This research argues the collaboration between French colonial scholars and policy-makers in the shaping and reshaping of specific notions of collective Berber identity through exploring the...Show moreThis research argues the collaboration between French colonial scholars and policy-makers in the shaping and reshaping of specific notions of collective Berber identity through exploring the theoretical incentives and practical implications of French Berber Policy in Protectorate Morocco (1912-1956). It is furthermore an effort to include and analyse recent reinterpretations from four Moroccan intellectuals (Mohamed Boudhan, Muḥamed Mūnīb, Hassan Aourid, and Maâti Monjib) who discuss this specific chapter in Moroccan history. By analysing and contextualizing their works I conclude that although these works have their academic value in contributing interesting viewpoints supported by first-hand information and academic knowledge, the accounts are often passionate and personal attacks on Moroccan nationalists and their post-colonial construction of an inaccurate historical narrative about the shaping of Berber identity and French Berber policy in support of their nation-building project. These Moroccan intellectuals are thus more intertwined with political interests than they often admit, resulting in an interesting parallel with colonial and post-colonial academic traditions in Morocco that take on the subject of Berber identity formation and are also subject to both academic and political loyalties.Show less
This thesis argues that there is a hegemonic and inflexible discourse on Tibetan identity, though there are examples of dissent. This identity discourse constructs a narrative on ‘Tibet’ which...Show moreThis thesis argues that there is a hegemonic and inflexible discourse on Tibetan identity, though there are examples of dissent. This identity discourse constructs a narrative on ‘Tibet’ which Tibetans claim. In turn, by claiming ‘Tibet’, Tibetans are claiming their own identity. ‘Tibet’ is represented by the government in exile. This constitutive relationship between ‘Tibet’ and ‘Tibetanness’ results in a narrativising of history and an Othering of Shugden practitioners and Chinese, in order to define a coherent national identity.Show less
Master thesis | Classics and Ancient Civilizations (MA)
open access
After the conquest of Egypt by the Roman Empire many political, cultural and social changes occurred. Egyptian society underwent a process of transformation that had already begun in the last few...Show moreAfter the conquest of Egypt by the Roman Empire many political, cultural and social changes occurred. Egyptian society underwent a process of transformation that had already begun in the last few centuries with the government of foreign rulers. These changes affected the identity of many individuals, both Egyptians and foreigners living in the country, and left their mark on the material culture. In this study is analysed for the first time the collection of Graeco-Roman stucco masks from the Rijksmuseum van Oudheden in Leiden. These funerary masks become an object that provides valuable information about the ethnicity and identity of their owners, belonging to the new elites. This analysis will be performed by an indirect observation of the objects, through photographs. Stylistic comparisons will be made with other masks from other collections. These comparisons may provide evidences that in some cases can lead to the proposal of relative dating. At the same time, this analysis will put forward interpretations about the possible identity of some of the masks’ owners.Show less
Research master thesis | Archaeology (research) (MA/MSc)
closed access
This paper examines the use of the medium of sculpture in the public sphere in Roman East Midlands including sculpture in the round, reliefs, architectural decoration, tombstones and inscriptions....Show moreThis paper examines the use of the medium of sculpture in the public sphere in Roman East Midlands including sculpture in the round, reliefs, architectural decoration, tombstones and inscriptions. The aim of the research is to analyse the social aspects of the public display of the sculptural medium in order to understand what role sculpture had within the society and the reasons behind choices such as subject matter, form and style. All of the sculptures and inscriptions from the chosen study area between and including Lincoln, Leicester and Water Newton are examined in detail and discussed within the context of their find location. The visual effect of sculpture is examined in terms of location in the landscape, the composition of the image and the visual impact of style. The question of identity is also discussed in terms of the commissioning and use of sculpture and the choice of style. In order to gain a better understanding on the fragmented nature and poor survival of sculptures in the area, their fate in terms of re-use and the scale of possible loss is also examined. Although the poor survival of Romano-British sculpture in the East Midlands makes them a difficult area of study, the aim of this paper is to examine different ways of viewing the material in order to gain more insight into the society who acquired and used such sculptural displays.Show less
Research master thesis | History: Societies and Institutions (research) (MA)
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This thesis is about the Parsis, a special Indian minority group who came to India more than a millenium ago. The Parsis became very wealthy and influential under British colonial rule and acquired...Show moreThis thesis is about the Parsis, a special Indian minority group who came to India more than a millenium ago. The Parsis became very wealthy and influential under British colonial rule and acquired great esteem as a colonial elite. After decolonisation of the British Indies, this picture completely turned upside town and a lot of Parsis left India for a western country such as the UK and the US. Thus, they had to reconstruct their identity both in India and the US and the UK. This thesis examines this double identity reconstruction by means of a combination of literary analysis and discourse analysis.Show less
It is exactly 100 years ago (1911) that hundreds of Chinese migrants set foot in the Netherlands. They were seamen employed by Dutch shipping companies and came originally from Guangdong province...Show moreIt is exactly 100 years ago (1911) that hundreds of Chinese migrants set foot in the Netherlands. They were seamen employed by Dutch shipping companies and came originally from Guangdong province in China. The Chinese community has now grown into a highly diverse community of 100,000 people. It is highly diverse in terms of their place of birth, socio-economic status and immigration history. Among the Chinese immigrants originating from the New Territories in Hong Kong who re-migrated from Britain to the Netherlands in the 1950s, there was a significant lineage, i.e. the Man lineage. Currently, this lineage in the Netherlands is made up of approximately 2000 – 2500 members and in Britain over 4000 members who share the same surname ‘Man’. This thesis has sought to find out what were the causes of migration that contributed to the exodus of the Man lineage to Europe from two particular villages – namely San Tin and Chau Tau – in the New Territories in Hong Kong. The thesis has conducted a comprehensive analysis that consists of a three-level examination, namely that of the macro, meso and micro levels. As a matter of fact, the rationale behind such decisions demonstrates the interaction between structure and agency, culminating in chain migration. In other words, factors such as colonialism, the economic situation, national immigration policies and established social networks all played a role in the decision-making process, making transnational migration possible. It has also demonstrated that family structure has a strong correlation with the pattern of migration. This thesis has also identified certain major changes in relation to the Man lineage in Europe as a result of migration. First of all, there has been an upward social mobility. Second, there has been a conversion in consciousness, notably, from a diasporic consciousness to a transcultural consciousness. Finally, there has been a change in social relationship among the second and the third generation Man lineage members since, according to the survey, they do not have close ties with their their agnates established in Europe and in the New Territories or the villages of their ancestors.Show less
