The digital world and its relationship to history are ones of the most debated issues of our times as well as a major problem related to such relationship: the future of archives. In Italy the...Show moreThe digital world and its relationship to history are ones of the most debated issues of our times as well as a major problem related to such relationship: the future of archives. In Italy the debate is still in its infancy and this thesis places the case study of the Biblioteca IsIAO.Show less
In most countries' history classrooms, a textbook still plays a key role, and the narratives of these texts help to shape students' perceptions of their nation and others. A large body of American...Show moreIn most countries' history classrooms, a textbook still plays a key role, and the narratives of these texts help to shape students' perceptions of their nation and others. A large body of American research exists examining the historical narratives of ethnic minorities in the United States, including Mexicans and Mexican-Americans, but few studies have examined this question using a textbook sample from across the border aimed at mainstream secondary students. This research raised the question of inclusion of the ""other"" (Mexico in American texts and US in Mexican texts) for the period of the twentieth century. It did this through quantitative analysis of index entries, highlights, pictorial inclusion and text spacing, and also through a qualitative approach of positive/negative coding and using existing theoretical frameworks for narrative analysis. The findings indicated that Mexican texts include references to the US on over 30% of text pages, while US texts average 5% references to the southern neighbor. Additionally, by a 2:1 margin in both cases the coding reveals more negative references than positive, though this can also include victimhood of racial discrimination or economic imperialism. Still, the texts are generally more inclusive than those used in past studies and decades, and sparse but relevant emphasis on cross border cooperation may provide insight into future direction for transnational history provided to a broad audience of secondary students.Show less
This MA-Thesis follows the life of the Swedish diplomat in the Dutch Republic Harald Appelboom (1612-1674). An emphasis is put on the role of espionage in Appelbooms diplomatic career. The thesis...Show moreThis MA-Thesis follows the life of the Swedish diplomat in the Dutch Republic Harald Appelboom (1612-1674). An emphasis is put on the role of espionage in Appelbooms diplomatic career. The thesis argues that Appelbooms activities in intellegence were important in the development of his diplomatic career.Show less
Mahmud Tarzi was the first Afghan modernizer that helped to formulate the basic tenets of Afghan modernism and nationalism, through his successful news medium Seraj al-Akhbar (The torch of news)....Show moreMahmud Tarzi was the first Afghan modernizer that helped to formulate the basic tenets of Afghan modernism and nationalism, through his successful news medium Seraj al-Akhbar (The torch of news). In this thesis, I will focus on Mahmud Tarzi, as a writer and journalist and how he has sought to influence the social and political modernization of Afghanistan through his literature.Show less
This thesis delves into the relation between crisis and policy change in a historical context by exploring the Dutch emigration policies concerning South Africa before and after the Sharpeville...Show moreThis thesis delves into the relation between crisis and policy change in a historical context by exploring the Dutch emigration policies concerning South Africa before and after the Sharpeville massacre (1960). Most literature discussing the Sharpeville massacre and its aftermath take the decline in emigration in the years following the massacre as an evident consequence of the changing perceptions of South Africa, and place it in a holistic hypothesis of general denunciation. By analysing this from a policy perspective, the decline in emigration is better explained by a multitude of factors, then by a single event (i.e. Sharpeville) alone. It is undeniable that Sharpeville had an impact on how South Africa was being perceived in the Netherlands. And evidently, this must have discouraged people to emigrate there. However, this thesis argues that the structures, policies and practices of the Dutch emigration system have been overlooked in this context. The emigration apparatus played such an important role on Dutch emigration as a whole, that it had a crucial impact on the emigration to South Africa. Despite the obsevation that there was not a clear policy change after Sharpeville, their power as an institution to orchestrate the Dutch emigration proved to be an important factor when trying to explain the decline of Dutch emigration to South Africa.Show less
Bachelor thesis | Oude culturen van de mediterrane wereld (Bachelor)
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Wat kan het Madaba-mozaïek ons vertellen over de functie van Jeruzalem als heilige stad binnen het Byzantijnse christendom? Een vergelijkend en samenvattend onderzoek naar de huidige stand van...Show moreWat kan het Madaba-mozaïek ons vertellen over de functie van Jeruzalem als heilige stad binnen het Byzantijnse christendom? Een vergelijkend en samenvattend onderzoek naar de huidige stand van zaken rondom het Mozaïek van Madaba.Show less
