The 11th of September, 1973 marked the beginning of an oppressive dictatorship in Chile, which lasted 17 years. Nowadays, the legacies of the dictatorship are still visible in Chilean society. This...Show moreThe 11th of September, 1973 marked the beginning of an oppressive dictatorship in Chile, which lasted 17 years. Nowadays, the legacies of the dictatorship are still visible in Chilean society. This thesis asks the question: To what extent was cultural trauma visible in the annual commemoration of the 1973 coup in Chile during the first presidency of Sebastián Piñera?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
When making decisions, people often make use of short-cuts to facilitate this process. This can lead to systematic errors and biases, leading to sub-optimal decisions and sometimes irrational...Show moreWhen making decisions, people often make use of short-cuts to facilitate this process. This can lead to systematic errors and biases, leading to sub-optimal decisions and sometimes irrational decision making. These biases can be correlated to the phenomenon of post-truth, where influencing emotions is the focus when presenting information, rather than actual facts. This paper investigates the correlation between several cognitive biases and post-truth, applied to case studies on Brexit and Donald Trump. It concludes that biases such as motivated reasoning, system 1 and 2 thinking and the availability bias, can reinforce or facilitate post-truth, and that we can see this correlation play out in both case studies.Show less
Over the past decades a clear perception of dichotomy between the USA and the Russian Federation has persisted that has seeped into the perception of the strategy followed by either military. This...Show moreOver the past decades a clear perception of dichotomy between the USA and the Russian Federation has persisted that has seeped into the perception of the strategy followed by either military. This perception is examined and challenged through an analysis of either nations strategy and tactics in the field of Counterinsurgency (COIN). Initial glances appear to confirm the perception by highlighting the difference in success rate and efficiency in COIN by Russia and the USA. Analyses of military COIN tactics in Syria and Iraq, the strategic political circumstances of either nation, and the ability of the individual militaries to adapt to circumstances as well as synthesize useful knowledge, are used to examine the reasons for the increased effectiveness of Russian COIN. Tactically, it is found that both nations do not differ enough to result in the marked difference in success that has been found, therefore the reasons must lie in the other circumstances. The results of this thesis have the implication that military success in COIN is not found in specific tactical differences but rather through a combination of maintaining political will and a better synthesis of useful knowledge within the scope of the military. Therefore, the US and Russian COIN strategies are two sides of the same COIN, albeit one more successful.Show less
Language is a topic that has been routinely manipulated and contested in the political arena. It was a significant tool during the colonial era and has also acted as a force for social unity among...Show moreLanguage is a topic that has been routinely manipulated and contested in the political arena. It was a significant tool during the colonial era and has also acted as a force for social unity among divided peoples. Major empires have succeeded in subjugating the conquered by imposing their own language. This has led to minoritisation of languages that were once widely spoken in certain countries and regions. In the era of postcolonialism and multiculturalism, language continues to be a battleground where old fears and rivalries play out. In Western Europe, there are a range of official attitudes towards minority and regional languages. These attitudes are generally reflected in the status given (or not) to such languages by the governments in the affected countries. There is a lack of comparative work in the field at present, with most scholars focusing on individual cases. Through both positive (Republic of Ireland and Spain) and negative (Northern Ireland and Franco-era Spain) cases, this paper will show how economic and political power play a crucial role in preserving minority languages.Show less
Gender inequality persists in United States politics. Focusing on state level politics, presents us with a major imbalance of female participation. In some states, female participation in state...Show moreGender inequality persists in United States politics. Focusing on state level politics, presents us with a major imbalance of female participation. In some states, female participation in state politics is much larger than in other states. This thesis seeks to explain what demographic factors contribute more to the level of participation of women in American state politics. To answer this, four demographic factors (political engagement, geography, race and ethnicity, and socioeconomic) are isolated and analyzed.Show less
