Master thesis | Cultural Anthropology and Development Sociology (MSc)
open access
Ecofeminist debate around ‘women as closer to nature’ centers the intersection between gender and climate. This assumption is put as unreliable, however ethnographic findings reveal that women of...Show moreEcofeminist debate around ‘women as closer to nature’ centers the intersection between gender and climate. This assumption is put as unreliable, however ethnographic findings reveal that women of the Greek island Corfu redefine ‘closeness to nature’ through the practice of herbalism. This study shows a nuanced depiction of the relationship between women and the natural environment, by revaluating notions of care and labor. Through ethnographic methods based on participant observation, in-depth interviews and filming, data is obtained. The data shows that the women of Corfu use herbalism as a means to be independent from their demanding role as caregivers; traditional knowledge is based on connections with past generations that refer to survival skills; herbalism teaches how mainstream society can live more sustainable. Concluding, herbalism is more than a practice. In the context of Corfu, herbalism critiques capitalist economies and creates a sustainable relationship with the natural environment. Through redefining labor and performing care as herbalist practice, lived experiences refine discussions on ‘women as closer to nature’.Show less
Master thesis | Cultural Anthropology and Development Sociology (MSc)
open access
This ethnographic research takes an in-depth look at the identities of refugees (and other border-crossers), refugee communities and politics of belonging. Through the ethnographic method of...Show moreThis ethnographic research takes an in-depth look at the identities of refugees (and other border-crossers), refugee communities and politics of belonging. Through the ethnographic method of narrative approach, it explores the perceptions of refugees on their identity, communities and work and shows how these affect and are affected by politics of belonging. Using ethnographic methods of participant observation and informal interviews in the geographic area of Athens and Piraeus, Greece, I explore contested refugee narratives about refugee identity, refugee communities and work. I use “refugee communities” and “work”, as the main lens through which to discuss what protects, supports or helps them outside and aside of the humanitarian and the asylum system. I discuss the terms of “refugee” and “refugee community”, showing the complex ways people and theory make sense of them. The main argument of my analysis is that, dealing with the so called “refugee crisis”, also means examining our perceptions on the contested narratives around refugee identities and making the choice to “stay close” to people, who already make up part of our societies.Show less
Currently, the Philippines is dealing with a climate change crisis which significantly impacts the severity and frequency of the natural disasters they encounter (Climate Change Adaptation, 2023;...Show moreCurrently, the Philippines is dealing with a climate change crisis which significantly impacts the severity and frequency of the natural disasters they encounter (Climate Change Adaptation, 2023; Mateo, 2023). With the Philippines losing significant amounts of money each year due to natural disasters, it is of even greater urgency that light is shed on the severity of the climate change crisis in the country. This research investigated the research question: ‘How do people in the Philippines experience and understand the effects of climate change?’. How do house safety, preparedness, and (local) climate change governance influence their experiences and understanding of climate change’s effects in the Philippines? Using an inductive approach and digital ethnographic methods such as online interviewing, semi-structured interviews were held via Zoom with five interlocutors of varying ages, gender, location, occupation, and income. After gathering the data from the interlocutors, it was found that the answer to the research question comprises multiple elements related to house safety, preparedness, and climate change governance. The built and material environment, economic environment, social environment, and political environment all play a significant role in the Philippine people’s understanding and personal experiences with the effects of climate change.Show less
There is increasing recognition in academia that the colonial legacy can have untold psychological consequences. Yet, the extent of these consequences and their absolute reality has not been fully...Show moreThere is increasing recognition in academia that the colonial legacy can have untold psychological consequences. Yet, the extent of these consequences and their absolute reality has not been fully explored, in the context of Saint Lucian cultural and heritage development and grassroots NGOs. Although cultural trauma theory has set out to remedy this, the full potential of cultural trauma theory has not been realised, both in critical heritage studies and in discerning heritage development in Saint Lucia. This research aims to investigate through utilising a decolonial cultural trauma lens, to determine and understand cultural and heritage development, in relation to Saint Lucians' perception and engagement of it. The research focuses on the Folk Research Centre, a Saint Lucian grassroots NGO and their heritage project of Plas Sesenne. To examine why the Folk Research Centre has not been successful in establishing valorisation and cultural consciousness, among the Saint Lucians and why Saint Lucians do not express interest in such developments. Based on the review of key literature on cultural trauma theory and grassroots NGOs in a global context, an ethnographic methodology