The use of queer as an umbrella term provides no single definition and thus allows individuals to experience their unique identities. However, this way of using the word also flattens the group...Show moreThe use of queer as an umbrella term provides no single definition and thus allows individuals to experience their unique identities. However, this way of using the word also flattens the group creating 'queernormativity'. This idea of there being a 'right' way of being queer is quite problematic, because it is not just an identification marker. Being queer is also a way of doing. Through the increasing effects of globalisation a trend of 'global queerness' has formed which is often dominated by Western knowledge. Recently more focus is on overcoming this Euro-American metropolitanism. One way is through film as it is a form of popular culture presenting alternative ideas and possibilities. Film festivals in particular present the perfect arena for these ideas to present themselves. However in recent decades these established communities struggle with commercialization. This research focuses on understanding how queer Asia is represented in film at European film festivals.Show less
China has been important for the global luxury industry in the last decades. A recent trend in the Chinese luxury industry has been the growth of Chinese luxury brands, however, literature mostly...Show moreChina has been important for the global luxury industry in the last decades. A recent trend in the Chinese luxury industry has been the growth of Chinese luxury brands, however, literature mostly focuses on the influence of Western brands in this industry. This thesis therefore analyzed what factors have had, and still have, the biggest influence on this quick rise and success of local Chinese brands in the Chinese fashion luxury industry. This is done through a combination of the meso-, and macro-environment analysis of the industry. Porter’s five forces model and the DESTEP-model have been used to realize this. The results have shown that there are multiple factors that have contributed to the growth of upcoming Chinese brands in this industry. The factors that can be considered as most beneficial are the easy to enter market, growing sense of nationalism and the growing importance of sustainability.Show less
The current degradation of Lancang-Mekong River basin’s ecosystem is partly caused by the development of hydropower plants. If nothing is done to stop the damage being done, the Mekong River...Show moreThe current degradation of Lancang-Mekong River basin’s ecosystem is partly caused by the development of hydropower plants. If nothing is done to stop the damage being done, the Mekong River Commission expect catastrophic consequences to the ecosystem by 2040. Thus, the thesis explored how regional organisations in the Mekong region address the current environmental issues related to hydropower development in the Lancang-Mekong River basin, and what the drivers of hydropower development are. By analysing reports, press releases, and strategies from regional organisations, the thesis found that the collective action problems of poverty reduction and environmental protection have created a dichotomy between economic development and environmental protection based on a trade-off and off-setting approach that is best explained by Nancy Fraser’s foreground and background stories. This dichotomy has resulted in a system, where benefits to the river are viewed as secondary to benefits from and beyond the river. Thus, new approaches to hydro-governance are needed in the region.Show less
Debates about the ownership of cultural heritage have been ongoing between colonizer and colonized countries. It has only been recently that the Netherlands has been reflective of its colonial...Show moreDebates about the ownership of cultural heritage have been ongoing between colonizer and colonized countries. It has only been recently that the Netherlands has been reflective of its colonial history and has returned 472 looted art objects back to Indonesia that came into Dutch hands during the colonial period. However, Indonesia has been requesting the return of cultural heritage objects since the 1960s, with its aim to support a new national narrative of the Indonesian state. The Netherlands has been unwilling to return objects due to a loss of power in the colonies and a loss of cultural control. This thesis explores the colonial thought and power structures that underlie the discourse on the restitution of colonial artifacts, such as in the case study of the Java Man remains. By performing an adaptation of a Critical Discourse Analysis (CDA) and employing concepts such as heritage, universal value, looted, and restitution, this thesis argues that the Dutch state and institutions, such as Naturalis, claiming ownership of the looted artifacts proves to reflect the presence of a lingering colonial way of thinking, where the West is thought of as superior in terms of scientific research and architecture. The exhibition Early Humans where the Java Man remains are stored and presented, lacks information regarding the excavation of the artifacts and the colonial context they were found in. The lack of information regarding the colonial history reaffirms the power structures of the museum, linked to their colonial past of collecting. By analyzing the discourse surrounding the remains, this thesis aims to add how such colonial thinking and power structures have been reinforced through the debate of cultural heritage ownership.Show less
This thesis is an examination of the character of wakashu as depicted in Ihara Saikaku's late 17th-century collection of short stories Nanshoku ōkagami. It looks at overall similarities between the...Show moreThis thesis is an examination of the character of wakashu as depicted in Ihara Saikaku's late 17th-century collection of short stories Nanshoku ōkagami. It looks at overall similarities between the stories and constructs a general view of this type of sexuality-wise intriguing youth as well as comparing it to the earlier medieval character of chigo.Show less
The term menhera, originally an Internet term, has taken on various meanings. To date, the academic literature has focused primarily on the meaning of the word in popular culture. There has been...Show moreThe term menhera, originally an Internet term, has taken on various meanings. To date, the academic literature has focused primarily on the meaning of the word in popular culture. There has been little research on the meaning of menhera as an Internet language and the perspective of those who identify with it. Therefore, the purpose of this thesis was to find the meaning of menhera for those who identify with it in an online community. A content analysis was conducted on a Discord server called Sick Miss. The analysis revealed that for the members of Sick Miss, the term menhera does not mean a set of particular characteristics or a specific disorder. Instead, menhera encompasses all mental disorders and the members specify their illness by using terms from the DSM-V. Furthermore, Sick Miss members express their illness through pain; expressing it primarily as the pain of living. The reason for members to join the server is to join a community of people for mutual support. The analysis has shown that in the context of an online community, the meaning of menhera is to ease the pain of life together.Show less
Existing literature on the intellectual field in the post-1989 China has focused predominantly on the intellectuals of the mainstream trends of thoughts and “-isms”, including for example, the neo...Show moreExisting literature on the intellectual field in the post-1989 China has focused predominantly on the intellectuals of the mainstream trends of thoughts and “-isms”, including for example, the neo-conservativism and the Liberals. While scholarships contribute to the discussion from a variety of perspectives, one genre has probed into the divergent self-images of the mainstream intellectuals in the post-1989 era. Despite the mainstream trends of thoughts and “-isms”, however, the intellectual field of the post-1989 China had also comprised marginal trends of thoughts and inconspicuous intellectuals respectively, for example, Chinese Straussians. Current studies revolving the rise of Chinese Straussians have so far concentrated mainly on its critiques on the mainstream trends but have not yet discussed whether Chinese Straussians’ self-image is divergent from the mainstream. In this regard, this thesis is proposed to study the self-image of Chinese Straussians and to compare it with the self-images of the mainstream intellectuals. This thesis will thus contribute to the existing academic debate by providing a more sophisticated understanding of Chinese Straussians, one of the marginal threads of the post-1989 intellectual field, that is considered to have fundamentally challenged the mainstream intellectuals.Show less
