Strategic culture is a concept both promising and controversial. The idea that culture impacts security policy and why an actor favors certain policies over others has appealed to scholars and...Show moreStrategic culture is a concept both promising and controversial. The idea that culture impacts security policy and why an actor favors certain policies over others has appealed to scholars and analysts since the concept was first introduced in 1977. However, some actors have received more attention than others. Most notably, smaller countries seem to attract less attention. This thesis will make use of this gap in the literature and focus on the Netherlands. Specifically, it seeks to illustrate in what way the Dutch strategic culture has manifested itself after the Second World War up to the present day. Using Alistair I. Johnston’s conceptual framework, this thesis found that the Netherlands was highly influenced by the war, drastically altering its security policy. It has sought to highly integrate itself in the international community, seeking cooperation in an effort to prevent war. Its policies are formed with this goal in mind and is highly grounded in international law, seeking the diplomatic over military action. While promising, these results should only form the basis of future, more comprehensive, research. I argue that the concept of strategic culture is too restrictive and fails to paint the complete picture. With this in mind, the concept of security culture is very promising for future research.Show less
Deze scriptie betrof een onderzoek naar de Tweede Boerenoorlog, waarbij een groep onverzoenlijke krijgsgevangenen na afloop van de oorlog zich heeft gevestigd in Nederlands-Indie om daar een...Show moreDeze scriptie betrof een onderzoek naar de Tweede Boerenoorlog, waarbij een groep onverzoenlijke krijgsgevangenen na afloop van de oorlog zich heeft gevestigd in Nederlands-Indie om daar een landbouwkolonie te runnen die zij kregen toegewezen door de Nederlandse regering in Indië.Show less
Loom weights have been found all over the world and there are clear regional distinctions in shape and size, but a few types like conical weights seem to be used repeatedly in most regions. In the...Show moreLoom weights have been found all over the world and there are clear regional distinctions in shape and size, but a few types like conical weights seem to be used repeatedly in most regions. In the European Iron Age, a new type of loom weight is introduced with a flat triangular shape and perforations through the corners and often through the centre of the weight. The introduction of this new type of weight is reason for a big discussion. The generally accepted hypothesis on the function of triangular loom weights comes from Loewe (1971, 35, footnote 66), in which he describes how the triangular weights with three perforations were used to secure a bundle of warp threads, making it easier to fabricate longer pieces of textile and rolling the textile up for storing purposes. This presumably gave the triangular weights an advantage over the earlier conical and pyramidal weights. However, some archaeologists disapprove of this assessment of function, they presume a function as net sinker or spanner for hides is more likable. The research of this thesis shows that these objects show a large number of characteristics that are purely necessary for the function as loom weight. Therefore, a primary function as loom weight is accepted.Show less
The British referendum on EU membership and its outcome have shaken the European Union (EU). Other member states reacted mainly surprised and disappointed to the decision of the British to leave...Show moreThe British referendum on EU membership and its outcome have shaken the European Union (EU). Other member states reacted mainly surprised and disappointed to the decision of the British to leave the biggest European integration project. The idea of the ‘Brexit’ (British exit) also worried some parties: it could function as an example for other countries. In the Netherlands, the radical right-wing party suggested a ‘Nexit’ referendum. The Dutch liberal party VVD (Volkspartij voor Vrijheid en Democratie), the senior government partner, immediately rejected this idea. The VVD looked up to the United Kingdom (UK) for a long time and often shared ideas with the British, but the decision to leave the EU was not supported by the VVD. The reactions of the VVD to the UK in Europe in the period 1948-1963 and the period 2000-2013 are at some points similar and different on other points. This is shown through archival research.Show less
This study set about answering the question what significance the bilateral relationship between the Netherlands and Germany has for consensus- and coalition-building within the EU.