was adopted to carry out data collection. Key methods such as immersive participant observation and conversational semi-structured interviews were utilised, as well as having a varied sample group. Detailed analysis of the qualitative data demonstrated that to best understand the research problem, is to see the key factors as part of a larger entanglement, one influencing the other. The key findings can be described as; internal, external and historical. The challenges faced by the Folk Research Centre and the apathy experienced by Saint Lucians, point to a shared experience of the postcolonial condition, shaped by the cultural trauma induced by the colonial legacy. The findings indicate how incorporating a decolonial cultural trauma theory into the postcolonial condition, would allow for better discernment of the issues that exist. In a more practical sense, this would provide insight into how the Folk Research Centre could overcome these challenges, in order to establish valorising heritage projects that resonate with the Saint Lucians on a more fundamental level.Show less
This thesis touches upon the representation of the Maori within three different museums. One in the Netherlands, one in the United Kingdom and one in New Zealand. It discusses the presentation of...Show moreThis thesis touches upon the representation of the Maori within three different museums. One in the Netherlands, one in the United Kingdom and one in New Zealand. It discusses the presentation of the Maori through objects and how this reflects how the Maori are presented by these three museums using rhetoric within their displays. In this discussion the theory of the post-museum is added. This reflects upon if the museums are forward thinking in their presentation, but also behind the scenes.Show less
This research shows how notions of insularity and the role of islands within the maritime systems of Northern Europe were thought of and consolidated during the Early Modern period. Northern Europe...Show moreThis research shows how notions of insularity and the role of islands within the maritime systems of Northern Europe were thought of and consolidated during the Early Modern period. Northern Europe experienced transitions on economic and cultural levels. The Swedish scholar and ecclesiast in exile, Olaus Magnus, brought forth a representation concerning the Northern lands encompassing tradition, politics, heritage and Scandinavian culture into his work. Firstly by his map the 'Carta Marina' published in 1539 and later on with his chronicle the 'History of the Nordic Peoples' published in 1555. By linking Olaus' representation of islands with the historiograhpical insular discourse concerning islands resembling either isolation or connectivity, the way these islands were implemented into the maritime networks of Europe shows what purpose they fulfilled as well as how this adhered to their conceptualization. Islands before thought of as isolated can be viewed as tied into European maritime systems through Olaus Magnus' map and chronicle.Show less
This thesis is a comparative study of the works of two artists from the Low Countries, Frans Balthazar Solvyns and Jan Brandes, who worked in two different cities - Calcutta and Batavia - in the...Show moreThis thesis is a comparative study of the works of two artists from the Low Countries, Frans Balthazar Solvyns and Jan Brandes, who worked in two different cities - Calcutta and Batavia - in the late 18th century. In doing so, it identifies connections between the art produced and the existing discourses of ethnography, natural science and art. The thesis uses insights from these discourses to understand knowledge production in the period and the role played by art in this process. The cultural context of this art production is also explored through an examination of publications of the Asiatic Society and the Bataviaasch Genootschap - “learned societies” that were founded in the late 18th century in the two colonial cities. Thus, the thesis attempts: a) to describe the knowledge production activities of the late-18th century in the colonies, with art as the focus and point of departure, and b) to thereby analyse and understand the period in terms of the transition from rariteitenkabinets of the post-Renaissance period to the state sponsored knowledge creation of the 19th century. In doing so, the thesis addresses the links between knowledge and power and analyses essentialism as an effect of the application of scientific thought and illustration to ethnography.Show less
This thesis argues that within the medium of photography during Protectorate Morocco, four agents of power (French protectorate policy, French social science, commercial tourism, and the...Show moreThis thesis argues that within the medium of photography during Protectorate Morocco, four agents of power (French protectorate policy, French social science, commercial tourism, and the photographer himself) are connected and collaborate in constructing and using photography for their own interests. By analysing part of the photo collection of the French photographer Jacques Belin, who worked in Morocco between 1939 and 1961, I argue in what way these four domains were of influence in the production, construction, and use of Belin’s work. I state that these four collaborated and reinforced each other and resulted in the construction of Belin’s work. At times, France’s mission civilisatrice was the bigger picture holding the whole project together; at other times the aesthetic value or ethnographic interests were more dominant than those of the colonial mission. It is thus a much-needed contextualization of an individual photographer and the specific conditions to his work, to understand the workings of power within a larger context of photography and that of twentieth-century French colonialism.Show less
