This thesis argues that the East Asian Games’ practices predominantly obstructed the accumulation of soft power in the long-term. Concomitantly, the Games revealed regional disputes, emphasized...Show moreThis thesis argues that the East Asian Games’ practices predominantly obstructed the accumulation of soft power in the long-term. Concomitantly, the Games revealed regional disputes, emphasized differences between East Asian countries and corroborate Dubinsky's account on the existence of a survival era.Show less
This thesis focuses on Dutch foreign policy towards Japan during the tumultuous Bakumatsu Period (1853-1868) and situates said foreign policy within the broader context of Dutch neutrality and...Show moreThis thesis focuses on Dutch foreign policy towards Japan during the tumultuous Bakumatsu Period (1853-1868) and situates said foreign policy within the broader context of Dutch neutrality and imperialism of the nineteenth century. The study concludes that even though the Dutch government viewed the Netherlands as a small power in Europe, it was a large imperial power in Asia, and as such it had to pursue active foreign policy in East/Southeast Asia to protect Dutch interests in light of encroaching Western imperialism in the region. Contrary to previous studies, this thesis argues that Dutch neutrality did not imply passivity, but instead proved to be a unique form of Dutch foreign policy amidst larger imperial powers and Japan, in which the ingenuity, character and actions of Dutch actors in Japan was crucial.Show less
In a political landscape where traditional state expansion is increasingly more challenging to achieve, great powers seek expansion at the physical and metaphysical boundaries of the world instead....Show moreIn a political landscape where traditional state expansion is increasingly more challenging to achieve, great powers seek expansion at the physical and metaphysical boundaries of the world instead. Seen from the theoretical perspective of knowledge as a power-increasing commodity, the melting Arctic becomes a site of non-violent power struggle through scientific, economic and political means. This paper observes China's increasing role in the region through these avenues as it seeks to influence Arctic governance, despite not being an Arctic state. In addition to a general overview, a case study of Chinese state and non-state actors' activities in Norway's Arctic region seeks to further illustrate the ties between science, economics, and politics in the Arctic political landscape. Through a qualitative examination of secondary and primary sources, the paper concludes that the mutually beneficial ties between knowledge production and market expansion in the Arctic have the potential to aid a non-Arctic great power such as China in achieving political influence in the region.Show less
In postwar economic development, Japan has chosen a different way to neoliberalism. The government did not “step back” from the market or rely on the action of the “invisible hand”; it played an...Show moreIn postwar economic development, Japan has chosen a different way to neoliberalism. The government did not “step back” from the market or rely on the action of the “invisible hand”; it played an important role itself in economic development. Under the guidance and intervention of the state, Japan became an economic miracle and the most successful industrialized economy in the world, then experienced a collapse followed by great stagnation. Simultaneously, while Japan used to have the role of driver and leader of the regional economy before the collapse, it lost its advantageous position when it became stuck in great stagnation. Japan’s economic status changed drastically accompanied with its changing economic power. For an economy like Japan that cooperated highly with the state, the capacity of the state would have a huge impact on the economy, on both economic power and economic status. Japan’s changing economic power and status in the region became a mirror to reflect the changing state capacity in Japan.Show less
This thesis at one level examines how and why were the European doctors as ‘outsiders’ able to make an impression on the aristocratic elites in the Mughal court? And at another level, it...Show moreThis thesis at one level examines how and why were the European doctors as ‘outsiders’ able to make an impression on the aristocratic elites in the Mughal court? And at another level, it investigates the direct relationship between cross-cultural medical favors and the advantages doctors gained by offering their services. Did such intercessions by doctors’ yield only the much-desired trade concessions like farmans to the trading companies in which these medical men were employed and represented as ambassadors in the courts or something more especially in terms of monetary gains such as money, an enviable position at the court or other benefits?Show less
Hollywood has been the leading film industry in the cinematic universe for the past several decades. China on the other hand, has been one of the fastest rising economies during these same decades....Show moreHollywood has been the leading film industry in the cinematic universe for the past several decades. China on the other hand, has been one of the fastest rising economies during these same decades. China is one of the biggest markets for Hollywood to gain more exposure and income. However, the Chinese government has been known to influence society through the use of censorship. To research how Hollywood film studios cater towards the strict censorship laws of the CCP various (scholarly) sources media are studied. It is important to study the relationship between Hollywood and China because Chinese censorship influences what we see in all kind of films around the world.Show less
For decades, Japan has been entrenched in a nationalistic paradigm of war memories.Can this be overcome by providing a cultural approach or will Japan continue to show strong nationalistic...Show moreFor decades, Japan has been entrenched in a nationalistic paradigm of war memories.Can this be overcome by providing a cultural approach or will Japan continue to show strong nationalistic sentiments towards its neighbors?Show less
This paper explores the effects of crises on institution building. More readily, it highlights the 1997 Asian Crisis and the 2008 Global Financial Crisis as catalysts for changing East Asia’s...Show moreThis paper explores the effects of crises on institution building. More readily, it highlights the 1997 Asian Crisis and the 2008 Global Financial Crisis as catalysts for changing East Asia’s economic structure. An outcome of these crises has been the increased regionalism of East Asia, which has led to a greater regional interdependence, and a subsequent shift away from Washington and economic dependence on the U.S. This analysis will be done through a combination of Calder’s critical juncture and Sheng’s institutional building. Additionally, this thesis will examine the importance of ASEAN and China as leaders for this regionalism. The approach taken in this thesis suggests that these crises have greatly undermined the norms promoted by U.S. led institutions, and largely define the today’s crisis of neoliberalismShow less
The advent of photography in Japan coincided with a period during which the country was about to undergo major change. The opening of Japan under the Meiji Revolution in 1868 would lead to the...Show moreThe advent of photography in Japan coincided with a period during which the country was about to undergo major change. The opening of Japan under the Meiji Revolution in 1868 would lead to the massive importation of Western technologies, and a rapid establishment of photographic studios soon followed. One social formation that arose at the time appeared to gain an increasing access to modern technologies; the photographic studio became a popular place to visit among middle class people, who demanded a portrait picture for the integration of the family into modernity and who used it to make sense of their fast changing lives. This thesis inquires to what extent the concept of Westernization was visualized in photographic portrait imagery and how it was shaped by the Japanese photographer and the middle class subject in particular.Show less
