This thesis uses a comparative analysis to determine whether the underlying strategies that China employs in their propaganda efforts in regards to Taiwan during the modern age of social media and...Show moreThis thesis uses a comparative analysis to determine whether the underlying strategies that China employs in their propaganda efforts in regards to Taiwan during the modern age of social media and the internet are the same as the strategies that were employed in this field in the era between the defeat of the KMT in China and the invention of social media.Show less
Gedurende het interbellum werden veel journalisten uitgenodigd om de Italiaanse dictator Benito Mussolini te interviewen. Onder hen waren ook enkele vrouwen. Deze scriptie onderzoekt de invloed van...Show moreGedurende het interbellum werden veel journalisten uitgenodigd om de Italiaanse dictator Benito Mussolini te interviewen. Onder hen waren ook enkele vrouwen. Deze scriptie onderzoekt de invloed van het charisma van Mussolini op de verslagen van Mary Pos en Ida Tarbell. Hiermee verbindt het de seksuele reputatie van Mussolini met de rol van vrouwelijke journalisten in Italiaanse fascistische propaganda.Show less
This thesis seeks to address the academic debate surrounding the intervention of state actors in foreign information spaces, as this discourse lacks a coherent framework, allowing researchers to...Show moreThis thesis seeks to address the academic debate surrounding the intervention of state actors in foreign information spaces, as this discourse lacks a coherent framework, allowing researchers to identify, compare, categorize and hence explain acts of Information Intervention (II). To initiate a solution for this problem, this thesis aimed to create a typology of common contemporary types of covert and semi-covert state IIs beyond the means subsumed by the soft power and public diplomacy concepts. This process was facilitated by Kluge’s (2000) framework for the empirically grounded construction of types and an empirical research process, which was based on the identification of sources by employing keyword configurations and the search engines Google/Google Scholar. Given the scope of this project and the public unavailability of certain II practices, it was not possible to cover all acts of II for the given typology. Rather, the goal of this thesis was to guide future research in the field of Information Interventions, by providing a notion of the dynamics in the given field, on which future research can be built on. Therefore, while the typology presented in this thesis cannot be determined as universal, it made the first step towards the establishment of such framework, allowing researchers to systematically analyze IIs.Show less
Based on the Alt-Right Movement in the United States, Study Association Erkenbrand was established in the Netherlands in 2016. Their ideology is based on the notion of White supremacy and therefore...Show moreBased on the Alt-Right Movement in the United States, Study Association Erkenbrand was established in the Netherlands in 2016. Their ideology is based on the notion of White supremacy and therefore they are against ethnic and racial blending. Ultimately, Erkenbrand wants to create a White ethnostate free from (minority) groups, such as migrants, Jews and Muslims. Therefore, Erkenbrand has their own website where they post propaganda articles about current social developments, events and other topics related to their different values within their ideology. This study aims to explore the themes within Erkenbrand’s propaganda articles in 2021 to analyze the nature of their content and which themes occur most often. Combining grounded theory with framing theory, 92 propaganda articles were analyzed to also investigate how Erkenbrand frames those key themes within their ideology to its followers as this could possibly radicalize them and/or stimulate them to use violence. Findings showed that key themes within Erkenbrand’s propaganda are nationalism, White supremacy, degradation of culture, anti-migration, and anti-left/liberal and anti-government sentiments. Furthermore, Erkenbrand argues that the White race is declining and being replaced by other ethnic groups due to mass immigration. According to Erkenbrand, the (leftist and/or liberal) government is to blame for not protecting the Western culture, tradition and White race by making secret agreements and conspiring against the ‘real’ Dutch citizens.Show less
This thesis analyses how the French government and American diplomats utilised and subsequently shaped the French-language press due to their influence and propaganda efforts during the American...Show moreThis thesis analyses how the French government and American diplomats utilised and subsequently shaped the French-language press due to their influence and propaganda efforts during the American Revolutionary War. The role of the press in the Ancien Régime can reveal developing political, social, and diplomatic cultures. The rigid censorship policy of the French monarchy places the newspapers in a middle ground between the government and the literate portion of the population. There were competing notions amongst the most popular European publications as to what constituted news and how it should be communicated, thus the coverage of the American Revolutionary War varied across geographical and temporal