by localists.Show less
The German energy transition (Energiewende) is fuelled by a distrust towards nuclear power, foreign energy dependency and climate change. This paper assesses the media representation of the German...Show moreThe German energy transition (Energiewende) is fuelled by a distrust towards nuclear power, foreign energy dependency and climate change. This paper assesses the media representation of the German Energiewende, especially how the use of framing and narrative could influence public opinion on the matter. The analysis which aids to this goal is foucauldian discourse analysis.Show less
In January 2019, Chinese President Xi Jinping commemorated the 40th anniversary of the historical 'Message to Compatriots in Taiwan' with a speech that reiterated that Taiwan's sole sovereign...Show moreIn January 2019, Chinese President Xi Jinping commemorated the 40th anniversary of the historical 'Message to Compatriots in Taiwan' with a speech that reiterated that Taiwan's sole sovereign government is that of the People's Republic of China and that Taiwan must reunify with China as such. Xi's speech was celebrated in the Chinese state media but heavily criticised in the Taiwanese news. This thesis looks at Chinese official discourse in both official speeches and state-owned newspaper articles and argues the close relationship between the Chinese Communist Party and the Chinese state media allows for the unified promotion of the 'one China' principle in order to justify increasingly aggressive cross-strait rhetoric and policy.Show less
This thesis examines the use of Africanness and politics of belonging in Morocco's discourse on its readmission to the African Union in 2017. As Morocco's Africanness became more scrutinized during...Show moreThis thesis examines the use of Africanness and politics of belonging in Morocco's discourse on its readmission to the African Union in 2017. As Morocco's Africanness became more scrutinized during the country's 33-year-long absence from the African Union, the King launched a comprehensive Africa policy to assert its Africanness. To explore the role of Africanness and politics of belonging in Morocco's discourse on readmission, this thesis analyzes a royal speech and ethnographic data collected from fieldwork in Morocco. Morocco selectively claims its Africanness as part of its political project of belonging. In the process, the Kingdom legitimizes its membership in the African Union and its claims on the Western Sahara.Show less
Over the past few years, European countries have faced one of the most defining challenges since the beginning of the 21st century, the European migration crisis. The European migration crisis...Show moreOver the past few years, European countries have faced one of the most defining challenges since the beginning of the 21st century, the European migration crisis. The European migration crisis started in 2015 after a large number of migrants fled from danger and instability and asked for asylum in Europe. The debate about the incoming migrants has caused a lot of disagreement amongst European member states on how to deal with this challenge. Some member states of the European Union but also European citizens, see migrants as a threat towards their ‘own’ nations, even though numbers are declining. The securitisation theory can explain this perception towards migrants. Since, the theory takes into account that political leaders/parties can construct an issue, like migration, into a security threat. This thesis addresses the theory of securitising migration and how political parties have used the theory on a national level, in the Netherlands, and in particular one party. Therefore, this thesis will analyse the research question “To what extent has the PVV used the securitisationof migration - in response to the European migration crisis - as a political tool within their policies?” In order to understand the relationship between the securitisation of migration and the Dutch right-wing party the PVV. This thesis first aims to provide a discussion on how the PVV constructed the issue of migration into a security threat and later will analyse how this impacted or is related to different policy areas. It will do this by using a qualitative method of a discourse analysis on three different policy areas: the welfare state, European integration and the Dutch health care system. In doing so this thesis hopes to identify to what extent the PVV has used the securitisation of migration as a political tool for their own electoral gain.Show less
