Master thesis | Cultural Anthropology and Development Sociology (MSc)
open access
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
More and more artists have been practicing socially engaged participatory art in China, but the discourse in the field is underdeveloped, and little research has been done on it. In order to...Show moreMore and more artists have been practicing socially engaged participatory art in China, but the discourse in the field is underdeveloped, and little research has been done on it. In order to provide insights into this subject area, this thesis studies existing practices in China and examines the artistic approaches and the museum collaboration in the practice. In the thesis a literature review discusses the current situation of socially engaged participatory art practice in China, and forms a theoretical framework for evaluating this practice. Furthermore, case studies of two art projects are conducted to evaluate the artistic approaches that have been taken up by the artists in their practice and the museum collaboration involved in it. The two projects are the Family Museum Project (2008) by the Utopia Group and the Qiuzhuang Project (2013-2014) by Li Mu. The findings from this research show that the artists’ practice of socially engaged participatory art has social significances in contemporary China, and the artists have experimented with creative ways to strive for public expression in the Chinese society; the museum collaboration with the artists’ practice could contribute to the social effect of this practice in China.Show less
This paper is able to provide a new perspective on the current issue of indigenous participation. The common perception of Bolivian politics is that of a country, emphasizing inclusionary methods...Show moreThis paper is able to provide a new perspective on the current issue of indigenous participation. The common perception of Bolivian politics is that of a country, emphasizing inclusionary methods and economic justice. This essay will test that perception and attempts to contribute to the research of the shift in the Andean ideology.Show less
Master thesis | Cultural Anthropology and Development Sociology (MSc)
closed access
This thesis provides a case study of the discourse on sustainability, a much discussed, but elusive concept. It describes and analyses the sustainability discourse in the Dutch municipality of...Show moreThis thesis provides a case study of the discourse on sustainability, a much discussed, but elusive concept. It describes and analyses the sustainability discourse in the Dutch municipality of Leiden, as enacted by different groups of actors within a governmental context. It explains how actors gave meaning to the concept of 'sustainability', by both taking into account the bigger picture and focusing on local issues. Also, it argues that both governmental and non-governmental actors sought and emphasized cooperation and consensus, in their interaction on sustainability. The argument shows which factors made interaction potentially difficult, and how actors reflected upon these factors and sought for solutions.Show less
This thesis develops a theoretical framework for how the concepts of affect and participation might enhance our understanding of bioart – an emerging art movement in which artists engage with tools...Show moreThis thesis develops a theoretical framework for how the concepts of affect and participation might enhance our understanding of bioart – an emerging art movement in which artists engage with tools and materials on offer via biotechnology. Drawing principally on a Deleuzian conceptualization of affect, I first explore how it allows us to understand bioart experiences as an oscillation between a sense of activity and a sense of passivity in which everyone can affect and simultaneously be affected by another body. Secondly, through an engagement with mutaFelch – a bioart performance in which Zaretsky deploys a DIY adaptation of gene gun technology in order to create living paint, I follow Sedgwick’s and Tomkin’s plea to examine affect as a manifold concept, consisting of different and often overflowing gradations (such as disgust, eroticism, and fear) in order to gain insight into the specific visceral mechanisms underlying any interaction between viewer, artist, and artificially constructed life. And yet, even though affect draws attention to a viewer’s involvement in a work, affect does not suggest issues of power that participation – both in theory and in practice – inevitably brings forward. Thus, in order to reflect upon power issues inherent in every participatory practice, I expand my affective reading of bioart by incorporating the concept of participation. I conclude that by incorporating both the intimate realm of bodily experience and a critical, theoretical approach that understands the power structure intrinsic in technology, participation enhances and augments our understanding of biotechnologies.Show less