boundaries. This thesis seeks to assess the social and political upheaval that was the American Revolution in 1775, and its impact on France, through the lens of governmental control of newspapers. France’s role in the American Revolution has been well documented, as the monarchy utilised this opportunity to gain prestige and damage Britain’s standing as a global power. France officially sent military and financial aid to the rebels from 1778, and many French soldiers such as the Marquis de Lafayette became heroes who fought alongside their American counterparts to overthrow the control of King George III in the colonies. However, getting France to agree to this was difficult. It was therefore necessary for the Americans to send diplomats to Versailles to vouch for their cause and elicit support. Thus ensued a major propaganda campaign which would entangle both state and non-state actors, and would have significant implications for the development of press culture in France. France heavily censored newspapers and imposed strict regulations on the influx of foreign information from countries with a freer press environment, such as the Netherlands. In Britain, the licensing act lapsed in 1695, and provincial and national newspapers consequently multiplied in number and prospered. After the British government allowed the publication of parliamentary reports in 1772, French-language newspapers were able to reprint them, leading to increased scrutiny on their response to events in the colonies. This meant that readers of foreign French-language newspapers illegally circulating in France at the time were being exposed to alternative sources of news. The national newspapers largely reflected and upheld elite values that were ingrained into French society at the time, and left little room for debate or opposition. However, this was radically altered by the presence of the American diplomats in Paris. Leading figures, such as Benjamin Franklin and Thomas Jefferson, were greatly admired by the French public, and they utilised this wave of popularity to bolster their political agenda. This agenda had undoubtedly been influenced by French Enlightenment thought - particularly regarding the individual rights of man, political representation, and freedom of speech and the press. This thesis explores how this philosophical and political transfer influenced the French government’s approach to the medium of the press. It identifies four main newspapers as indicators of how the war was impacting the way in which the government wanted to portray itself on the diplomatic stage. The American Revolution showed the world how it was possible to uproot a system of political injustice and to justify it using fundamental ideas of democracy. The use of the French-language press by the Americans and the French government to further their interests, therefore, exposed a reading audience to political ideas that might have otherwise been suppressed. It is in this context that the newspapers take on significance. The attempted control of the content of these papers through the manipulation of texts, propaganda and the production of war narrative that favoured French and American interests shaped how French readers came to view the conduct of their government in a way not previously seen. Furthermore, the personal relationships formed between government figures, American political leaders and philosophers, and the editors of highly influential and widely-read papers sheds light on the deep entanglement of the press with politics. While the limitations of readership in Ancien Régime France are taken into account, this thesis argues that the French involvement in the American Revolutionary War shaped French government relations with the press, and contributed to a shaping of its diplomatic engagements with America both during and after the war.Show less
There is currently a gap in knowledge concerning how authoritarian regimes communicate with the public during crises and how they seek to make-meaning of crises. A key characteristic of...Show moreThere is currently a gap in knowledge concerning how authoritarian regimes communicate with the public during crises and how they seek to make-meaning of crises. A key characteristic of authoritarian regimes is that they seek to manage the flow of information and fill the mass media with pro-regime narratives, of which propaganda is a key communication tool. Propaganda as a means of communication aimed at influencing a target audience to advance a political agenda. This paper analyses the Maduro regime’s use of propaganda during the Covid-19 pandemic in Venezuela, focusing on identifying the communication techniques and narratives employed by the regime in it’s response to the crisis. A content analysis is employed to analyse regime-backed media during the period of the pandemic. This study bears significance for furthering an understanding of how autocratic political actors respond during crises and frame security where state-capacity is weak. It concludes that the Maduro regime employs propaganda to shift blame for the crisis while espousing an image of the strength and resilience of the regime, it’s system and instruments of social control. This parallels with reports of similar initiatives to control and manipulate information in other undemocratic states during the pandemic.Show less