Dit onderzoek gaat over het kabinet-Marijnen en zijn minister-president. Het bespreekt de politieke context van de jaren zestig en vervolgens drie stadia van het kabinet-Marijnen, te weten: de...Show moreDit onderzoek gaat over het kabinet-Marijnen en zijn minister-president. Het bespreekt de politieke context van de jaren zestig en vervolgens drie stadia van het kabinet-Marijnen, te weten: de formatieperiode, de kabinetsperiode, en de kabinetscrisis. De belangrijkste conclusie is dat het standaardbeeld van Marijnen niet correct is en dat hij waarschijnlijk minder aan de kabinetscrisis heeft kunnen doen dan altijd wordt aangenomen. Dit onderzoek is gebaseerd op gepubliceerd en ongepubliceerd archiefmateriaal, twee privécollecties en interviews.Show less
This thesis analyses Bawuk, a short story published in 1975 by Umar Kayam in the context of the New Order period in Indonesia (1966-1998). This thesis discusses in what ways are gender ideologies...Show moreThis thesis analyses Bawuk, a short story published in 1975 by Umar Kayam in the context of the New Order period in Indonesia (1966-1998). This thesis discusses in what ways are gender ideologies infused within fictional character building, as the subjectivity of a fictional character is objectified and controlled by its author. On the one hand, I look into Bawuk as it encompasses the cultural, social and political dominant narratives about the female gender in Indonesia in the sixties. On the other hand, this research ultimately questions the limits of linear literary interpretation by offering a different proposition to look at Bawuk, rooted in aesthetic literary theory. Through analysing gender narratives within this novel, my research integrates literature as a fully active agent of political ideologies as well as a space for transforming and re-appropriating gender constructs.Show less
This thesis identifies the political possibilities to establish a war crimes court in contemporary Liberian society and the role of civil society in this process.
The poetry of the Afghan Taliban offers an interesting angle to look at the organization. It shows that aesthetics are a relevant way to observe political organizations in order to discover things...Show moreThe poetry of the Afghan Taliban offers an interesting angle to look at the organization. It shows that aesthetics are a relevant way to observe political organizations in order to discover things that would have remained undiscovered by other research.Show less
At the turn of this millennium Russia stood before the behemoth task of rising from the ashes left behind by the chaotic 90's. Russia's seemingly endless natural resources and an accompanying rise...Show moreAt the turn of this millennium Russia stood before the behemoth task of rising from the ashes left behind by the chaotic 90's. Russia's seemingly endless natural resources and an accompanying rise in oil prices only go so far in its development. However, to gain relevance on the world stage beyond the constant military flexing and being an energy appendage to the upper echelon industrialised countries, it needs to produce marketable technologies and secure a spot among the greatest economies. At the end of the first decade a new paradigm in the way we transact information found prominence in the minds of the tech savvy, which turned into the explosive development of the Blockchain technology. This potentially revolutionary new technology has the characteristics to alter the social fabric in which old power structures become obsolete, but at the same time provide a golden opportunity for the relative young and unbound Russian IT sector to thrive and leave a global mark. The new generation technocrats plead for full scale adoption, regulation and development of this technology, but their older and politically more powerful Soviet rooted counter parts plead against the dangers of this shift in dynamics. In this work I looked at what the blockchain technology means for Russia and how the Russian authorities took a stance in adapting the technology.Show less
The theory of objectification, which regards the visual representation of women, and occasionally men, sheds light on many current debates concerning the sexist portrayal of the female gender in...Show moreThe theory of objectification, which regards the visual representation of women, and occasionally men, sheds light on many current debates concerning the sexist portrayal of the female gender in modern society. Such debates shift from analysing the role women are bound to hold within society, to the way they are portrayed through different types of media, such as television. In my research I will analyse the way women are often depicted in society, especially through media, and how this affects their political integration. To do so I will focus on the role Berlusconi played in the representation of Italian women, not only through his leadership as Italian Prime Minister, in which he remained for two decades, but also due to his role as media tycoon.Show less