This thesis focuses on the 2018 local elections in Taiwan; although the elections were aimed at electing officials at a local level, the relation between Taiwan and China has been heavily discussed...Show moreThis thesis focuses on the 2018 local elections in Taiwan; although the elections were aimed at electing officials at a local level, the relation between Taiwan and China has been heavily discussed. This thesis analyses the way in which the Liberty Times and the United Daily News, as mouthpieces of respectively the DPP and the KMT, have created a discourse on cross-strait relations. In doing so, an analysis is made of Fake News, a topic discussed mostly by the DPP, and the 1992 consensus, a topic mostly discussed by the KMT. This thesis argues that the discourse as created by the DPP-side is less stable compared to the KMT-side, as a result of the traditional viewpoints that both parties adhere to. The image of the DPP as protector of Taiwanese freedom and democracy forces the DPP to a position where they have to paint China as an aggressor, using the issue of Chinese Fake News as one of its tools. In doing so, the DPP itself uses assumptions and exaggerations, thereby becoming a producer of fake news as well. Although the KMT also makes use of assumptions and exaggerations, the fact that the KMT portrays itself as a party aimed at economic progress makes it possible to take a more neutral stance.Show less
This thesis provides an interdisciplinary approach - based on (intellectual) history, philosophy, sociology and literary studies - to the reception of Peter L. Berger and Thomas Luckmann's "The...Show moreThis thesis provides an interdisciplinary approach - based on (intellectual) history, philosophy, sociology and literary studies - to the reception of Peter L. Berger and Thomas Luckmann's "The Social Construction of Reality" within Dutch Sociology, during the period of 1966 - 1976, through a discourse analysis. The thesis is maintained that the qualitative impact has been profound, as well as this being part of a bigger movement regarding the tension between objectivism and subjectivism within academia in general.Show less
This thesis engaged with the research question: How do multilateral institutions, fossil fuel companies and environmental nongovernmental organisations attempt to fixate meaning in climate change...Show moreThis thesis engaged with the research question: How do multilateral institutions, fossil fuel companies and environmental nongovernmental organisations attempt to fixate meaning in climate change discourse to steer international climate change governance? The analysis reveals that governments and the fossil fuel industry problematise climate change as a challenge of decarbonising society, which can be achieved with technological and economic solutions. The climate change challenge is depoliticised, because this strategy enables the root cause of climate change, the fossil fuel-based energy chain, to be left intact. By articulating this strategy in the context of justice and responsibility, social consent is generated and the hegemonic position of states and the fossil fuel industry is safeguarded. ENGOs attempt to re-politicise the climate change problem by articulating it as an opportunity for systemic social change and trying to break social consent for the hegemonic bloc. Their strategies for influencing and steering governance, however, are limited as a result of structural constraints. This demonstrates the hegemonic position of states and the fossil fuel industry.Show less
Migration is an opportunity for Europe: an opportunity to increase economic and cultural development. This claim is made by the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe (ALDE), a liberal party...Show moreMigration is an opportunity for Europe: an opportunity to increase economic and cultural development. This claim is made by the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe (ALDE), a liberal party in the European Parliament. The ALDE claim to view migration as an advantage and not as a security threat, a view that xenophobic populistic parties in the European Parliament do have. There is a significant amount of academic research focused on the securitization of migration and the role of right-wing parties in the securitization process. However, research on the role of politically moderate parties in the securitization process is limited. That is why this thesis focuses on the ALDE. It seeks to examine the relation between centrist parties in the European Parliament and securitization theory by exploring how the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe securitized migration between 2011 and 2017.Show less
India’s ambivalent engagement with China’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) is often explained via the same dichotomy as the overall Sino-Indian relationship: either realist scepticism or liberal...Show moreIndia’s ambivalent engagement with China’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) is often explained via the same dichotomy as the overall Sino-Indian relationship: either realist scepticism or liberal optimism. Academic literature on the topic demonstrates the inadequacy of these paradigms in explaining India’s ambivalence towards engagement with the BRI. This thesis goes beyond the dichotomy of Realism and Idealism and incorporates the significance of the constructions of discourse and identity. The analysis employs a Post-structuralist discourse analysis based on the work of Ernesto Laclau and Chantal Mouffe, whose framework can be used to analyse both how discourses of national identity are constructed, and how they are connected to foreign policy choices. In this thesis, Laclau and Mouffe’s framework is applied to the discourse surrounding national identity constructed by the Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, and