In deze scriptie is gepoogd de publieke rol die Mans Spoor-Dijkema vervulde te analyseren en af te zetten tegen de krantenartikelen die Nederlandse journalisten over haar publiceerden. De...Show moreIn deze scriptie is gepoogd de publieke rol die Mans Spoor-Dijkema vervulde te analyseren en af te zetten tegen de krantenartikelen die Nederlandse journalisten over haar publiceerden. De Nederlandse pers gebruikte grofweg drie termen om haar te beschrijven: als echtgenote van generaal Spoor, als legervrouw en tenslotte als soldatenmoeder. Deze termen zijn de basis geworden voor de drie hoofdstukken in dit onderzoek. In hoeverre waren deze publieke rollen waarin de media haar beschreef waarheidsgetrouw of, integendeel, een resultaat van goedlopende propaganda? Deze scriptie onderzocht dan ook de volgende hoofdvraag: hoe oordeelden de Nederlandse krantenmedia over de werkzaamheden van Mans Spoor-Dijkema?Show less
This thesis focuses on the role of the Indonesian propagandist Sutomo (or Bung Tomo) during the Indonesian revolution in Surabaya, 1945, questioning the Dutch and Indonesian different perspectives...Show moreThis thesis focuses on the role of the Indonesian propagandist Sutomo (or Bung Tomo) during the Indonesian revolution in Surabaya, 1945, questioning the Dutch and Indonesian different perspectives and memory. Nowadays in Indonesia Sutomo is remembered as a hero, yet in the Dutch historiography he is often portrayed as a war criminal, responsible for inciting the masses to kill Dutch, Eurasians and other minorities. One Dutch testimony in particular holds him accountable for the brutal massacre in the Simpang Club. This case-study analyses the different views on Indonesian anti-colonial violence during the so-called "Bersiap-period" and how Bung Tomo became the personification of these brutalities for the Dutch memory in particular. How does the latter relate to the Indonesian positive memory of him? As such, the topic of this thesis also relates to the growing academic attention to the Bersiap, in which terminology (should we call it a genocide) and the possible trigger (why did it happen) are the main topics of discussion. The first section provides a brief historical outline from the pre-war colonial situation to the Japanese occupation and finally the capitulation on August 15th, 1945. To give a clear understanding of the variety of social and political factors that led to the violent outburst of the Bersiap. The second section traces the basic history of Sutomo and his place in Surabaya and the first two months of the revolution in September and October 1945. This includes an analysis of the horrible events inside the Simpang Club. The third section pays attention to the period after he established his organization BPRI, when he became internationally known as radio-maker, actively countering Dutch propaganda. This section aims to explore the possibility of a Dutch slander campaign against him and the subsequent impact of that on the later historiography and memory. The conclusion returns to the main question on how to make sense of the conflicting memories of Bung Tomo. The conclusion also touches upon the larger question regarding the responsibility for the Bersiap and whether the term genocide is appropriate in this case.Show less
Een onderzoek naar het beeld dat spotprenten in het satirische Sovjet-tijdschrift Krokodil geven van racisme en discriminatie in de Verenigde Staten van 1954 tot 1965.
There is an academic debate in scholarship on the question of how religion and nationalism relate to each other. This essay approaches the debate from a different angle by asking how the two...Show moreThere is an academic debate in scholarship on the question of how religion and nationalism relate to each other. This essay approaches the debate from a different angle by asking how the two notions relate to each other in propaganda posters centering around Khomeini and Atatürk. In combining propaganda analysis with semiotics and iconography, the essay finds a new approach to extract symbols of nationalism and religion that facilitates the comparison between the two different posters. From this analysis, it becomes clear that the relationship between nationalism and religion is more complex than the debate suggests.Show less
Bachelor thesis | Oude culturen van de mediterrane wereld (Bachelor)
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Door middel van Titus Flavius Josephus, de gebouwen in Rome en numismatiek wordt onderzocht op welke manier de Flavische dynastie propaganda heeft gemaakt voor de Joodse opstand van 66 - 70 n.Chr....Show moreDoor middel van Titus Flavius Josephus, de gebouwen in Rome en numismatiek wordt onderzocht op welke manier de Flavische dynastie propaganda heeft gemaakt voor de Joodse opstand van 66 - 70 n.Chr. om hun nieuw gevonden macht te legitimeren na het Vierkeizerjaar.Show less
There exists a genre of propaganda posters produced by Britian, Germany and Russia during the Second World War that all make use of historical imagery. This thesis discusses and analyses the use of...Show moreThere exists a genre of propaganda posters produced by Britian, Germany and Russia during the Second World War that all make use of historical imagery. This thesis discusses and analyses the use of history in propaganda posters, comparing how these very different countries produced strikingly similar political art.Show less
