This thesis discusses the topic of the competitive Korean education system visualised in K-dramas that deal with the societal pressures on Korean youth and their parents regarding educational...Show moreThis thesis discusses the topic of the competitive Korean education system visualised in K-dramas that deal with the societal pressures on Korean youth and their parents regarding educational background. To do so, it offers an elaborate analysis of the K-drama SKY Castle (2018) embedded in a theoretical framework of identity building and the field of cultural production while using 'classical' Bordwellian film analysis. By using concepts from fields such as Media-Studies, Area-Studies, Identity/Gender studies and Sociology, this research offers a multi-disciplinary approach to explore questions regarding studies on Korean identity, Korean popular culture and the relation between the two. In this respect, it illustrates how one can understand Korean popular cultural products as emerging spaces of Korean identity construction.Show less
A textual analysis of three case studies taken from twenty-first century rock and metal music in order to analyse the use of rhetorical appeals in lyrics and video. The analysis is aimed at...Show moreA textual analysis of three case studies taken from twenty-first century rock and metal music in order to analyse the use of rhetorical appeals in lyrics and video. The analysis is aimed at exploring the combined use of different rhetorical appeals in the two media forms, in order to investigate the hybrid appeals that results from this combined rhetorical effort.Show less
This thesis researches the representation of East Asian characters and culture in two popular American movie productions that are based on novels; Memoirs of a Geisha (2005) and Crazy Rich Asians ...Show moreThis thesis researches the representation of East Asian characters and culture in two popular American movie productions that are based on novels; Memoirs of a Geisha (2005) and Crazy Rich Asians (2018). To do so, it will examine the use of Asian stereotypes and gender stereotypes in these movies, and will investigate whether the East Asian characters in the productions are three-dimensional. In the end, this thesis will argue that while in Memoirs of a Geisha, East Asian characters are generally portrayed in a stereotypical manner and women are sexualized, Crazy Rich Asians exposes and combats existing stereotypes through exaggeration and clashes between various ethnic Chinese characters, and offers three-dimensional East Asian characters. .Show less
This paper looks at the representation of the comfort women dispute between South Korea and Japan in popular culture. Through the lens of popular culture, the representation of the dispute is...Show moreThis paper looks at the representation of the comfort women dispute between South Korea and Japan in popular culture. Through the lens of popular culture, the representation of the dispute is analysed and it is discussed how this influences the bilateral relationship between South Korea and Japan.Show less
The present thesis looks through popular women’s magazines published during the period of the Greek Junta (1967-1974) in order to answer the following question: "To what extent did popular women's...Show moreThe present thesis looks through popular women’s magazines published during the period of the Greek Junta (1967-1974) in order to answer the following question: "To what extent did popular women's magazines during the Greek Junta reflect the regime's ideology on gender roles?". The analysis is divided into three chapters regarding representations of the female body and sexuality, work and marriage, and politics respectively. The thesis also highlights the underlying tension between modernity and tradition in far-right ideologies and the way it is mirrored through women's representations in the magazines.Through the analysis, the thesis concludes that these magazines promoted a considerably more liberal view of womanhood than that expected and desired by the Junta for Greek women. It also points out that this liberal image of women was not necessarily opposed by the regime since it too promoted itself as liberal. Finally, the thesis demonstrates that this particular inconsistency between presentation and expectation reveals a gendered facet of the tension between traditionalism and modernization documented in the magazine pages of the Greek Junta.Show less
This thesis examines traditional Korean elements and their use in the growing trend of K-pop. While the genre has grown into a worldwide phenomenon partly because of its easily identifiable musical...Show moreThis thesis examines traditional Korean elements and their use in the growing trend of K-pop. While the genre has grown into a worldwide phenomenon partly because of its easily identifiable musical elements, fashion and English lyrics, some K-pop artists have recently chosen to incorporate elements that do not fit the so-called "K-pop formula". By looking at two case studies that have strayed from the proven formula, this thesis aims to answer the question of what the purpose is in the use of traditional elements such as specific clothing and Folk music.Show less
This thesis conveys an interpretation of the feminist timeline from the times of He Zhen and her Anarcho-feminist contemporaries in China, to Mao’s time, in which female Red Guards were second...Show moreThis thesis conveys an interpretation of the feminist timeline from the times of He Zhen and her Anarcho-feminist contemporaries in China, to Mao’s time, in which female Red Guards were second-class men, to recent times, in which feminist NGO’s are trying to obtain equal rights regarding gender equality. This thesis discusses the concept of agency as a praxis regarding the actions and speech of the main character of the popular Chinese TV Drama: The Story of Yanxi Palace. Agency as a praxis is the most fitting definition to use in the analysis of the portrayal of Wei Yingluo in The Story of Yanxi Palace. As a praxis, feminism is more practical and shows how a simple action could be called feminist, such as the speaking of Wei Yingluo and small actions individually. Post-Structuralist Deconstruction and Discourse Analysis have proven to be useful tools in analyzing the binaries present. Wei Yingluo stands up against a man of higher status. I argue that Wei Yingluo demonstrates agency in the scenes I discuss. In spite of the rules she walks her own path and finds a way out while both surviving and following her own set of morals. In this setting of Qing Imperial China, the rules and the balance of status were quite clear, yet speaking up was not easy. This thesis uses Post-Structuralist methods to deconstruct popular culture, in this case The Story of Yanxi Palace and argues that, using feminism as a praxis, Wei Yingluo shows agency in (almost) all of her actions and speech.Show less
