The thesis investigates in what ways cultural institutions in the West provide a platform for the representation of Muslim identities and how this can be significant for the accommodation of Muslim...Show moreThe thesis investigates in what ways cultural institutions in the West provide a platform for the representation of Muslim identities and how this can be significant for the accommodation of Muslim communities within the Netherlands at large. It does so by re-evaluating existing political and aesthetic theories and by analysing four case studies on different art and culture instances within the Netherlands.Show less
This MA Thesis explores the small Syriac Orthodox community of Istanbul. The micro study includes portraits of three Syriac Orthodox families who moved away from Mardin. They give insight into the...Show moreThis MA Thesis explores the small Syriac Orthodox community of Istanbul. The micro study includes portraits of three Syriac Orthodox families who moved away from Mardin. They give insight into the way the community members stay connected, the study searches how the social identity of the Syriac Orthodox community in Istanbul is being experienced. It considers how members see themselves and others from within their community, and how they see ‘the outsiders.’ Qualifications are given based on religious and cultural customs and on collective memory. The differences between generations are kept in mind and reveal why the identification process is changing throughout time.Show less
In a relatively short time Great Britain founded Iraq out of the three Ottoman vilayets Mosul, Baghdad and Basra. When British forces went ashore in Mesopotamia in a hurry to fight the Ottoman...Show moreIn a relatively short time Great Britain founded Iraq out of the three Ottoman vilayets Mosul, Baghdad and Basra. When British forces went ashore in Mesopotamia in a hurry to fight the Ottoman Empire because it had joined the First World War as one of the Axis, many policy issues had not been clarified yet. Too often did not only the army and the political officers on the ground, but the government officials in London as well work without a clear goal in mind. The question that begs to be asked is who was responsible for the policy in Mesopotamia. Hence, this is a study of the interaction within the British Empire during and right after World War I and its effects on policy development in Mesopotamia. When you zoom in on the British Empire, you will notice a diverse range of interests. This world encompassing Empire was not a monolith. Different regions and different political entities had conflicting ideas on the future of Mesopotamia. This thesis analyzes the British Empire itself to understand the confusion and contradictions in British policy-making following 1914 by leaving the core-periphery binary often assumed in imperialist historiography, and by paying attention to the webbed character of empires; multiple metropoles connected in a competing network.Show less
This thesis investigates a representation of Iraqi identity through artistic practice, by focusing on the works of Iraqi visual artist Sadik Kwais Alfraji. Through an extensive analysis of thirteen...Show moreThis thesis investigates a representation of Iraqi identity through artistic practice, by focusing on the works of Iraqi visual artist Sadik Kwais Alfraji. Through an extensive analysis of thirteen artworks produced between 1982 and 2014, the thesis explores how the artist conceives his Iraqi-ness and fashions it within his creations. By combining a narrativist approach to the study of identity, relying on the writings of Stuart Hall and Margaret Somers, with multiple interviews conducted with Alfraji, this work demonstrates how the artist’s Iraqi identity results from an interplay of “inside and outside” of Iraq, both in literal and metaphorical terms. Moreover, by examining how crucial themes, such as war an freedom, are portrayed within Alfraji’s artworks, this thesis shows how the artist’s self-understanding and sense of belonging are deeply influenced by the history of his homeland.Show less
The thesis provides a look into the intricate relationship between the Sunni tribes of Iraq, primarily in the al-Anbar province, and the U.S.-led Coalition as well as with Al-Qaeda in Iraq, during...Show moreThe thesis provides a look into the intricate relationship between the Sunni tribes of Iraq, primarily in the al-Anbar province, and the U.S.-led Coalition as well as with Al-Qaeda in Iraq, during the U.S. invasion between 2003 and 2009. It paints a picture of the tribal consolidation that occurred during this time, between the various tribes and tribal affiliations, as a direct result of the uncertainty and lack of security in Iraq during this period, and in particular the uncertain future of Sunnis in the predominantly Shi'a country. The thesis provides information about the incentive-based relationship between the Sunni tribes and the various actors in the conflict, and presents an argument that this short-term cooperation hampered any future attempts for cooperation between the Iraqi government and the Sunnis. It also argues that this type of cooperation resulted in the division of the country within its sectarian and religious lines.Show less
This thesis argues that within the medium of photography during Protectorate Morocco, four agents of power (French protectorate policy, French social science, commercial tourism, and the...Show moreThis thesis argues that within the medium of photography during Protectorate Morocco, four agents of power (French protectorate policy, French social science, commercial tourism, and the photographer himself) are connected and collaborate in constructing and using photography for their own interests. By analysing part of the photo collection of the French photographer Jacques Belin, who worked in Morocco between 1939 and 1961, I argue in what way these four domains were of influence in the production, construction, and use of Belin’s work. I state that these four collaborated and reinforced each other and resulted in the construction of Belin’s work. At times, France’s mission civilisatrice was the bigger picture holding the whole project together; at other times the aesthetic value or ethnographic interests were more dominant than those of the colonial mission. It is thus a much-needed contextualization of an individual photographer and the specific conditions to his work, to understand the workings of power within a larger context of photography and that of twentieth-century French colonialism.Show less
