This thesis explores the evidence for Roman archaeology on the Nijmegen moraine east of the city. This area is poorly researched compared to the city of Nijmegen in the west and the newly...Show moreThis thesis explores the evidence for Roman archaeology on the Nijmegen moraine east of the city. This area is poorly researched compared to the city of Nijmegen in the west and the newly discovered auxiliary forts in Germany to the east. Roman fortifications were hypothesized to have existed on the higher peaks of the moraine, offering a commanding view over the wider area and connecting west to east. An analysis of the available literature indicates this part of the moraine might hold more Roman archaeological remains than is currently known, including villae and fortifications on the high peaks. In an attempt to predict and locate these, the AHN3 height map of the Netherlands is used for a visibility analysis and LiDAR visualization analysis of the area. The visibility analysis shows that several high peaks, most notably the Duivelsberg, are ideal locations for a watchtower which could act as a missing link in a signalling system between the fortifications in Nijmegen and those in Germany. LiDAR analysis indicates that several areas on the moraine likely contain undiscovered archaeological remains, including World War Two battle remains, prehistoric barrows, and urnfields. The research also demonstrates the strengths and shortcomings of using these digital methods to locate new archaeological remains. It is concluded that the moraine is a highly attractive area for future archaeological research into Roman Nijmegen or other periods.Show less
This thesis asks whether and how changes in cultural-historical circumstances have affected the Jamaican and Surinamese Anansi stories between 1890 and 2020. Surprisingly - given the major...Show moreThis thesis asks whether and how changes in cultural-historical circumstances have affected the Jamaican and Surinamese Anansi stories between 1890 and 2020. Surprisingly - given the major upheavals that occured during that time period - the substance of the Anansi tales was essentially stable. What did change were the attitudes towards the spider. While colonial ideas dominated Anansi discourse around 1900, decolonization caused the emergence of a postolonial Anansi tradition that celebrated the character's Afro-Caribbean cultural heritage. Hence, Anansi was ultimately recognized as an indigenous icon of Afro-Caribbean culture not just in Jamaica and Suriname, but in Anglo-European societies too.Show less
The downing of Flight MH17 in July 2014 constitutes a major crisis and a critical juncture in Dutch foreign policy towards Russia. This critical juncture created the conditions under which a...Show moreThe downing of Flight MH17 in July 2014 constitutes a major crisis and a critical juncture in Dutch foreign policy towards Russia. This critical juncture created the conditions under which a significant change in Dutch foreign policy towards Russia became possible as institutional constraints were suddenly loosened. By using process tracing this thesis studies the changes in Dutch foreign policy and the causal mechanism behind them following the downing of the airplane. The Dutch government initially took on a cautious position as it was hoping Russia could be convinced to cooperate with the investigation. However as the Kremlin continually spreads disinformation about Flight MH17 and consistently seeks to discredit and undermine the investigations, the Dutch government started to use more confrontational and less accommodating diplomatic tools. This is evidenced by the way in which the Dutch government exposed the foiled OPCW hacking attempt by the GRU as well as how it criticised Russia’s behaviour surrounding the downing of Flight MH17.Show less
In this research the English proficiency of two groups of students who attended the same secondary school in the Netherlands are compared. The first group of students followed a monolingual pre...Show moreIn this research the English proficiency of two groups of students who attended the same secondary school in the Netherlands are compared. The first group of students followed a monolingual pre-university programme, while the other group attended a bilingual preuniversity stream. After an explanation about the differences between these two programmes and an exploration of earlier research into pronunciation and vocabulary acquisition, this study examined what the differences/similarities were between these two groups in terms of oral proficiency after five years of secondary education. Twenty students, ten of each programme, were asked to complete two tasks. For the first task they were asked to read out a text, and afterwards their pronunciation of pre-selected vowels and consonants was analyzed with the speech analysis program Praat. The second task required the students to first describe a painting by Breughel in their own words and then to describe five specific scenes on the painting. The results showed that there were slight differences between the oral proficiencies of monolingual and bilingual students and that both groups of students had not acquired a set of characteristics that all of them adhered to in terms of vowel and consonant pronunciation. A lot of variation existed between the two groups, even though the agreement was stronger in the bilingual group. When comparing both groups’ lexicon quantitatively, the bilingual group clearly expressed themselves more extensively in their second language than the monolingual group, but qualitatively speaking the bilingual students did not appear to be familiar with more lower-frequency words than the monolingual students.Show less
In this thesis the reluctance of Dutch politicians to repatriate foreign fighters is investigated and it is argued that this is an example of organized irresponsibility. Many Dutch foreign fighters...Show moreIn this thesis the reluctance of Dutch politicians to repatriate foreign fighters is investigated and it is argued that this is an example of organized irresponsibility. Many Dutch foreign fighters who joined ISIS now wish to return to the Netherlands. The Dutch government is unwilling to facilitate their repatriation, despite pressure from Dutch institutions, and security experts arguing arguing that repatriation is the best long-term solution to the foreign fighter issue.Show less