This is a thesis that analyses several Dr Who serials in relation to concepts such as Colonialism, Empire, Fascism, and Humanist values. As such it treats its popular-culture subject seriously and...Show moreThis is a thesis that analyses several Dr Who serials in relation to concepts such as Colonialism, Empire, Fascism, and Humanist values. As such it treats its popular-culture subject seriously and shows how such long-running TV serials are much more than just commercial entertainment.Show less
This thesis, submitted as a graduation thesis for the BA International Studies at Leiden University, discusses how contemporary manga can serve as a medium for political messages and ideas. Due to...Show moreThis thesis, submitted as a graduation thesis for the BA International Studies at Leiden University, discusses how contemporary manga can serve as a medium for political messages and ideas. Due to its unique features vis-à-vis other forms of comics, manga has been a powerful tool for the production and consumption of cultural meaning by both its author and audience. Indeed, manga artists, such as Shigeru Mizuki and Osamu Tezuka, have actively used their works to convey various political messages and ideas, thereby forming public opinion on certain matters. However, scholar Hiroki Azuma claims that contemporary manga lack such capabilities, stating that they merely provide fan-service to consumers. Since no other author challenges Azuma’s claim, this thesis performs qualitative analyses on contemporary manga about the Japanese constitution and constitutional revision, in order to disprove Azuma’s claim, and to prove that contemporary manga, too, can have a political narrative. Analysing one government manga (Honobono Ikka no Kenpo Kaisei tte Nani?), two instructional manga (Ishinomori Shotaro no Manga Nipponkoku Kenpou and Manga de Wakaru Nipponkoku Kenpou), and one story manga series (Time Slip), this thesis reveals the various messages on constitutional change these contemporary manga seek to convey. Ultimately, this thesis disproves Azuma’s claim, showing that contemporary manga, too, can act as carriers of political meaning, and that they can either challenge or assert a certain hegemonic discourse.Show less
This thesis looks at the influence of the public personas of King and Kubrick on the novel and the film adaptation, respectively. It outlines the precise persona of each artist, details why certain...Show moreThis thesis looks at the influence of the public personas of King and Kubrick on the novel and the film adaptation, respectively. It outlines the precise persona of each artist, details why certain changes have been in terms of plot, and describes the alterations made in the main protagonist of each work, in order to distinguish Kubrick's postmodern take on the horror genre with King's popular fiction take.Show less
Een kijk naar hoe door verscheidene mediavormen de Strijdende Staten periode van tegenwoordig nog steeds leeft door de representatie van de personages uit die periode in populaire media, alsmede...Show moreEen kijk naar hoe door verscheidene mediavormen de Strijdende Staten periode van tegenwoordig nog steeds leeft door de representatie van de personages uit die periode in populaire media, alsmede hoe de fans van deze media met deze geschiedenis omgaan.Show less
The thesis examines the relationship between cultural performance and society in the context of breakdance in Uganda. It reflects on the particular appeal of breakdance as a tool for social change...Show moreThe thesis examines the relationship between cultural performance and society in the context of breakdance in Uganda. It reflects on the particular appeal of breakdance as a tool for social change and analyses the challenging agendas that shape and influence the country’s breakdance communities. The central research question is: does breakdance succeed to facilitate individual and social transformation? And if yes, how is this change experienced by the youth in Uganda, and which consequences do these actions have for the social fabric of the country? This actor-centred approach, on the one hand, requires a comprehension of the meaning and nature of social change as understood and experienced by various performers; and on the other hand calls for a contextualisation of its socio-cultural environment and interacting agendas. It thereby offers a detailed description of the self-organising practises and social experiences of youth in Uganda – as well as the structures they are set in.Show less
This thesis illuminates the idea of a cross-cultural genre comparison within the field of Literary Studies. Commonly, this means focussing on a certain genre and its characteristics within the...Show moreThis thesis illuminates the idea of a cross-cultural genre comparison within the field of Literary Studies. Commonly, this means focussing on a certain genre and its characteristics within the literatures of two or more different cultural contexts. However, as an experiment, this thesis assumes the narrative status of literature and contemporary popular culture to be similar. This would mean that it is possible to compare genres cross-culturally within literature and within other types of media. After discussing the field of World Literature and the existence of transcultural narratives, the thesis will move on to a case study between American and Japanese authors. To clarify the potential and usefulness of cross-cultural genre comparisons, three genres will be looked at: gothic, mystery/detective and Lovecraftian weird tale literature. The first two will be explored in short stories by American author Edgar Allan Poe (1809-1849) and those by three Japanese writers, namely Tanizaki Junichirō 谷崎潤一郎 (1886-1965), Akutagawa Ryūnosuke 芥川龍之介 (1892-1927) and Edogawa Rampo 江戸川乱歩 (1894-1965). The third genre will be used to see how the literary characteristics of weird tales by American author H.P. Lovecraft (1890-1937) have been used, not only in Japanese literature, but also in Japanese popular culture, like manga and anime. As such, it will eventually show how key conventions within the genres of gothic, mystery/detective and Lovecraftian weird tale literature cannot be explained from within one national or cultural context alone and how cross-cultural and cross-media studies add to the international potential of Literary Studies.Show less
