This thesis is in accordance with the requirements for the completion of the International Relations Master Program. First, the aim of this thesis was to test the existing theory that a failed or...Show moreThis thesis is in accordance with the requirements for the completion of the International Relations Master Program. First, the aim of this thesis was to test the existing theory that a failed or collapsed regime is a necessary component for the presence of a change in witchcraft victimology from elderly women to urban children. This was done by analyzing the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Central African Republic, Angola, and Ghana. The second chapter illustrates the state of the art of literature regarding the theories underlying this research, alternative explanations for a shift in victimology, and type of regimes present in African states. The third chapter explains the between-case multi-criterial analysis conducted to ascertain each case’s regime type and the presence (or lack thereof) of a shift in witchcraft victimology. The fourth chapter relays the results of the analysis where it was determined that out of the four cases, two were in accordance with the existing theory, and two refuted it. The fifth and final chapter concludes this thesis by critically examining the results and methodology and a conclusory statement claiming that a collapsed and failed regime is neither a necessary nor sufficient condition for the shift in victimology of witchcraft accusations from elderly women to urban children.Show less
This thesis utilizes a comparative perspective in analyzing the perceived differences between how people with albinism (PWA) are treated in Benin, Cameroon, The Democratic Republic of the Congo ...Show moreThis thesis utilizes a comparative perspective in analyzing the perceived differences between how people with albinism (PWA) are treated in Benin, Cameroon, The Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), Nigeria, South Africa, Tanzania, and Zimbabwe, by examining the variables of ethno-religious composition and socio-economic conditions in the countries. This research has shown that although the differences might be small, they are of crucial importance in how a PWA is perceived in these countries and how these notions have changed over time; from PWA being revered in pre-colonial Yorubaland and the old Kongo Kingdom, to today’s experiences of stigma and discrimination in name-calling, mutilations, and killings. Similarly, a stark contrast also exists amongst some of the countries – from PWA in Benin being revered, to PWA fearing for their lives in Tanzania due to a higher demand for PWA body parts to be used in witchcraft. Tanzania is also the African country that has garnered the most international attention for its treatment of PWA, and although the government and the state attempt to limit the extreme discrimination, it continues to persist. Nevertheless, it is important to keep in mind that the problems of stigma and discrimination as experienced by PWA are not limited to Tanzania, but exist all over the African continent.Show less
This bachelor thesis seeks to identify the relevant actors in the medical and muti markets for organs in South Africa. Firstly a theoretical background is presented, in order to identify the...Show moreThis bachelor thesis seeks to identify the relevant actors in the medical and muti markets for organs in South Africa. Firstly a theoretical background is presented, in order to identify the relevant theories and concepts needed to understand organ markets. A brief overview of the two markets to be compared is also given. This background serves to support the central research question: Who are the relevant actors in the medical and muti markets for organs in South Africa and how do the respective actors interact and how do these interactions flow? A methodology for answering the above question is also presented. The method used in this bachelor thesis consisted of a review of the relevant literature and media sources in order to build an overview of actors in each market. These overviews are then used to construct actor network diagrams for each of the markets. The overviews and diagrams are then discussed. The study has shown that the markets are indeed comparable, and that they share a similar flow of organs. However, the muti market is a decentralized one with a strong linear flow from the source person to the recipient. The medical market on the other hand was found to be a distributed network, with organs and interactions flowing between and through a number of actors rather than from one side to another.Show less
The political, social and ecclesiastical anxiety and fragility of colonial New England was manipulated by two opposing groups‒the Radicals and the Conservatives‒both of whom helped cause, and...Show moreThe political, social and ecclesiastical anxiety and fragility of colonial New England was manipulated by two opposing groups‒the Radicals and the Conservatives‒both of whom helped cause, and exploited, the 1692 witchcraft crisis in Salem, Massachusetts. I identify the “Radicals” as a group of mostly young, female and poor individuals both instigating and reveling in the breakdown of an oppressive community. They were experimenting with a world turned upside-down, a grand social experiment both echoing and inverting the Puritan experiment Salem was built upon. The very society that oppressed them, Puritan New England, had set a precedent for dissent and the formation of a new, radical, society. I will argue the opposing group, the “Conservatives,” consisted of older, mostly male figures trying desperately to maintain the establishment. I will argue that their interpretation of the actions of the possessed was proposed with specific intent and was formative in the continuation of the crisis. The crisis was, therefore, not an inadvertent consequence of their fractured society, but a fulfilment of the desires of each group.Show less
Bachelor thesis | Afrikaanse talen en culturen (BA)
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Analysis of witchcraft as literary motif in the novels: Ceux qui sortent dans la nuit by the Cameroonian writer Mutt-Lon and Elonga by the Gabonese writer Angèle Rawiri. Focussing on how witchcraft...Show moreAnalysis of witchcraft as literary motif in the novels: Ceux qui sortent dans la nuit by the Cameroonian writer Mutt-Lon and Elonga by the Gabonese writer Angèle Rawiri. Focussing on how witchcraft is described in the novels and to what extent this image is determined by the author's own interpretation of and view on witchcraft or by research.Show less
