This thesis investigated the Dutch societal memory concerning the Indonesian War of Independence (1945-1949). I have explored the reflection of this change in a diachronic corpus of documentaries...Show moreThis thesis investigated the Dutch societal memory concerning the Indonesian War of Independence (1945-1949). I have explored the reflection of this change in a diachronic corpus of documentaries dealing with the Indonesian War of Independence, covering a period from 1945-2019. After examining four themes (violence, self-image, justification, and different voices), I came to the conclusion that the Dutch societal memory has changed from ignoring the violence of the war towards the acknowledgement of the past mistakes.Show less
In the last century the Netherlands went through several large changes. After the Second World War, the Netherlands, as many other West-European countries, modernized which included the creation of...Show moreIn the last century the Netherlands went through several large changes. After the Second World War, the Netherlands, as many other West-European countries, modernized which included the creation of large industry, the process of destratification, secularization, emancipation of women, democratization of politics and the emancipation of minority groups like homosexuals. Supposedly, Iran went through an opposite and backward development. From the glory years of the Shah, when modernization of Iran was top priority, the country rapidly declined, in the eyes of the Dutch, into the realm of a backward religious society which the Netherlands tried to espouse for a long time. The knowledge Dutch people have about Iran is not based on individuals visiting Iran but on how the media portrays Iran and reports on Middle Eastern affairs. However, is this dichotomy between Iran, as an Eastern country, and the Netherlands, as a Western country, so clear? When looking into contemporary documentaries Iran is still portrayed as different country than the Netherlands. Portraying is focused on the religious repression, backward economy, bearded men and veiled women. When comparing the footage of contemporary documentaries with documentaries from the start of this genre in 1960, the same type of footage is shown. Has Iran not changed since then? This type of footage seems to fall under the greater themes of Orientalism and the Western narrative of modernity and have been present in the Western conception of the Middle East for very long. This research focusses on the discourses of Orientalism and the Western narrative of modernity in Iranian representation in Dutch documentaries from 1960 until 2018 and the continuity and discontinuity in this representation. This research contributes to the understanding of the development of Orientalism and the Western narrative of modernity in the 20th and 21st century.Show less
In the past, archaeologists and Indigenous Peoples did not always co-operate well. This has changed for the better, but is that also reflected in documentaries about archaeology? Indigenous Peoples...Show moreIn the past, archaeologists and Indigenous Peoples did not always co-operate well. This has changed for the better, but is that also reflected in documentaries about archaeology? Indigenous Peoples have been mis- and underrepresented in the mainstream media. It is therefore important to show the relationship between Indigenous Peoples and archaeologists in a correct way. Thus the research question of this thesis is: How are Indigenous Peoples (re)presented in contemporary documentaries on the archaeology and heritage of Central America? This was studied by analysing three documentaries. The cinematic language was explained in chapter two in order to be able to analyse documentaries. Then ethnographic content analysis was used to set up categories and variables to collect data from the films by analysing the characters. A definition of if a character was considered Indigenous or not was set up by studying the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP), and the discussion between scholars on different definitions for Indigenous Peoples. The analysis of the data showed that from the three movies, with a total of 29 characters, only two characters could be considered Indigenous. This means that in these movies the Indigenous perspective was underrepresented. Also, some of the variables showed that these Indigenous characters were treated differently than other characters. Western filmmakers or production companies should be aware that they are not inclusive, which they should be according to UNDRIP. Western filmmakers should start collaborating with Indigenous Peoples when making movies about their history and heritage, because then Indigenous Peoples can regain control of their stories and represent themselves.Show less
