Master thesis | Crisis and Security Management (MSc)
open access
Freshwater is an essential yet scarce good, that is predicted to only become scarcer because of climate change and growing populations. In addition, freshwater in rivers is often shared between...Show moreFreshwater is an essential yet scarce good, that is predicted to only become scarcer because of climate change and growing populations. In addition, freshwater in rivers is often shared between multiple countries. Despite multiple predictions by scholars and experts, states often do not go to war over freshwater. Instead, most disputes end in the signing of a treaty. However, these treaties are not always fair and do not, actually, always end conflict. In the view of this research, treaties are merely a way in which states fight, without using violence, and should thus be seen as a part of ongoing conflict, rather than the end of it. In addition, despite theoretical predictions, international organisations do not play a large role in the creation of River Basin Organisations and neither do hydrohegemons.Show less
In this thesis, I have analysed the encoding of cultural attitudes in the translation of post-war retrospective fiction, as displayed in the speech and thought presentation of the characters in...Show moreIn this thesis, I have analysed the encoding of cultural attitudes in the translation of post-war retrospective fiction, as displayed in the speech and thought presentation of the characters in Erwin Mortier’s 1999 Flemish novel, Marcel. The novel contains a fascinating insight into the cultural attitudes of everyday Belgian citizens who collaborated with the Nazis during World War II. For the purposes of my research, I have used Antoine Berman’s 1985 model of translation tendencies in order to identify and subsequently analyse the effect of the process of translation on the representation of the cultural attitudes of the Belgian collaborators as displayed the English translation of the novel when juxtaposed with the original Flemish version of the novel. In my final analysis, I have both justified the importance of the source text over the translation in its irreplaceability with regard to the conveyance of cultural attitude. In addition to this, I have drawn fresh conclusions about the role and function of the translations of culturally-bound source texts. More specifically, I have highlighted the status of culturally-bound works of post-war fiction as foreign texts in their own right. In doing so, I have argued that these texts serve to make more explicit the cultural attitudes displayed in original works of post-war fiction.Show less
History can only be proven so far as by means of pragmatic hermeneutics. With the right motives, there will always be questions to raise about historical evidence, which is the exact reason why the...Show moreHistory can only be proven so far as by means of pragmatic hermeneutics. With the right motives, there will always be questions to raise about historical evidence, which is the exact reason why the history of the Armenian genocide can continue to be questioned. The Turkish state maintains that the deportations and mass-slaughter of Armenians in 1915-6 were not acts of genocide, but rather wartime countermeasures against an insurgent ethnic group. The intent of the Young Turk regime to homogenize Anatolia as part of their Turko-nationalist agenda by means of extermination of Christian minorities has been repeatedly proven in numerous works. These include titles written by Armenians as well as Western and dissident Turkish historians. Despite this overwhelming amount of evidence, the debate rages on and denialists continue to publish new work. This research has attempted to create a more thorough knowledge of their methods of argumentation, which can prove an essential tool in countering their narrative. This thesis is structured around the question to what extent the denial of the Armenian genocide can be labeled as a conspiracy theory or not.Show less
Dworkin’s non-ideal theory of justice has been criticized for its lack of practical guidance and for being insufficiently consistent with the normative framework developed in his ideal theory. The...Show moreDworkin’s non-ideal theory of justice has been criticized for its lack of practical guidance and for being insufficiently consistent with the normative framework developed in his ideal theory. The ideal/non-ideal distinction has gotten a lot of attention in the past decades and recent literature points to the need to focus on the implementation of theories of justice in non-ideal circumstances (Wolff, 1998; Anderson, 1999; Arneson, 2000; Farelly, 2007; Swift, 2008; Stemplowska, 2008; Robeyns, 2008). Is there a way in which we can overcome the criticism of Dworkin and live up to the demand of a satisfying theory of justice that has a coherent and sound ideal and non-ideal component? By critically analysing the primary problems residing in either the ideal-, non-ideal theory or the relation between them I will aim to identify the main obstacles to the solvation of the ideal/non-ideal dichotomy. First of all I will argue that ideal- and non-ideal theory each have a distinct value and that their strength can be combined to realize a complete and satisfactory theory of justice. Subsequently, Dworkin’s ideal and non-ideal theory will be set forth in order to find out which aspects are problematic. Thereafter, in the following order, four different objections will be discussed resulting in four claims about Dworkin’s theory of justice. First of all the ‘shameful revelation’ objection will be addressed that claims any non-ideal implementation of Dworkin’s ideal theory will lead to immoral implications. Secondly, bad idealization will be exposed that allegedly obstruct the translation from ideal- to non-ideal theory. Thirdly, the negative impact of the controversial place of liberty in Dworkin’s ideal theory will be discussed. And finally the interpretation of the equity deficit in Dworkin’s asserted insufficient non-ideal theory of improvement will be scrutinized. In the end each claim tells us something about the way in which the apparent dichotomy between ideal- and non-ideal theory in Dworkin’s theory of justice can be resolved and lays out the first baby steps towards an improved and more coherent Dworkian theory of justice.Show less
