Developmental Topographical Disorientation (DTD) is a phenomenon that has been relatively scarcely studied in the literature. DTD is defined as a lifelong inability to orient in even extremely...Show moreDevelopmental Topographical Disorientation (DTD) is a phenomenon that has been relatively scarcely studied in the literature. DTD is defined as a lifelong inability to orient in even extremely familiar surroundings despite the absence of any acquired brain damage or neurological disorder. Criteria have been proposed to diagnose DTD, but more discrete and objective criteria are needed to create a better understanding of DTD. By examining a self-identified target group of 13 DTD participants, we aimed to understand personal perceptions and barriers of people with DTD and to explore whether there is a possible link between DTD and aphantasia. We conducted comprehensive interviews followed by questionnaires, experimental navigation and drawing tasks. Navigation ability was tested by assessing route knowledge, landmark recognition, path overview knowledge, and location knowledge. The results showed that individual DTD participants showed varied levels of navigational performance, but as a group, they generally have more difficulty with specific aspects of navigation. DTD participants were better at remembering landmarks but had more difficulty with route knowledge, path overview knowledge and location knowledge compared to the general population. In addition, they scored lower on navigation self-assessments compared to the general population, but reported less spatial anxiety than people who get lost due to brain injury. The study found no significant correlation between DTD and aphantasia. In conclusion, the study identified a distinct navigation profile for individuals with DTD, characterized by weaknesses in route knowledge, path overview knowledge, and location knowledge, while landmark recognition is a strength. No overlap was found between DTD and aphantasia. The Wayfinding Questionnaire appears to be an appropriate screening tool to help distinguish DTD from disorientation caused by brain injury. Lastly, the Leiden Navigation Task has proven effective in detecting the DTD profile and can be used as a screening tool in future research.Show less
Research master thesis | African Studies (research) (MA)
open access
2020-05-31T00:00:00Z
Political conflict and polarization in Zanzibar have been examined by different scholars and from different (inter)disciplinary angles, often, however, to the exclusion of female voices. Trying to...Show morePolitical conflict and polarization in Zanzibar have been examined by different scholars and from different (inter)disciplinary angles, often, however, to the exclusion of female voices. Trying to mend this bias by exclusively exploring women’s perspectives, using mainly qualitative, in-depth interviews, I was able to identify the centrality of motherhood and mothering to the gendered standpoint of Zanzibari women, also in connection to their attitudes towards ‘the political’. Consequently, this thesis explores the roles the institution of motherhood and mothering as practice play in women’s navigation of (political) uncertainty and conflict in the islands. To establish the context in which this navigation takes place and to mend misconceptions about female (non-)participation in Zanzibari electoral politics, the active roles women have filled in the island’s political history are highlighted. To be able to understand the ‘maternal standpoint’, my respondents spoke and navigated from, local ideologies and experiences of motherhood and mothering are explored. The Swahili terms uchungu (bitterness) and kuhangaika (‘to roam about and struggle’) are central here, expressing the sacrifice that is often expected and performed by mothers. I develop the concept of ‘maternal navigation’ which takes into account the practices of actors who not only strategize to ‘get by’ and ‘get on’ as individuals but navigate uncertainty on behalf of and through others. This helps to make sense of my respondents’ practices as they consider risks and vulnerabilities while negotiating prevalent social, cultural, economic and political circumstances, for the sake of bringing about the best possible results for their children and families. In the political context, motherhood and mothering are shown to have a variety of sometimes contradictory influences, e.g. in connection to the promotion or dismissal of political peace-building. Mothers are also shown to develop specific maternal strategies in face of the risks of politics in the islands to safeguard themselves, but – most importantly – their families and children against political dangers and exposure. Overall, the complex and ambivalence force motherhood and maternal subjectivities represent in the political sphere and in relation to the navigational activities of Zanzibari women is highlighted.Show less
Research master thesis | African Studies (research) (MA)
closed access
The thesis argues to give special attention to Chinese contractors with a provincial background (State-owned enterprise established at the provincial level) and their activities in African...Show moreThe thesis argues to give special attention to Chinese contractors with a provincial background (State-owned enterprise established at the provincial level) and their activities in African countries. Chinese actors who have an earlier entrance to the African market experience a ‘disembedding’ process as other forms of Chinese capital flow in. In face of intensified intra-China competition, provincial SOEs struggle to secure a position in the local market. This thesis explores how Chinese camps navigate changing and unfamiliar environment by cultivating connections with Senegalese actors and local communities. The analysis is based on ethnographic fieldwork in Touba, Matam, Thiès, Thienaba and Dakar. The tracking strategy is a combination of go-along, participant observation and small-talks. The conceptual tool of this thesis, based on the concepts of ‘scale’ (Xiang 2013), ‘navigation’(Vigh, 2006, 2009) and ‘connection’ (Kaag 2012), attempts to understand how flows at one scale can influence or disrupt another scale; and on the local level, how actors experience these disruptions and move through the social forces created in the momentum as socially immediate and socially imagined; and how, through connection and connecting, they find a temporary anchor. This thesis looks at how Chinese contractors navigate the ambiguity of trust and potentiality of obligation to make work and social life possible. It also looks at how Chinese navigate the Chinese guanxi practice and Senegalese system reciprocity to cultivate stable interpersonal relations with significant local actors, such as the Mbacke marabouts in Touba. Keywords: Senegal; China; social navigation; reciprocity; religion; infrastructure; provinceShow less
