Master thesis | Cultural Anthropology and Development Sociology (MSc)
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In the past 34 years since independence, Namibia has undergone a process of reconciling the many different people within its borders due to its history of colonialism, genocide and apartheid....Show moreIn the past 34 years since independence, Namibia has undergone a process of reconciling the many different people within its borders due to its history of colonialism, genocide and apartheid. Redistributing land from white owners to previously disadvantaged groups is part of this process. This research is a case study of Krumhuk farm, a commercial farm which is no longer owned by a single family but by a non-profit Section-21 company. Through multimodal methods, I have researched the inhabitants’ sense of belonging to the land and community. As a result, I argue that taking land ownership as the benchmark for reconciliation does not suffice because (1) it remains within the colonial legacy that dictates that land can be owned and (2) it does not always address what people underlyingly long for; a place to belong. Because, as seen at Krumhuk which restructured their legal ownership, people’s sense of belonging to the community and the land can be obstructed by (a) alienation through the underlying anthroposophical philosophy, (b) a disbalance in interdependencies and (c) remaining insecurity concerning future displacement. The research’s relevance is bestowed by its outcome on these factors which can hinder reconciliation.Show less
Economic sanctions are as old as history itself. In recent times, economic sanctions are more and more used as a foreign policy tool. Recent research has shown that comprehensive, as well as...Show moreEconomic sanctions are as old as history itself. In recent times, economic sanctions are more and more used as a foreign policy tool. Recent research has shown that comprehensive, as well as targeted sanctions economic sanction have a negative effect on civil liberties. The causal mechanism between targeted sanctions and the deterioration of civil liberties is however only theorized and not empirically studied. This thesis aims at discovering this causal chain in order to provide a better understanding of how to use targeted sanctions as a foreign policy tool. To achieve this, two case studies are conducted on Sierra Leone and Rwanda. The methods used in this thesis are of a qualitative nature and are aimed at process-tracing. The data that is used comes from non-governmental organisations and other datasets. The documents are studied using in-dept document analysis. The results suggest that support exists for the last part of the causal chain. However, by because no support exists for the first part of the causal chain, it cannot be said with certainty that the evidence indeed points at the existence of the second part of the causal mechanism. However, this thesis provides a valuable stepping stone for further research on this subject.Show less
Previous research indicates that both suicidal ideation and several risk factors fluctuate substantially within hours. Factors that increase the risk of suicidal ideation in the long-term may...Show morePrevious research indicates that both suicidal ideation and several risk factors fluctuate substantially within hours. Factors that increase the risk of suicidal ideation in the long-term may differ from factors contributing to present suicidal ideation. The aim of this single-case study was to investigate real-time, concurrent associations between suicidal ideation and perceived burdensomeness, hopelessness, loneliness, optimism, social support, and stress. Data were obtained via ecological momentary assessment with four assessments per day over a 21-day period. It was hypothesised that higher scores of burdensomeness, hopelessness, loneliness, and stress, as well as lower optimism scores and the absence of social support would be associated with concurrent increases in suicidal ideation. Additionally, the role of social support as a potential moderator of the relationships between suicidal ideation and perceived burdensomeness, hopelessness, loneliness, optimism, and stress was examined. A multilevel linear mixed model analysis yielded significant associations between hopelessness, loneliness, and social support with suicidal ideation. Further, social support significantly moderated the association between suicidal ideation and hopelessness, with both being lower when the participant was in company. These results imply that repeated daily assessments of hopelessness, loneliness, and social support in individuals at suicide risk may be used as indicators of the severity of current suicidal ideation. Besides, social support may serve as a protective factor that could be integrated in suicide prevention strategies. Nonetheless, these conclusions are limited in their external validity given the case-study design. Further research replicating this study with a larger sample is needed to obtain generalisable conclusions.Show less
