The Dutch scientist and Nobel Prize winner Hendrik Antoon Lorentz (1853-1928) was thrust into the media spotlight at the beginning of the twentieth century for which he was not quite ready. The aim...Show moreThe Dutch scientist and Nobel Prize winner Hendrik Antoon Lorentz (1853-1928) was thrust into the media spotlight at the beginning of the twentieth century for which he was not quite ready. The aim of this thesis is to find out how the media took a scientific public like Lorentz and constructed a public persona for him, what virtues and abilities were associated with this persona, and how this persona changed as a result of new social developments. Furthermore, this thesis will also describe the rise and fall of personas after his death and in his legacy, up to and including how Lorentz is represented in museums today.Show less
This thesis analyzes the making of Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg as a popular cultural celebrity in and through three cultural texts: the biopic 'On the Basis of Sex', the documentary 'RBG', and the...Show moreThis thesis analyzes the making of Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg as a popular cultural celebrity in and through three cultural texts: the biopic 'On the Basis of Sex', the documentary 'RBG', and the book 'My Own Words'. The central concern is to explore how each primary source navigates the paradox of the impassioned celebrity figure, where there is a specific focus on the personal, and the dispassionate Supreme Court Justice, whose role is to be impersonal and ‘blind’. I argue that it is the careful construction of Ginsburg’s public persona by herself, and others engaged in representing her, that navigates this issue. Subsequently, I conclude that this negotiation is not to increase Ginsburg’s ego or material gain, but functions as a means to promote and strengthen the institution of the Supreme Court of the United States.Show less