This thesis analyses the spread of so-called "partnership systems" among Japanese local governments. Its main aim is to prove that this spread can be attributed to the workings of policy diffusion....Show moreThis thesis analyses the spread of so-called "partnership systems" among Japanese local governments. Its main aim is to prove that this spread can be attributed to the workings of policy diffusion. Through a qualitative analysis of primary sources, such as municipal assembly minutes, the thesis establishes that the spread of this policy is indeed largely the result of an interdependence between local governments' policy choices. It explains this interdependence through a combination of the analytical frameworks of rational choice institutionalism and normative institutionalism. Both competition for status as well as the ability to learn from preceding governments' policies are found to have played a role. While the thesis does not find compelling evidence for the supposed role of regional proximity, its findings do suggest that core cities are more likely to be influenced by other core cities, and that designated cities are more likely to be influenced by other designated cities.Show less
This paper aims to analyse the democratic potential of the internet and the ways in which the Russian pro-government disinformation campaign is used to limit this potential by conducting...Show moreThis paper aims to analyse the democratic potential of the internet and the ways in which the Russian pro-government disinformation campaign is used to limit this potential by conducting exploratory research on Russia as a single case study. Firstly, Russia’s disinformation campaign is analysed on its own. Secondly, the paper causally connects this disinformation campaign to the internet’s potential to consolidate democracy, primarily as a new free medium for information. In doing so, the paper makes use of two theories, inoculation theory and network theory, as underlying mechanisms for its analysis. It is argued that a negative relation can be observed between the internet’s potential to consolidate democratic developments through free and truthful information and Russia’s disinformation campaign. As this paper remains primarily theoretical in its analysis, further research is advised to determine how this relation has manifested in Russian society and what practical implications can be observed.Show less
In this thesis, I will defend the epistemic and moral value of democratic government, and oppose claims that there are legitimate grounds to replace democratic elections or restrict universal and...Show moreIn this thesis, I will defend the epistemic and moral value of democratic government, and oppose claims that there are legitimate grounds to replace democratic elections or restrict universal and equal suffrage to ensure the epistemic value of political decision-making. If one takes the principles normative authority and legitimacy into account, then any restriction on equal voting rights on the grounds of elitism will result neither in a rule of government that is intrinsically better nor a rule of government that is superior in producing better outcomes than a democratic system.Show less
Bachelor thesis | South and Southeast Asian Studies (BA)
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This dissertation focuses on how the socio-political fabric of Vārāṇasī has changed through time, space, and memory according to Kāshīnāth Singh´s 2004 book “Kāshī kā Assī”.
This Bachelor Thesis explores the Chinese strategy "Peaceful Rise" under the Chinese President Xi Jinping as perceived and expressed by the German chancellor Angela Merkel in her speeches from 2014...Show moreThis Bachelor Thesis explores the Chinese strategy "Peaceful Rise" under the Chinese President Xi Jinping as perceived and expressed by the German chancellor Angela Merkel in her speeches from 2014 until April 2019. The study was conducted through a frame analysis in the context of the Shannon and Weaver communication model. The speeches were chosen according to the occurence of the keyword "China" (mentioned at least four times). The four frames identified in the official political speeches are (1) China as an opportunity, (2) China as a global power, (3) China as a role model, and (4) China as a threat. In the context of previous research, economic cooperation remained the main factor in advancing diplomatic relations between Germany and China. Chinese competition in regards to financial institutions (AIIB) and the Emission Trading System (ETS) were presented under the "China as a threat" frame by Angela Merkel. A possible explanation is the shortfall or missing initiatives in those aspects by the European and/or German institutions. More so, this research suggests to expand the term smart power by the elements of normative power in the context of the Chinese development. To expand on this thesis, further research is recommended in regards to the Chinese culture as perceived abroad. Furthermore, a media perspective could give insights about the question, whether political and media publications differ in their perception on the Chinese "Peaceful Rise" and analyze which medium is more effective in addressing the audience.Show less