Ever since the Republic of Indonesia had gained its independence, Dutch society and various political Governments have been in debate with each other on how to memorise the period of the...Show moreEver since the Republic of Indonesia had gained its independence, Dutch society and various political Governments have been in debate with each other on how to memorise the period of the Netherlands as coloniser of the East Indies. This has resulted in a wide range of perspectives on this part of the Dutch history by scientists. Although, there are many references to the Dutch East Indies within the contemporary society of the Netherlands, people tend to know more about the Holocaust rather than the heritage of the Dutch East Indies. This has resulted in the aim to examine why the heritage of World War II in the Dutch East Indies became a forgotten war for Dutch society. The study will be done by trying to verify three hypotheses surrounding the following themes: concealment, lack of public attention and memory.Show less
Een vergelijkend historisch onderzoek over de Nederlandse spoorwegstaking van 1903 en de Belgische algemene staking van 1902. De rol van de sociaaldemocratische partijen binnen deze...Show moreEen vergelijkend historisch onderzoek over de Nederlandse spoorwegstaking van 1903 en de Belgische algemene staking van 1902. De rol van de sociaaldemocratische partijen binnen deze stakingsbewegingen staat in deze scriptie centraal. De factoren die het gedrag van de sociaaldemocratische partijen verklaren worden in de scriptie uiteengezet.Show less
This thesis investigates the presence of body language, specifically gestures and facial expression, in the Audio-description for the Dutch film ‘Wat is dan Liefde’ (Webster, 2019). The thesis...Show moreThis thesis investigates the presence of body language, specifically gestures and facial expression, in the Audio-description for the Dutch film ‘Wat is dan Liefde’ (Webster, 2019). The thesis looks at how these elements are described to blind and visually impaired audiences through Audio-description. By using the methodology of Multimodal Transcription, this thesis is able to show the Audio-description and dialogue paired with the relevant image of body language throughout the thesis. The results show that the features of facial expression and gestures are not often described in the Audio-description. The Audio-description features more descriptions of facial expressions than gestures. An explanation for this could be that the gesture is more often included in the dialogue.Show less
Political corruption is a more or less universal phenomenon, but occurs much more frequently in some places than in others. This variation has been attributed to a range of factors on which...Show morePolitical corruption is a more or less universal phenomenon, but occurs much more frequently in some places than in others. This variation has been attributed to a range of factors on which countries perform either poorly or well. Yet, political corruption also occurs in countries that seem to perform well on most known indicators. As this has been an object of little scholarly attention, it remains largely unclear how we can explain the occurrence of political corruption in ‘unlikely places’; countries where such corruption is theoretically least likely to occur. This study explores the contours of an explanation by investigating a particular case in-depth: the case of Jos van Rey. The results suggest four potential explanations, that range from conceptual issues to the possibility that political corruption in unlikely places is to some extent unique, and driven by a distinct set of factors.Show less
This paper seeks to contribute to the literature concerning the relationship between the United States and the Netherlands during the Vietnam War. Specifically, it examines government relations in...Show moreThis paper seeks to contribute to the literature concerning the relationship between the United States and the Netherlands during the Vietnam War. Specifically, it examines government relations in the context of the Tet Offensive. The offensive had a transformative effect on American domestic politics, as Lyndon B. Johnson decided not to seek another term as President of the United States and because America decided to de-escalate the Vietnam War. As such, this paper explores how a combination of American foreign and domestic policy affects the relationship with the Netherlands. The majority of the existing literature is written in the 1980s and therefore, deserves an update. Moreover, current scholarship is predominantly focused on the domestic consequences for the Netherlands, and thus often falls short of describing the American perspective on the Vietnam War. This thesis sets itself apart by specifically examining the relationship between the United States and the Netherlands. Through an extensive analysis of American, Dutch, and South Vietnamese sources this paper will argue that the direct consequences of the Tet Offensive did not significantly affect American-Dutch relations. However, indirect consequences, such as Johnson’s withdrawal from politics, de-escalation of the Vietnam War, and Vietnamisation of the conflict, substantially influenced the relationship between the United States and the Netherlands. Whilst relations between the two countries undoubtedly remained good, the context of the Tet Offensive serves to characterise changing dynamics with which policymaking took place, as the Netherlands took more initiative in maintaining its relationship with the United States.Show less