Late Medieval north-western Europe was transformed by the introduction of hopped beer into the market. It has been assumed that during the late 13th and into the 14th century, beer replaced wine as...Show moreLate Medieval north-western Europe was transformed by the introduction of hopped beer into the market. It has been assumed that during the late 13th and into the 14th century, beer replaced wine as the preferred beverage in the areas around the Low Countries and Germany. Authors like Raymond van Uytven, Susan Rose, Max Nelson and Richard Yntema have all demonstrated how this change is reflected in the historical records. The focus of this thesis is to study how this change from wine to beer consumption may be reflected in the material record. To study this, research has been conducted on the material that was most common from the 1300-1600s; stoneware. A use-function approach was used to gather information about characteristics of drinking vessels. This approach was carried out by researching previous scholarship and studying the defining characteristics of different vessels outlined in the Dutch classification system. Further research brought in contemporary historical illustrations of stoneware vessels in use, where specifically wine or beer can be assumed. These sources present a window into how artists and their audiences interacted with reproductions of social situations. Once gathered, these characteristics work as guidelines to apply specific use-function of either wine or beer consumption to individual vessels. This catalogue of characteristics can then be applied to datasets of stonewares. In this case, these characteristics were applied to a dataset of stoneware assemblages from Nijmegen, Dordrecht and Deventer reported in Cities in Sherds (Bartels 1997). These assemblages were classified into groups based upon use; Beer, Beer?, Wine, Wine?, Either wine or beer, Non-wine/beer, and unknown. By breaking down the assemblages into these categories, it was possible to observe trends in the production of beer or wine vessels. One large bias in the data, and indeed to the approach, is the size of the Unknown category. Making up 65% of the assemblages, there is a problem with the documentation and identification of stoneware vessels. Focussing on the other groups, the results from this data indicate something different from what has been argued by historical scholars. The data showed an increase in wine vessels after the 14th century. Future studies in the field could focus on developing more accurate methods to identify vessels. With more accurate results at this stage, the sample size for analysis will grow, creating a better understanding of the different forms consumed during the centuries. This research could potentially be used as a starting point for future enquiries into the nuances of beverage preferences in the late medieval period.Show less
Sceattas, a silver currency only produced for approximately less than a century, offer tremendous insights into a multi-regional and relatively unregulated currency. While its short-lived...Show moreSceattas, a silver currency only produced for approximately less than a century, offer tremendous insights into a multi-regional and relatively unregulated currency. While its short-lived production may encourage ideas that it played a relatively unimportant role in post-Roman, early medieval Europe, this is not the case. The coinage quickly became an important part of North Sea trade. Merchants, from Northern France, the Low Countries, parts of Denmark, and England all relied on the coins as a medium of exchange. The modern-day Netherlands is home to numerous production sites of sceattas, indicating its importance in the North Sea trade. Two major types of sceattas were most likely produced here, and are both the most numerous types discovered. They are called Series D and Series E or Continental Runic Type and Porcupine Type. This study aims to examine just how widespread the distribution of these types and the other seventeen series found in the Netherlands was on the basis of the evidence in the Numis database up to 2016. Distribution for the coins will be based on a number of variables, namely overall location, this location examined under a historical context, and an examination of find sites compared to the environment of 800 AD. It appears that the distribution is not random over the country but mainly limited to Domburg, a small part of the Central Dutch River area and the Frisian area of Westergo. This relates the coinage to international trade rather than a widespread use in a ‘moneraty economy’.Show less
The relation between archaeology and education contains a paradox. Where archaeologists have advocated the importance of education for archaeology, this advocation has not been adapted by policy...Show moreThe relation between archaeology and education contains a paradox. Where archaeologists have advocated the importance of education for archaeology, this advocation has not been adapted by policy stakeholders, in order to develop archaeology education programs. Three studies in Canada, the United States and United Kingdom have entailed that the relation between archaeology and education has poorly been investigated. This research builds upon the results on the other three studies to start the investigation on the state of affairs on the inclusion of archaeology into primary education in the Netherlands by investigating policy stakeholders perspectives. These values are investigated by interviews among representa- tives of the Ministry of Education, Culture and Science, provincial heritage institutes and museums, and placed into broader perspective by analyzing the results of monitor surveys on three history and culture education programs, and two legislative restrictions. Then, the combination of interviews and document analysis results in a synthesis where an alternative approach for archaeology education is presented for archaeologists, policy stakeholders and Primary school teachers in the Netherlands . The study ends with the request for further research that is built upon the results presented here.Show less