The 'White Temple' at Tsaparang, in Western Tibet preserves some of the most important pre-sixteenth century works of art of Tibet. The temple is dated on literary grounds to around 1540, but its...Show moreThe 'White Temple' at Tsaparang, in Western Tibet preserves some of the most important pre-sixteenth century works of art of Tibet. The temple is dated on literary grounds to around 1540, but its works of art seem to indicate - on iconographic and stylistic grounds - that it was built before 1440. The temple used to be one of the main shrines in a monastery still counting circa sixty monks towards the end of the 17th century, but abandoned some time later when Western Tibet depopulated. Tsaparang was rediscovered and first described by the Italian Tibetologist Giuseppe Tucci in the 1930’s. My thesis shows that Tucci mixed the temples up. Facts derived from authoritative Tibetan literary sources have therefor been attributed to the wrong monuments. Contemporary authors focusing on the region have not noticed this, resulting in a growing amount of literature based on an unclarified chronology of the temples at Tsaparang.Show less
In this thesis, the background of the modern War on Drugs in the United States is explained. Guided by the research question: ‘’How did the American Elites in the United States use the existential...Show moreIn this thesis, the background of the modern War on Drugs in the United States is explained. Guided by the research question: ‘’How did the American Elites in the United States use the existential threat of drugs to securitize racial minorities between 1873 and 1938?’’, this thesis is written. By analyzing 12 articles of the New York Times, guided by the principles of the social constructivism and securitization, the thesis tries to prove racist motives in the War on Drugs. Between 1875 and 1937, three populations have been subject of racism, with drugs as an excuse to hide these racist motives. By linking opiates to the Chinese population, the American Elites found an excuse to discriminate the Chinese population by means of drugs legislation between 1875 and 1900. Shortly after, crack cocaine was heavily illegalised, since it could be linked to the Black population using it. From the 1920's on, Mexicans and Marijuana were closely framed together, before Marijuana legislation passed in Congress. This thesis proves that a collaboration between the New York Times and powerful actors in the United States resulted rather in a war on race instead of a War on Drugs.Show less
The politics of indigenous people in such a diverse and extended territory like India, and the meaning of holding an indigenous identity, are facts of primary importance to a country that poses its...Show moreThe politics of indigenous people in such a diverse and extended territory like India, and the meaning of holding an indigenous identity, are facts of primary importance to a country that poses its basis on principles of equality, democracy and inclusiveness. The following thesis will therefore analyse and investigate the indigenous policies carried out, in specific, in the northeast territory of India. To do so, two main approach will be taken, which will analyse two elements that seem to characterise this geographic region: instability and location. The first term is linked to the recent Indian Lok Sabha Elections of 2019. The second is related to the international border in which indigenous tribes of this area are living.Show less
In 1932-1933 famine swept across the Ukrainian countryside killing an estimated 5 million people. The famine was a culmination of different factors, but most notably it was the result of deliberate...Show moreIn 1932-1933 famine swept across the Ukrainian countryside killing an estimated 5 million people. The famine was a culmination of different factors, but most notably it was the result of deliberate policies of the Soviet government. In the summer of 1933 a young Welsh journalist named Gareth Jones illegally toured the Ukrainian countryside, witnessing the dead and the dying, walking through the silent and abandoned villages and speaking with the starving peasants. Upon his return to the United Kingdom Jones attempted to expose the famine in order to aid the starving Ukrainian population. However, his message had little impact. It was snowed under by positive reports coming from Western correspondents stationed in Moscow. The news of the famine failed to gain traction amongst the public, and before long people forgot that it ever happened. This thesis seeks to investigate why Jones’ articles exposing the Ukrainian famine in 1933 had so little impact amongst the British and American public. There was no public outrage, no large-scale famine relief actions, and not a sound from the British and American governments on the matter could be heard. The silence surrounding the famine was deafening, and the voice that was trying to attract attention to it was ignored. Why were people so willing to look away? Can this silence be attributed to a feat of Soviet Propaganda? Were the reports coming from Moscow simply more credible than the reporting of twenty-seven years old Jones?Show less
In this thesis, I argue against the view that takes individual cultivation as the primary concern and union with Heaven as the ultimate end in early Confucianism. I propose that with the collapse...Show moreIn this thesis, I argue against the view that takes individual cultivation as the primary concern and union with Heaven as the ultimate end in early Confucianism. I propose that with the collapse of Heaven in Chunqiu period, Confucius endorsed history as the authority, for history revealed a normative order for society. History also held authority over humans because it was in history that humans sought for existential meaning. In this light, I propound new interpretations of some of the most important concepts in early Confucianism.Show less