The central question this thesis will attempt to address is: ‘What problems arise when private security companies are allowed to perform public tasks and how may these problems be overcome?’ In...Show moreThe central question this thesis will attempt to address is: ‘What problems arise when private security companies are allowed to perform public tasks and how may these problems be overcome?’ In order to narrow the scope of this very broad question, I will attempt to answer it by focusing specifically on PMSC activity during anti-piracy actions. The arguments in this thesis will show how the ambiguous nature of the current legal framework has caused a lack of democratic responsibility in anti-piracy action. This has led to a situation of increased violence and human rights violation as economic incentives have been allowed to precede social incentives. To increase democratic responsibility in PMSC’s, I propose that Dutch policy should focus on the creation of corporate social responsibility within the companies that are allowed to operate on board ships passing through high risk areas. It is important however, to be aware of the internal contradictions that face CSR-theory and focus on the possibility of omitting these obstacles in the unique context in which the Law for the Protection of Dutch Merchant Ships will be implemented.Show less
The research question of this thesis will focus on the MH17 trial, which started in March 2020. To achieve a better understanding of Russian and Dutch media coverage of this topic, this thesis will...Show moreThe research question of this thesis will focus on the MH17 trial, which started in March 2020. To achieve a better understanding of Russian and Dutch media coverage of this topic, this thesis will aim to answer the following research question: “Did Russian and Dutch online news media portray the Flight MH17 incident differently In March 2020, and if yes, to what extent?”. From this starting point, this thesis will aim to achieve insight in the spread of (dis)information by Russian and Dutch online news media on the topic of the MH17. In addition, it will explore any possible differences between aforementioned news media in reporting on the MH17 trial.Show less
With at least 174 performances in 2017, it is fair to say that Johann Sebastian Bach’s St Matthew Passion enjoys unusual popularity in the Netherlands. Many scholars have wondered why, but without...Show moreWith at least 174 performances in 2017, it is fair to say that Johann Sebastian Bach’s St Matthew Passion enjoys unusual popularity in the Netherlands. Many scholars have wondered why, but without looking at the formative years of the Dutch Passion tradition: the interwar period between 1919 and 1939, when, as a result of economic distress, fear for moral breakdown and social fragmentation, the Dutch rediscovered an inward sense of nationality. First of all, this thesis shows that the tradition of yearly Passion performances, established by the conductor Willem Mengelberg, became a ritual through which citizens could profess this nationality. Subsequently, it analyses how a diverse group of intellectuals imbued Bach’s masterpiece with sublime properties. Finally, it turns its attention to peripheral regions, where locals took the initiative to organize their own Passion performances, enabling large swathes of the population to share and participate in a national musical culture. This thesis thus moves beyond musical, textual and dramaturgical aspects and integrates Dutch interwar Passion performance within its historical, social and cultural context. It regards Passion performances as civic rituals fostering emotional identification among both the active and passive participants. This approach aims to do justice to the ideological, religious and socio-economical heterogeneity of Dutch interwar society, as reflected in the vast array of primary sources under scrutiny. By investigating the origins of the Dutch passion for the Passion, this thesis seeks to elucidate the relations between music and national identity.Show less
This research has focussed on frailty and stress in the late medieval and early modern populations of the Broerenkerk in Zwolle and the Eusebiuskerk in Arnhem, in order to understand how stress...Show moreThis research has focussed on frailty and stress in the late medieval and early modern populations of the Broerenkerk in Zwolle and the Eusebiuskerk in Arnhem, in order to understand how stress affected individuals from different sexes, age categories, and status. To understand this, three methods were used: linear enamel hypoplasia, cribra orbitalia, and porotic hyperostosis. In total, 84 skeletons were analysed. The populations have been analysed with each other as well as on their own. The methods have been compared to each other to understand whether they might relate to each other and whether it was likely that they occurred within a skeleton simultaneously. Results showed that there was no statistical significance within or between the sex and age-at-death categories within and between the populations, except for the cribra orbitalia results between the population of the Eusebiuskerk and the Broerenkerk. This has been linked to status: the population buried in the Broerenkerk was of a higher status than the population of the Eusebiuskerk. Although they were likely not extremely rich, as illustrated by the job names presented on the covering slabs, they likely had better access to food. The population of the Eusebiuskerk was likely to be of a very poor status due to trade tokens found with the individuals and because they were buried in the northern church grounds. The fact that the individuals from Zwolle showed less linear enamel hypoplasia might be the result of them experiencing less long term stress. Poor individuals lived close together in guesthouses, which means that illnesses could spread faster. So, it is clear that stress affected statuses differently, and that individuals from Arnhem were more fragile as a result. Yet, care must be taken as limitations are present.Show less
If the process of conversion is gradual, what part of the process is influenced by a particular evangelistic strategy? And if conversion means that the old and the new get mixed, then what is the...Show moreIf the process of conversion is gradual, what part of the process is influenced by a particular evangelistic strategy? And if conversion means that the old and the new get mixed, then what is the role of evangelism in this? For my thesis, I want to use these new perspectives on conversion to analyze the role that evangelism plays in people's conversion stories. My main question will be the following: “What role do evangelistic efforts by growth-oriented churches in Leiden play in people's conversions and how can this influence be explained?”Show less
