Master thesis | Cultural Anthropology and Development Sociology (MSc)
open access
Anthropological writing on the Dutch context has long evidenced the dissonance between the white Dutch identity and the realities of racial tolerance and inclusion in Dutch society. This dissonance...Show moreAnthropological writing on the Dutch context has long evidenced the dissonance between the white Dutch identity and the realities of racial tolerance and inclusion in Dutch society. This dissonance is palpable in the social scene and is reflected in historical, political and cultural discourses alike. The purpose of this thesis is to ethnographically examine the concept of the cultural archive in Rotterdam’s interracial dating scene from the perspective of white Dutch men in their early to mid-twenties. In a diverse social context such as Rotterdam, characterized by its historic tolerance, fierceness and multiculturalism, interracial sexuality forms amongst the remnants of unacknowledged colonial legacies and complex constructions of white masculine identity. Through ethnography, I demonstrate how the dating practices of white Dutch Rotterdammers reflect a lack of racial/cultural awareness and reenforce legacies that exclude and exoticize the colonial Other. The complexities behind these dating practices, white Dutch masculinity and the formation of interracial sexuality are explored through different qualitative methods and film analysis.Show less
Des châteaux aux tours, des jardins aux forêts ; Marie de France utilise divers espaces civils et naturels qui soutiennent les intrigues dans ses Lais. À ce qu'il paraît, L'objectif de la présente...Show moreDes châteaux aux tours, des jardins aux forêts ; Marie de France utilise divers espaces civils et naturels qui soutiennent les intrigues dans ses Lais. À ce qu'il paraît, L'objectif de la présente étude serait de lier les études médiévales et le concept de l'espace genré à travers les Lais de Marie de France, afin de montrer que la division de l'espace est intrinsiquement genrée et suit les tendances de la société féodale et patriarcale.Show less
The Korean Wave is a cultural phenomenon that emerged in Northeast Asia during the late 20th century impacting the entire Asian region. The term was created to show the successful influence of...Show moreThe Korean Wave is a cultural phenomenon that emerged in Northeast Asia during the late 20th century impacting the entire Asian region. The term was created to show the successful influence of South Korean culture with the support of the South Korean government. For over 20 years, China and South Korea have had cultural communication and exchanges, further increasing both accessibility and popularity of South Korean culture and entertainment products in China. The success of the Korean Wave is associated with the spread of its products and the ability to influence the media environment and development of the cultural proximity. Korean drama (K-drama) and Korean Pop (K-pop) is strongly associated with soft masculinity, which has continued to inspire young Chinese males to exhibit their (inner) soft masculinity. The representation of soft masculinity as part of male gender, gives these young males a sense of belonging. The Chinese youth finds it easy to accept and emulate Korean idols and actors, for they feel empathy and cultural resemblances. However, the Chinese government is known for impeding the Korean Wave out of fear that the soft masculinity as portrayed through the Korean Wave will negatively influence Chinese teenagers and young adolescents.Show less
Considering the urgency posed by the violent homophobic conduct of Sub-Saharan African states towards males who appear as challenging the socially dominant standards of masculinity and sexuality,...Show moreConsidering the urgency posed by the violent homophobic conduct of Sub-Saharan African states towards males who appear as challenging the socially dominant standards of masculinity and sexuality, this thesis aims to problematize queer violence in the African post-colony. Queer violence is hereby defined as the violence inflicted upon the bodies and lives of citizens of the post-colonial state on the sole ground of their perceived or actual sexuality. Looking into the underexplored case of Nigeria, this thesis asks the following question ‘How has the Nigerian state exercised queer violence?’ Based on a review of the literature, the building blocks of the homophobic discourse (laws, morality, tradition and religion), which legitimize queer violence in the African context, and particularly in Nigeria, are discussed. In order to criticise the persisting violent conduct and unveil how queer violence functions, queer theory is utilised together with Foucault’s notion of biopolitics and Mbembe’s necropolitics. Additionally, a genealogical approach helps analyse the state conduct through its discursive, but also non-discursive/material practices. Through the analysis of the occasion of the arrests and arraignment of 57 men in Lagos, Nigeria from August 2018 through March 2020, for offenses related to same-sex relations and homosexuality, it is observed that the Nigerian state has exercised queer violence by disguising its necropolitical conduct in biopolitical terms. It has been further observed that queer violence is performed indiscriminately, endangering especially the male population.Show less
Master thesis | Classics and Ancient Civilizations (MA)
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Exclusionary and self-serving, the purpose of gender constructs are fundamentally more concerned with the longevity and social-standing of the hegemonic participants – for they perpetuate the...Show moreExclusionary and self-serving, the purpose of gender constructs are fundamentally more concerned with the longevity and social-standing of the hegemonic participants – for they perpetuate the construct itself – than those who fall short of its criteria. Because constructs of masculinity are inherently hierarchal, we would expect the aged to become a “subclass” against which younger participants validate their own masculinity and increase their standing. Thus, in the introduction of her ground-breaking book Being a Man: Negotiating Ancient Constructs of Masculinity, published in 2017, I would have to agree with I. Zsolany’s statement: “to enact a version of masculinity considered less than a societal ideal cannot only be undesirable, but humiliating.” However, against my own presumptions, Mesopotamian art and literature reveals a gerontocratic society which favoured the aged over the young, one where the dominant social construct was monopolised by a group who were unable to adhere to its values and norms, and thus struggled meet its expectations. In this thesis we will investigate this paradox, using the Standard Babylonian (abbreviated as “SB” throughout the essay) Gilgamesh epic to explore the ways in which older men navigated the obstacles of ageing whilst paying particular attention to how they validated their own masculinity based on that of younger men.Show less