its relation to the Indian engagement with the BRI. Modi’s speeches as Prime Minister will be analysed to evince three discursive channels that together construct India’s identity: ‘Multipolarity’, ‘Great Power Recognition’, and ‘Rule of Law’. Together these three discourses construct an image of India as a state that recently achieved great power status, a state adhering to the existing international norms and rules, a champion of the liberal international order, and a promoter of multilateral connectivity initiatives. Within these discourses, BRI is projected as an initiative that does not follow international rules and norms, has the potential to convert the region into a Chinese unipolar Asia, forms a threat to India’s great power recognition, and is constructed along the exact opposite values that India adheres to. The argument highlights the temporal, ethical, and spatial contradictions in the construction of this identity. Because of these discordant dimensions India employs a conflicting rationale behind its engagement with BRI. Thus far, its engagement has been marked by hesitance and can thus be interpreted by both realists and liberal thinkers as a form of competition or cooperation. The heart of Indian foreign policy is not a realist security nor liberal economic dilemma, but a Post-structural ‘identity dilemma’: who is India, and how does it see the world?Show less
This thesis analysis how the Hong Kong identity is constructed in the film 'Ten Years', by means of a discourse analysis. Since the handover of sovereignty, Hong Kong is no longer part of the...Show moreThis thesis analysis how the Hong Kong identity is constructed in the film 'Ten Years', by means of a discourse analysis. Since the handover of sovereignty, Hong Kong is no longer part of the British Empire, but instead is part of China. Great Britain influenced Hong Kong during the colonial period, and the film depicts that as different from Mainland China.Show less
Diving into the history of the character and spread of Kiswahili, I examine how power structures in society have influenced the character and spread of Kiswahili in Tanzania. I focus on the early...Show moreDiving into the history of the character and spread of Kiswahili, I examine how power structures in society have influenced the character and spread of Kiswahili in Tanzania. I focus on the early independence period because Kiswahili was nationalised during this period and because the manner in which this was done and legitimised remains underresearched. Using the Gramscian concept hegemony as the success of the ruling class to construct a worldview that is accepted throughout society which naturalizes power relationships between different social groups, I argue that the ideology through which Kiswahili was nationalised in Tanzania shaped the discourse on Kiswahili in a way that naturalizes the power structures in society, thereby implicitly justifying the choice of Kiswahili as the national language. Upon independence, TANU formed the state and shaped the nation. They were the new ruling class and as such tried to establish hegemony. Analysing Ujamaa ideology and the discourse on Kiswahili, I explain how this discourse subverted the issue of ethnic languages and power relations in Tanzania. The mythical elements of these discourses are deconstructed by juxtaposing them with historical realities. By debunking the ideological assumptions on which knowledge about Kiswahili was produced, I simultaneously call into question the epistemological value of research published in the journal Kiswahili.Show less
This thesis analyses political speeches by Prime Minister Shinzo Abe during his second period of office from 2012 onwards, in order to uncover how he uses narratives of historical representations...Show moreThis thesis analyses political speeches by Prime Minister Shinzo Abe during his second period of office from 2012 onwards, in order to uncover how he uses narratives of historical representations to reach his policy goals. In light of the opposition to constitutional revision as proposed by Abe, researching how he deals and tries to manipulate discourse in this field allows for a better understanding of the future trajectory of Japan’s foreign policy. This is because constitutional revision would allow for Japan to have a more active role in security issues. At the moment Japan’s security position is still constricted by historical narratives based on constructed memories or political myths. While the push for constitutional revision is not new, the recent missile threats from North Korea together with pressure from the international community seem to be speeding up the process. These constitutional constrictions are also heavily bound by the post war relationship between the United States and Japan. Furthermore, because of historical narratives, the Japanese national identity remains a problematic issue in Japanese politics. Thus, the Japanese government has to cater to both Japanese citizens and the international community in its official communications. An analysis of political speeches may help us understand possible changes or disputes on memory as a result of political interests. This is because official representations of the past are strongly linked with identity and thus also with foreign policy. Therefore, through the use of poststructuralist discourse analysis, this paper aims to research how Abe positions himself in the discourse of war memories and his actions to accomplish constitutional revision from his second term onwards. Additionally, due to the importance of apology issuance for the stabilisation of Japan’s relations with neighbouring countries, such as China and Korea, this paper will briefly analyse Abe’s apologies and utterances of remorse during his speeches through Lind’s framework of apologetic apologies.Show less
