Textile had a major ceremonial role in the Inca empire, and is therefore often researched in Andean archaeology. However, the focus is often on either the production process of the cloth, or on the...Show moreTextile had a major ceremonial role in the Inca empire, and is therefore often researched in Andean archaeology. However, the focus is often on either the production process of the cloth, or on the symbolic value. These approaches are rarely combined. This research focusses on the clothing of five Inca Capacocha mummies: The three individuals from mount Llullaillaco, the young boy from mount El Plomo, and the female adolescent from mount Ampato. The connection between the technology and the meaning of the woven garments is investigated through literature analysis. Technology and style meet in the structure of the textile, as the design is embedded in and part of the woven fabric itself, and the completeness of the structure can be considered a stylistic feature. The two aspects also meet in what the designs depict. These are abstract patterns that represent symmetry, repetitions, contrasts and inversions, all concepts that are found back in Inca socio-political systems, ideology, and the actual structure of woven cloth. Finally, technology meets symbology in the artisans, the people who infuse the raw material with meaning through the process of production. Their social identity and their investment of labour and time gives the textile its value and prestigious status. Treating textile as the unity that it is, brings us one step closer to understanding the people involved in the production and consumption of these goods. When approached holistically, textile holds the potential to inform us on culturally specific ideas, preferences, and values within a society, through the messages that it carries within both its structure and symbols.Show less
An explorative thesis that seeks to understand the extent to which foreign investment leads to economic development in Kenya. Using the Dutch floricultural sector present in Kenya as a case study,...Show moreAn explorative thesis that seeks to understand the extent to which foreign investment leads to economic development in Kenya. Using the Dutch floricultural sector present in Kenya as a case study, its effects on the Kenyan economy in terms of employment, wages, technology transfer and tax revenues are analyzed. While the sector contributes significantly in terms of employment and would arguably not exist without foreign investment, it has thus far failed to significantly improve the lives of its' employees, lead to technology transfers or raise additional tax revenues.Show less
Bachelor thesis | South and Southeast Asian Studies (BA)
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"Indonesia is one of the countries with the highest number of social media users. However, social media is mainly used in Indonesia (even by politicians) to spread defamation, rumors, and gossip....Show more"Indonesia is one of the countries with the highest number of social media users. However, social media is mainly used in Indonesia (even by politicians) to spread defamation, rumors, and gossip. This is inter alia confirmed by the many anonymous social media accounts only spreading defamation. Rumors and gossip, as well as technology such as mobile phones with cameras and social media, can be seen as means to bridge the gulf between the private practice and the public discourse. With the rise of technological developments available in Indonesia - such as phones with cameras, smartphones, Web 2.0 and thus social media - there appeared an increase of cases in which Indonesian politicians are discredited with their private (sexual) behavior. In this thesis of mine, I will elaborate on this trend of discrediting politicians with sex scandals via social media in Indonesia. What does this trend tell us about Indonesian society? What does it say about democracy, law, morality and Islam in Indonesia’s society? With an eye to answering these questions, with the first being my main question, I would first like to introduce and elaborate a bit upon a few topics that I will be using in my thesis when answering my main question, such as social media. Then I will continue with a chapter in which I will introduce a few case studies of sex scandals that happened in Indonesia. The subsequent chapters will be about topics concerning aspects of the Indonesian society: one chapter about democracy, one about law, and one about morality and Islam. Lastly, I will conclude and answer the main question in the conclusion."Show less