The thesis analyses the effect of the ‘balkanism’ discourse, and the associated representations, on the relationship between Western Europe and the Balkans in late modern and contemporary history....Show moreThe thesis analyses the effect of the ‘balkanism’ discourse, and the associated representations, on the relationship between Western Europe and the Balkans in late modern and contemporary history. The ‘balkanism’ discourse has been present for a long time and has strongly influenced Western European perceptions of the Balkan region in the 19th and 20th century. Due to the discourse, a certain distance had been created between the EU and the Balkans, in which the former named the latter the ‘other’ – mainly to indicate a cultural difference. The discourse and denigrating perceptions of the region, shaped over time, seem to be the main reason for the poor relationship between the EU and the Balkans in these two centuries. However, since the start of the 21st century, the EU has started to engage more with the region. In 2003, the first steps were taken to create stability and security in the EU and its neighbourhood by starting the integration process of the Western Balkans – that is, the remaining Balkan countries outside of the EU. The process includes several engagement and integration initiatives, compulsory accession criteria and (reform) programs in fields such as politics, economy and culture. Yet, the success of the integration process still remains to be seen. Apart from other issues related to the citizens’ opinions, the EU itself and the Balkan region, the historical perceptions still seem to influence this process as well. Hence, the effect of the ‘balkanism’ discourse and the associated representations seems to be significant, due to the fact that the discourse can be considered the key reason for the poor relationship of the past, and because it may still be affecting the relationship today.Show less
A thorough study of the personal writings of Thomas Jefferson, third President of the United States, in an effort to show that Jefferson was far more radical in his thoughts than one would assume.
After the United States invasion of Afghanistan in 2001, the traditional practice known as Bacha Bazi has reemerged and has become one the most current issues in the country. Prior to the invasion,...Show moreAfter the United States invasion of Afghanistan in 2001, the traditional practice known as Bacha Bazi has reemerged and has become one the most current issues in the country. Prior to the invasion, under the Taliban regime, the practice was outlawed as they associated the practice with homosexuality. However, since the removal of the Taliban regime, the practice has not only resurged, but it has been flourishing and increasing. Therefore, this thesis will highlight the factors that have contributed to the resurgence of the practice Bacha Bazi since the occupation of Afghanistan. This thesis aims at providing an outlook on the socio-cultural and political factors that have contributed to the resurgence of the Bacha Bazi since the invasion of Afghanistan.Show less
This thesis analyses British Holocaust memorialization from the 1980s to today, through case studies on the Hyde Park Holocaust Memorial, the Holocaust Exhibition at the Imperial War Museum and the...Show moreThis thesis analyses British Holocaust memorialization from the 1980s to today, through case studies on the Hyde Park Holocaust Memorial, the Holocaust Exhibition at the Imperial War Museum and the Holocaust Memorial and Learning Centre. This thesis shows how the concept of the Holocaust evolved from being relatively ignored, to being a key subject in twentieth century British history. The first hypothesis underlying this research is that whereas earlier attempts at British Holocaust memorialization predominantly focused on the historical uniqueness of the genocide, later initiatives place greater emphasis on its universal significance. This hypothesis is confirmed by the three case studies. After the end of the Cold War the universal lessons of the Holocaust are increasingly addressed, visible in the Holocaust exhibition in the IWM and the Holocaust Memorial and Learning Centre. Nevertheless, the uniqueness of the Holocaust remains important in all three of the case studies. The second hypothesis reads that whereas earlier attempts at British Holocaust memorialization tend to lack critical self-reflection, later initiatives show more willingness to explore Britain’s sense of guilt. The two latest initiatives, both created after 1989, do address the more negative aspects of Britain’s role in the war. Yet, the hypothesis cannot be confirmed for a greater willingness to explore these controversial issues does not seem to be present. Rather, the third initiative seems to prioritize the traditional heroic story of Britain’s relation to the Holocaust. Scholarship on Holocaust memory in Britain has evolved into a field in its own right, with key contributions of Tony Kushner, Andy Pearce, Dan Stone and David Cesarani. The field is intrinsically interdisciplinary, therefore this thesis necessarily draws upon literature from the fields of British History, Cultural Studies and Memory Studies. It builds upon primary material kept by the Imperial War Museum Archive and the London Metropolitan Archive, as well as materials found online and in the libraries of the University of Leiden and the University of Oxford.Show less