In this interdisciplinary thesis, I use history and anthropology to research the influence of migration history on the identity construct of Hindostani people in the Netherlands. The work is...Show moreIn this interdisciplinary thesis, I use history and anthropology to research the influence of migration history on the identity construct of Hindostani people in the Netherlands. The work is anthropological because I created data by interviewing 23 participants about their lives and experiences, and historical because I used a framework of scholars who have researched the complex fields of identity, colonialism, migration, and transnational history or have specifically researched Hindostani people and their history. Combining these datasets, I present a case study that goes in depth to find out what the influence of colonial migration is on Hindostani people in a ‘postcolonial’ society such as the Netherlands. The conclusion is a careful but meaningful one, as it offers insights into both the people I interviewed and the society in which they live. This study shows that identity is so complex and personal that migration history has divergent meaning and effect on the lives of individual Hindostanis, so that even pointers such as age and gender cannot indicate the importance of that history to a Hindostani person. The only exception to this was religion, as religious participants ascribed more meaning to their migration history. Their history played a large part in the constructing of their identity and in the raising of their children. Lastly, I argue that both interdisciplinary and microhistory, even though small-scale, are key to historical research, especially of colonial history, by creating data and writing with the people who are the embodiment of that history.Show less
De beleidscyclus is toenemend complex, zeker daar beleid vaak van belang is voor een groot speelveld aan actoren. Zo ook met het klimaatbeleid. Er wordt daarom steeds vaker gekozen voor een...Show moreDe beleidscyclus is toenemend complex, zeker daar beleid vaak van belang is voor een groot speelveld aan actoren. Zo ook met het klimaatbeleid. Er wordt daarom steeds vaker gekozen voor een bestuursvorm op basis van samenwerking, ook wel collaborative governance genoemd, waarbij overheids- en niet overheidsorganisaties samenwerken om complexe beleidsvraagstukken op te lossen. Echter is de opkomst en het gebruik van collaborative governance sneller verlopen dan het wetenschappelijke onderzoek naar deze bestuursvorm. Hierdoor is er sprake van kennistekort, onder andere over de voorwaarden voor een goed samenwerkingsproces. Daarom is dit onderzoek uitgevoerd aan de hand van een enkele casestudie om meer inzicht te verschaffen met betrekking tot welke aspecten zorgen voor een effectief samenwerkingsproces. Dit is gedaan aan de hand van de klimaattafel elektriciteit, die als één van de vijf klimaattafels verantwoordelijk is geweest voor de inhoud van het Klimaatakkoord van 2019. De onderzoeksvraag luidt dan ook: “In hoeverre heeft het samenwerkingsproces van de Klimaattafel Elektriciteit geleidt tot een effectieve samenwerking?”. Deze onderzoeksvraag is beantwoord door het contingentiemodel van collaborative governance van Ansell en Gash (2008) toe te passen op de klimaattafel elektriciteit. Aan de hand van dit model is gekeken of de vastgestelde voorwaarden en verhoudingen voor een effectieve samenwerking aanwezig waren in het samenwerkingsproces aan de klimaattafel elektriciteit, en of dit resulteerde in een effectieve samenwerking. De analyse is uitgevoerd aan de hand van een verscheidenheid aan documenten en drie semigestructureerde interviews. Uit het onderzoek is gebleken dat er bij de klimaattafel elektriciteit sprake was van een effectief en soepel samenwerkingsproces, waarbij weinig echte problemen aanwezig waren. Een mogelijke verklaring hiervoor is dat de actoren in de Nederlandse energiesector al een lange tijd samenwerken waardoor hier sprake is van meer overeenkomende belangen en een gezamenlijk einddoel. Daarom wordt aanbevolen om dit onderzoek ook toe te passen op de overige vier klimaattafels om te achterhalen of de samenwerkingsprocessen hier ook zonder problemen verliepen, of dat hier wellicht meer spanningen zoals omschreven in het theoretische model zaten. Aangezien het onderzochte samenwerkingsproces zeer soepel verliep is het lastig om een praktijkaanbeveling te formuleren. Als enkele aanbeveling wordt er echter aanbevolen om een meer concrete en duidelijke koppeling te leggen tussen de beleidsfase en uitvoeringsfase om zo het uitvoeringstempo te verhogen.Show less
The Netherlands is a country with a subtitling tradition. This tradition would suggest that Dutch viewers generally have a more positive attitude towards Dutch subtitling compared to Dutch dubbing....Show moreThe Netherlands is a country with a subtitling tradition. This tradition would suggest that Dutch viewers generally have a more positive attitude towards Dutch subtitling compared to Dutch dubbing. However, this subtitling tradition does not seem to have been established at the hand of the attitudes of Dutch viewers towards both modes, considering these attitudes have received nearly no coverage in academic work. This is problematic, since a lack of data on these attitudes makes it challenging for translators of audiovisual media to create translations that are suitable for a Dutch audience. Therefore, this thesis collected data on the attitudes of 53 Dutch participants towards Dutch subtitling and dubbing in the Netherlands through an online questionnaire. The results show that the participants prefer Dutch subtitles over Dutch dubs, but also rate the overall quality of both modes in a similar manner and even list slightly more disadvantages for Dutch subtitles than Dutch dubs. There also appears to be a consensus amongst the participants that children are the main target audience for Dutch dubs, and most participants indicated that Dutch dubs are the most suitable for children’s programs, cartoons and commercials. Furthermore, 69.8% of the participants believe that there is a negative stigma surrounding Dutch dubs and 88.7% of the participants stated that they do not desire for more audiovisual media to become available with Dutch dubs. Additionally, 49.1% of the participants indicated they do not desire for more audiovisual media to become available with Dutch subtitles either. Although 56.6% of the participants indicated they do not feel restricted by Dutch subtitles, the majority of the participants stated that they frequently disagree with the translation choices in Dutch subtitles. Finally, 66% of the participants indicated that they prefer English subtitles over Dutch subtitles. While these findings only represent the attitudes of 53 Dutch viewers, they can form a starting point for future research regarding attitudes towards both modes in the Netherlands.Show less