The Dutch and Russian governments are not clear on what the deterioration in relations since 2014 means and how the relations changed. This study examines how relations have developed over the...Show moreThe Dutch and Russian governments are not clear on what the deterioration in relations since 2014 means and how the relations changed. This study examines how relations have developed over the period 2013-2015, as reflected in both the phraseology used and topics discussed in the published communiqués. It gives a detailed account of the developments in relations, looking at separate topics and the general trend in relations. In order to analyse the separate issues and the general trend, each communiqué and its issues are analysed and are allocated a value. The values range from ‘-2’ (very negative) to ‘+2’ (very positive). The value assesses how both countries talk about each other. It is assessed as being ‘positive’ when it contributes to building a constructive partnership and ‘negative’ when it damages such a partnership. The study concludes that the different issues of the Russian-Dutch relations developed separately from each other, but the general trend was that the statements on each other deteriorated after Crimea’s incorporation and the downing of MH17. These two events resulted in more negative communications on each other, because the Netherlands increasingly saw Russia as a threat to the EU’s neighbourhood and its own security, and therefore the focus returned to the primary national interest to ensure the safety of the state and its citizens.Show less
People’s physical appearances and beauty ‘from the outside’ have been part of a variety of cultural discourses for a long time in history. Though, in more recent times, human bodies have...Show morePeople’s physical appearances and beauty ‘from the outside’ have been part of a variety of cultural discourses for a long time in history. Though, in more recent times, human bodies have increasingly fell subject to the democratization of social norms and values, and as a result the body has become a reflection of symbolic meanings (Baghel et al., 2014). In culturally-diverse India, the image of beauty has been changing continuously but it is argued that one perspective on Indian physical beauty has remained quite stable (or at least appears to exist in contemporary India): the aspiration of having lighter skin colors (Kumar, 2002; Glenn, 2008). Even though many researchers recognized that racial categorizations based on skin colors have been reduced in different parts of the world, there still appears to be a correlation between beauty, skin color and social identity among some people in the Indian society today (Glenn, 2008). In examining to what extent skin lightening practices and aspirations have shifted from India to the Netherlands in a transnational context, the goal is to find out the perceived sense of racial consciousness of first-generation Indian migrants living in diaspora in the Netherlands. Grounded in the theories of Social Constructivism by Berger and Luckmann and Racial Identity theory by Helms, this thesis concludes that 1. Migration to the Netherlands has not changed the racial awareness of first-generation Indian migrants consciously 2. Skin color does play a role - though marginal - in migrant’s Indian intracultural environment in terms of marriages, but it is not significant in their Dutch intercultural environment. 3. Most of the first-generation Indian migrants living in the Netherlands do not use fairness creams, and if they do, it is for medical reasons rather than to match cultural and aspirational expectations.Show less
By comparing historical narratives that coincided in WW II, I intend to examine how the national identities of the Netherlands and South Korea contrasted with one another and illustrate how the...Show moreBy comparing historical narratives that coincided in WW II, I intend to examine how the national identities of the Netherlands and South Korea contrasted with one another and illustrate how the former Comfort Women have been represented within their own social constructs thereafter. A crucial reason for partaking in a historical comparison, between the Netherlands and South Korea, is to combine a lesser documented case with a case which has received substantially more coverage in academia and the media. By examining historical events, I propose to shift the perspective from gaining formal recognition and compensation from the Japanese government, which is often the point of view in the media and an often discussed topic by academics, to instead: How were the former Comfort Women treated and represented by their own society after WW II? It is important to examine the Comfort Women Issue from a different perspective because the perspective of the society of which the former Comfort Women are a part of, holds as much significance in historical terms of accountability as the issue of the Japanese government’s reticence to offer satisfactory recompense.Show less
From the site of Oegstgeest Nieuw Rhijngeest-Zuid an archaeobotanical sample taken from an excavated well was researched in this thesis. The sample has been dated to 600 - 750 A.D. which...Show moreFrom the site of Oegstgeest Nieuw Rhijngeest-Zuid an archaeobotanical sample taken from an excavated well was researched in this thesis. The sample has been dated to 600 - 750 A.D. which corresponds to the Merovingian time period. The research questions were based on how the environment would have looked like during the time of deposition, whether human influences on the landscape would be indicated, and if there were signs of salt-water influx traceable in the sample. One sample of 250 ml was analysed. The waterlogged material was well preserved. In total 21 taxa were identified to species or subspecies level, 10 were identified to genus level and 2 were identified to family level. Of the ecological groups as set up by Arnolds & Van der Maarel (1979) six different groups were present in the sample. These ecological groups and represented plant taxa indicate that the environment during the time of deposition was probably quite open, nutrient-rich, and wet. There are clear indications of brackish water in the environment, but no clear indications of cultivated plants were identified. However, the identified species that are nitrogen indicators, and therefore manure or pollution indicators, seem to confirm human influence on their environment.Show less
