This thesis focuses on the Ainu, the indigenous people of Hokkaido Japan, and how they were represented in visual sources from the early modern period. The analysis features twelve prints and...Show moreThis thesis focuses on the Ainu, the indigenous people of Hokkaido Japan, and how they were represented in visual sources from the early modern period. The analysis features twelve prints and scrolls that show the Ainu as inferior or 'other' to their Japanese neighbors. Furthermore, the sources involve the concepts of racial stereotyping and power conflicts.Show less
Research master thesis | Classics and Ancient Civilizations (research) (MA)
open access
When the god Dionysus arrives in Thebes with a band of Asian worshippers, he throws the city into complete disorder. By expelling all female citizens of Thebes to Mount Cithaeron, he puts in motion...Show moreWhen the god Dionysus arrives in Thebes with a band of Asian worshippers, he throws the city into complete disorder. By expelling all female citizens of Thebes to Mount Cithaeron, he puts in motion several developments that this thesis examines from the perspective of group dynamics. What happens when a new group arrives somewhere and attracts other members? What are the mechanisms at work in and dangers arising from certain groups? And what happens to the behaviour of people who are emphatically not part of the group? This thesis centres around these questions. By looking at different aspects related to the group of Theban women, who go through a radical transformation after Dionysus’ arrival, and by applying insights from modern social psychological theory, I argue that Euripides has intended to convey more universal truths about the workings of social groups and to invite the spectator to reflect on certain mechanisms in his own reality.Show less
This thesis is about the social recovery of Japanese elderly after disasters, more specifically after the 3.11 disaster. The theory of Pierre Bourdieu was used to analyze the difficulty of elderly...Show moreThis thesis is about the social recovery of Japanese elderly after disasters, more specifically after the 3.11 disaster. The theory of Pierre Bourdieu was used to analyze the difficulty of elderly to recover on a social level from disasters by looking at the amount of social capital that elderly might have before the disaster and what social capital they could lose as a result of that. It appears that the elderly do not necessarily have more difficulty to recover socially from a disaster because of the amount of social capital they generally possess. This forms a contrast with the general stereotypes of the elderly.Show less
In the following chapters, I shall compose a theoretical framework of both children’s literature and female gender studies and use this for an analysis of the presentation of female gender in Roald...Show moreIn the following chapters, I shall compose a theoretical framework of both children’s literature and female gender studies and use this for an analysis of the presentation of female gender in Roald Dahl’s Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (chapter 2), The Witches (chapter 3) and Matilda (chapter 4). Following Culley’s analysis, Dahl’s at times grotesque and even sadistic narratives appear to uncover ideological hypocrisies like sexism or stereotyped gender roles, hereby drawing attention towards gender issues. However, the satirical presentation of these ideological stereotypes may present Dahl’s work as mainly humorous or entertaining, in this way overshadowing the actuality of repressing gender stereotyping as projected in the text.Show less
In the public debate about race inequality, the notion of color-blindness is nowadays often discussed. In today’s society, many people like to believe racial prejudice does not play a role anymore,...Show moreIn the public debate about race inequality, the notion of color-blindness is nowadays often discussed. In today’s society, many people like to believe racial prejudice does not play a role anymore, but a growing group of people now states this wish for a color-blind society could be dangerous. This debate raises the question how children should be educated about racial differences and the struggle for equality. Because many people in the United States are brought up watching Disney films, the question exists how significant the impact of the representations of race in these films is on children. In order to answer a question like that, it is necessary to look at what these race representations actually are and if a trend could be spotted in these representations.Show less
I outlined two varieties of Italian-American Englishes used in the eastern part of the US. One is the Super Mario English, which belongs to speakers who have just arrived in the US. The second one...Show moreI outlined two varieties of Italian-American Englishes used in the eastern part of the US. One is the Super Mario English, which belongs to speakers who have just arrived in the US. The second one is the Wiseguy English, which belongs to speakers who have lived in the US for a longer period of time and belong to the Italian-American culture. Three films were selected from a plethora of other films concerning the Italian-American culture. The purpose of this study was to determine whether these varieties of English exists from a linguistically stereotypical basis or whether these varieties are true-to-life representations of the features of the Italian-American English speaking culture. One monologue of every main character in the 3 films has been phonetically analysed. The phonetic analyses were then compared to the theoretical framework analysis of the aforementioned varieties of Italian-American Englishes. The hypothesis is that these three films perpetuate linguistic features in Italian-American Englishes that border among the stereotypical imagery of the Italian-American culture. The results outline the most salient features of Italian-American linguistic stereotypes.Show less
