Master thesis | Cultural Anthropology and Development Sociology (MSc)
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The thesis focuses on the experiences of inclusion and participation of deaf and hard of hearing people in team sports, considering their own perspectives towards their reduced hearing, then...Show moreThe thesis focuses on the experiences of inclusion and participation of deaf and hard of hearing people in team sports, considering their own perspectives towards their reduced hearing, then translating this to their experiences on the sports field. Attributes that either support or obstruct inclusion are brought forward by sports policies and programs, the participants themselves, and literature research. While the research has given directly observable examples and tools of how inclusive practices in sports can be enabled, it has also shed light on indirect and structural issues that somehow impact sports experiences: general participation in the deaf or hearing world; the sense of belonging one has in each; the ability of sign language as an influencing and communicative tool; and the interaction or lack thereof with other deaf or hard of hearing people. Thus, a distinction is made between physical participation and social participation in team sports, where each pertains to a different side of what it means to achieve inclusion.Show less
In recent years, statistics play an increasing role in professional football. A controversialtopic inside the emerging field of football data science is the effect of ball possession onmatch...Show moreIn recent years, statistics play an increasing role in professional football. A controversialtopic inside the emerging field of football data science is the effect of ball possession onmatch outcomes. We contribute to this discussion by analyzing the effect of possession onmatch outcomes while controlling for match status and match-up balance. We examinethe importance of the position of possession by comparing the kernel density estimateof winning and losing teams. Based on these findings we split the football pitch intodistinct zones using Voronoi cells based on the centroids of a k-means clustering. We fit amultiple linear regression model that regresses a match’s final goal difference on possessionper match status per zone using a 5x5-fold nested cross-validation. The resulting modelsplits the football pitch into 11 zones. Our metric holds higher predictive power thanthe traditional metric. To demonstrate the potential of this work for both analysts andjournalists, we analyze a teams performance over a whole season as well as individualmatch performances using the metric.Show less
Research master thesis | African Studies (research) (MA)
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This thesis aims to explore African identity through a popular culture lens. It uses a comparative approach between Morocco and Senegal and focuses on three main components of popular culture:...Show moreThis thesis aims to explore African identity through a popular culture lens. It uses a comparative approach between Morocco and Senegal and focuses on three main components of popular culture: football, music and fashion. This research examines how the latter may or not promote a shared African identity between Morocco and Senegal. This thesis is based on an ethnographic study in Ifrane, Rabat and Essaouira in Morocco and Dakar in Senegal. It relies heavily on qualitative data resulting from seven month’s fieldwork in both countries. The research explores African identity through the stories of the people directly concerned, Africans. In the first instance, and as a way of understanding one population segment – the youth – semi-structured interviews were conducted with Moroccan students from Al Akhawayn University in Ifrane, which demonstrated the influence of some aspects of popular culture, but also of education in shaping their identities as Africans. In the same measure, interviews were also conducted with Senegalese students from University Cheikh Anta Diop in Dakar. Furthermore, this research also relies on interviews with older generations in both Morocco and Senegal, as well as participant observations by attending events related to music, fashion and football. Part of the research also relies on surveys conducted during the African Cup of Nations. This thesis showcases how popular culture promotes a shared African identity between Morocco and Senegal by, first, promoting African unity illustrated by football games, second, by promoting African history, through a music - Gnawa - that has traveled from Sub-Saharan Africa to North Africa to recall their stories, and third, by promoting African roots, highlighted by Moroccan young designers who use fashion as a tool to assert their African identity. Finally, this research aims to contribute to a larger academic debate on the separation of North Africa and Sub-Saharan Africa, by outlining popular culture as an important factor when studying and comparing the latter. Therefore, on a academic level, it aims to raise awareness with regards to paying more attention to North Africa as part of the African continent - thus part of African studies; and second, on a social level, as a way of promoting African identity and unity through the power of popular culture.Show less
This thesis aims to suggest that the Korean K-league football match-fixing scandal in 2011 occurred because of an organizational structure that normalized corrupt practices. The second aim is to...Show moreThis thesis aims to suggest that the Korean K-league football match-fixing scandal in 2011 occurred because of an organizational structure that normalized corrupt practices. The second aim is to determine if the measures taken by the Korean governing institutes to ban match-fixing have the desired effect. I will argue that match-fixing in the K-League was organized in a form in which a key player makes a corruption network with other players on behalf of a corrupt broker. Furthermore I argue that the governing institutes should be focusing on senior players when making their regulations to ban match-fixing, as they are the most prominent in this match-fixing case.Show less