This thesis demonstrates that the Triple Bottom Line (3BL) analysis is not only a useful tool for assessing the state of sustainability in corporations, but also on a country level. To do so, Saudi...Show moreThis thesis demonstrates that the Triple Bottom Line (3BL) analysis is not only a useful tool for assessing the state of sustainability in corporations, but also on a country level. To do so, Saudi Arabia is employed as a case study. The three sectors of economy, environment, and society are analyzed. Results show that the 3BL analysis is valuable to achieve sustainable development for nation-states, nevertheless the assessment tool should be developed further to reach its full potential.Show less
Political corruption is a more or less universal phenomenon, but occurs much more frequently in some places than in others. This variation has been attributed to a range of factors on which...Show morePolitical corruption is a more or less universal phenomenon, but occurs much more frequently in some places than in others. This variation has been attributed to a range of factors on which countries perform either poorly or well. Yet, political corruption also occurs in countries that seem to perform well on most known indicators. As this has been an object of little scholarly attention, it remains largely unclear how we can explain the occurrence of political corruption in ‘unlikely places’; countries where such corruption is theoretically least likely to occur. This study explores the contours of an explanation by investigating a particular case in-depth: the case of Jos van Rey. The results suggest four potential explanations, that range from conceptual issues to the possibility that political corruption in unlikely places is to some extent unique, and driven by a distinct set of factors.Show less
The postmodern era may not have reached its end, yet its very characteristics invite research into a number of issues that postmodernism has so far failed to address in a satisfactory way. In the...Show moreThe postmodern era may not have reached its end, yet its very characteristics invite research into a number of issues that postmodernism has so far failed to address in a satisfactory way. In the last three decades, many have declared the death of postmodernism and demanded a theoretical system that could better represent the current sociocultural scene. In this post-postmodern fever, metamodernism offers itself as a cultural philosophy able to gather some important sociocultural and artistic tendencies of the last decades and illuminate the contingencies that shaped them by interpreting these tendencies as one single responsive wave to postmodern culture. This thesis will explore the legitimacy of the metamodern paradigm through the analysis of the tv show Maniac as the main case study.Show less
Recently both in academia and media the phenomenon of 'overtourism' has surfaced, a development where tourism negatively affects a destination. In Japan, this issue is called ‘kankou kougai’ (観光公害)...Show moreRecently both in academia and media the phenomenon of 'overtourism' has surfaced, a development where tourism negatively affects a destination. In Japan, this issue is called ‘kankou kougai’ (観光公害) or 'tourism pollution'. This thesis examines how impacts of ‘overtourism’ have developed in Japan throughout the years 2013-2018, including the role of involved actors (citizens, public and private sectors). Overtourism is predominantly a subjective concept based on perceptions of citizens, and it is thus difficult to exactly measure. Based on an event data analysis of several Japanese newspapers and case study of Nara City, the results reveal that the frequency of negative tourism impacts (economic, socio-cultural and environmental) generally increased alongside the increase in number of inbound tourists.Show less
In this thesis, the main theme is the access to ancient Greek religion, specifically the access of women. Not everybody had access to every aspect of ancient Greek religion, and this thesis...Show moreIn this thesis, the main theme is the access to ancient Greek religion, specifically the access of women. Not everybody had access to every aspect of ancient Greek religion, and this thesis attempts to fill a historiographical gap by posing the question of why access was selective by examining women in the ancient Greek society. Important themes are impurity and fertility. Access was restricted because of the supposed impurity of women, while religious spaces and rituals should remain pure.Show less
This thesis, by means of a case study shows how conflicts such as the Shida Night Market case in Taiwan show how various actors use framing to influence media and politics. This thesis has not only...Show moreThis thesis, by means of a case study shows how conflicts such as the Shida Night Market case in Taiwan show how various actors use framing to influence media and politics. This thesis has not only investigated what framing attempts were made, and how they were formulated, but also what gave certain framing attempts strong resonance while others remained weak. In the case of Taiwan this thesis shows that the definition of culture is an important aspect when gaining popular support, and culture is both defined as a remnant of Japanese colonial rule, or as Taiwan's attempts to be(come) something else than Mainland China but still have a cultural background that is Chinese. This in turn shows how Taiwanese nationalism is defined and shaped, and how it is utilized in certain situations.Show less