In the wake of The Supreme Court of India's decision to decriminalise homosexuality, this paper studies how British colonialism structured the perceptions and representations of same-sex intimacies...Show moreIn the wake of The Supreme Court of India's decision to decriminalise homosexuality, this paper studies how British colonialism structured the perceptions and representations of same-sex intimacies and sexual fluidity in India. Combining discourse analysis and historiographical approaches, this paper focuses on various aspects of Indian history and society, from the many examples of homo-eroticism in Indo-Muslim literature and Indian religious traditions to the medicalisation of sexuality and the internalisation of British ideals of masculinity and sexuality in the discourse around same-sex intimacies, as well as the parallels between this and the modern Hindutva movement.Show less
This paper investigates masculinity in Chinese media. Specifically, it was written to address “To what extent is the changing of masculinity in the Chinese media an indication of a changing of...Show moreThis paper investigates masculinity in Chinese media. Specifically, it was written to address “To what extent is the changing of masculinity in the Chinese media an indication of a changing of masculinity in wider society?” To achieve this, the paper will first lay out an overview over how Chinese masculinity has changed over the centuries and the last decades. In order to more easily assess issues regarding masculinity, it will borrow the wén-wǔ distinction introduced by Kam Louie. Then it will address the current relationship between the Chinese (state-) media and masculinity in China. The third part will focus on idols and beauty boys, two forms of masculinity that are criticised often by conservative voices. It will also include a discussion on how much women are involved in the changing masculine ideals. Consequently, this paper will analyse two media productions to see how they portray masculinity, what effects this would have, and how this is related to the literature discussed in this paper. And finally, this paper will conclude that rather than just a shift in masculinity, there is also an entrenchment of older masculine ideals taking place.Show less
Research master thesis | Latin American Studies (research) (MA)
open access
Nesta tese, proponho estudar Boi Neon (2015), o filme mais recente do diretor brasileiro Gabriel Mascaro, e Nossos Ossos (2013), do escritor brasileiro Marcelino Freire. Na forma de “close reading”...Show moreNesta tese, proponho estudar Boi Neon (2015), o filme mais recente do diretor brasileiro Gabriel Mascaro, e Nossos Ossos (2013), do escritor brasileiro Marcelino Freire. Na forma de “close reading” se analisará como se reconstrói e se reinventa o sujeito masculino na sociedade moderna, na qual surge uma convivência conflitiva de diversas formas de masculinidade(s) que se negociam interna e externamente dos sujeitos. As obras estão assombradas (“haunted”) pela tradição regional. Estar assombrado significa o quanto a sensação de ser é sempre perseguida ou assombrada por algo outro que impossibilita descrever, compreender ou fechar a existência em categorias definidas. Desestabiliza as noções de um eu independente e coerente. Surge, então, um potencial deconstrutivo de ruptura e abertura, oferecendo um espaço no qual “Outros” conceptuais e textuais podem emergir. Tanto Bezerra (2014) como Angeli e Machado (2017) relacionam Heleno, o protagonista de Nossos Ossos, ao herói clássico da antiguidade, na qual os amores masculinos se reconheciam oficialmente. Na época moderna, a homossexualidade de Heleno é um fator identitário problemático. Carvalho e De Moraes (2017), tratam Boi Neon a través do conceito da perspectiva do arquivo. Segundo eles, o arquivo, como conjunto de rastros que são ressignificados, é confrontado por uma masculinidade multifacetada, desafiando o paradigma heteronormativo estabelecido. Porém, é importante especificar a dinâmica e transformações da masculinidade em relação à tradição regional. Os protagonistas, ambos nordestinos ambulantes, transitam pela região do Nordeste. Há neles uma constante interferência identitária da tradição passada nordestina que notamos em peças canônicas da região do Nordeste, como Vidas Secas (1938) e Os Sertões (1902). Boi Neon e Nossos Ossos trazem novas representações da masculinidade tradicional nordestina, desafiando a criação de estereótipos e imagens fixas que atravessam o imaginário regional e nacional. Confrontam a tendência em direção a uma normatividade rígida, criando novas verdades que desafiam os modelos hegemônicos da masculinidade, feminidade e a repressão desta ordem dominante.Show less
Bachelor thesis | Film- en literatuurwetenschap (BA)
closed access
The purpose of this dissertation is to establish to what extent the wolf and the hunter in Little Red Riding Hood stories have, over time, developed into complex characters that will allow for a...Show moreThe purpose of this dissertation is to establish to what extent the wolf and the hunter in Little Red Riding Hood stories have, over time, developed into complex characters that will allow for a wide variety of masculine role models. To achieve this, four versions of the tale have been analysed and compared: “Le Petit Chaperon Rouge” by Charles Perrault, “Rotkäppchen” by the Brothers Grimm, “The Company of Wolves” by Angela Carter, and Princess of the Silver Woods by Jessica Day George. This dissertation is meant as an addition to the existing feminist discourse on gender and fairy tales and the theoretical framework exists mainly of historical context to Perrault’s version of the story, Judith Butler’s theory of gender as a construct, Alexander Boon’s definition of the hero figure as masculine role model, and Riki Lane’s views on the relation between nature and nurture. Concluded, these male role models have become more complex, but they still offer only a limited array of masculine role models accepted by contemporary mainstream culture. It is important for this to change and more research into this topic is advisable.Show less