The arrival of Donald Trump on the global political stage, has significantly changed how other countries regard the US. One country where this is especially true is China. This thesis therefore...Show moreThe arrival of Donald Trump on the global political stage, has significantly changed how other countries regard the US. One country where this is especially true is China. This thesis therefore analyzed three different Chinese newspapers on their discourse regarding the US in the period between the latter part of the 2016 US elections and the first few months of Trump’s presidency. Special focus is paid to how the discourse of the newspapers relates to China. Generally, the newspapers treated the presidency of Trump, as well as his election, as symptoms of a greater US decline. Apart from US decline, there was also special emphasis in the newspapers on China’s importance as a great power. Overall, there was a big difference in reporting between the two state-owned newspapers and the one private-owned newspaper. These difference were mostly related to the focus of the articles and a relatively large shift in tone of the articles. The official newspapers changed their reporting on the US drastically in later reporting, as well as China’s relationship with the US. These changes betray a lack of coherent strategy in regards to China’s view of itself as a great power and its relationship with the US.Show less
The Japanese mobile phone market has one of the highest diffusion rates of mobile phones in the world, and in an attempt to reactivate this seemingly saturated market, the mobile phone industry now...Show moreThe Japanese mobile phone market has one of the highest diffusion rates of mobile phones in the world, and in an attempt to reactivate this seemingly saturated market, the mobile phone industry now targets the silver market with products aimed towards the elderly consumer. This thesis will take a more in-depth look at Japanese elderly-orientated advertising for mobile phone services for insight into how advertisers represents the elderly and how this fits into wider social practices in Japan. After first sketching a wider context of the Japanese mobile phone market, and how old age fits in the discussion on representation within media-created texts, Multimodal Critical Discourse Analysis is used to investigate two advertisements of NTT DoCoMo’s “Tsunagari-hotto-support” service. It is concluded that the examined ads use various multimodal resources to construct and maintain dominant ideologies of filial piety, which can have a negative effect on elderly and their caregivers in Japan.Show less
Because Kirchner was elected in a time of political disenchantment, it was necessary for him to show his worth and respond to the population’s demands. The realm of human rights violations was a...Show moreBecause Kirchner was elected in a time of political disenchantment, it was necessary for him to show his worth and respond to the population’s demands. The realm of human rights violations was a grand opportunity to revive political interest and gain legitimacy in Argentina. In such a context, Kirchner’s democratic “Republica” should have been exemplary in the respect of human rights, or so was thought. Several articles and CELS reports have shown that human rights violations still occurred under Kirchner. However, this information seems to be mostly disregarded in Argentina considering that Kirchner is still the most popular president in the country’s history (Manzetti, 176). In the hope of understanding how this dissonance came to be, this piece will assess how Kirchner’s human rights discourse allowed him to deal with past human rights violations while avoiding scrutiny for present ones.Show less
This thesis studies the discussion about the reforms of the Chinese government's family-planning law, using articles published by state-run news agency Xinhua. In particular, it examines the...Show moreThis thesis studies the discussion about the reforms of the Chinese government's family-planning law, using articles published by state-run news agency Xinhua. In particular, it examines the statements that authorities made about the abolition of the one-child policy. China's one-child policy has been gradually changed into a two-child policy in the last decade. Using methods of critical discourse analysis I conclude that the framing of these statements changed from an only choice frame to a best choice frame, with which Xinhua highlights that the CCP serves the people's best interests.Show less
