Despite how clearly it permeates most political and social strata in the region, the intersection of spirituality and politics in Myanmar is a relatively underappreciated subject. This thesis...Show moreDespite how clearly it permeates most political and social strata in the region, the intersection of spirituality and politics in Myanmar is a relatively underappreciated subject. This thesis attempts to uncover the instances where distinct political acts and histories enmeshed and enthused a religious narrative informing much of the region's political legitimacy. Stylistically informed by Intellectual History, this paper first examines the definitions and concepts surrounding Political Buddhism and its interpolations within a Myanmar context. The paper will then divulge the broadest examples of Political Buddhism during Colonialism, Socialism, and military junta before honing in on use cases within the three latest public events: The 1988 uprising, the Saffron Revolution, the discourse surrounding the Rohingya Massacre, and the "Sangha" Buddhist monk institution's involvement in such.Show less
As colonial archives increasingly digitalise their collections, questions about their contents, descriptions, and context surface. Following the research question of ‘what do the current practices...Show moreAs colonial archives increasingly digitalise their collections, questions about their contents, descriptions, and context surface. Following the research question of ‘what do the current practices of colonial photographic archives tell us about how archival practices need to develop as archives begin to digitalise?’, this thesis explores colonial photography's archival processes and how digitalisation impacts them.Show less
The Dutch scientist and Nobel Prize winner Hendrik Antoon Lorentz (1853-1928) was thrust into the media spotlight at the beginning of the twentieth century for which he was not quite ready. The aim...Show moreThe Dutch scientist and Nobel Prize winner Hendrik Antoon Lorentz (1853-1928) was thrust into the media spotlight at the beginning of the twentieth century for which he was not quite ready. The aim of this thesis is to find out how the media took a scientific public like Lorentz and constructed a public persona for him, what virtues and abilities were associated with this persona, and how this persona changed as a result of new social developments. Furthermore, this thesis will also describe the rise and fall of personas after his death and in his legacy, up to and including how Lorentz is represented in museums today.Show less
Fugitive slave narrators operated as a textual community within the abolitionist movement to contribute to the construction of broad and coherent arguments for the immediate abolition of slavery in...Show moreFugitive slave narrators operated as a textual community within the abolitionist movement to contribute to the construction of broad and coherent arguments for the immediate abolition of slavery in the Southern states. According to the Oxford Dictionary, a textual community is "a place or social circle where manuscript texts are or were produced, read, and circulated by and for a certain group." Through the production of fugitive slave narratives, the fugitive slave textual community formed a coherent discourse within the abolitionist movement that sought to persuade northern readers to support the abolition of slavery through the pluralistic nature of the production of slave narratives and the construction of overlapping forms of consensus. At the same time, by presenting themselves to the outside world, the narrators created a new collective identity of (ex)slaves. It was precisely by not focusing entirely on forming antislavery arguments that it resulted in becoming one of the most powerful antislavery arguments: through the manifestation of political agency and collective identity by writing themselves into a shared history, there was both expression in resistance to slavery and an important form of identification with northern readers.Show less
A Gaze into the Past explores the evolution of Laura Mulvey's influential theory of the male gaze from its cinematic origins to its expansion into broader societal contexts, offering fresh...Show moreA Gaze into the Past explores the evolution of Laura Mulvey's influential theory of the male gaze from its cinematic origins to its expansion into broader societal contexts, offering fresh perspectives on gender, sexuality, and societal hierarchies. Marlieke van der Veer researches through two case studies of collections of erotic art in Pompeii, namely the Lupanar and the House of Vettii, the application of the gaze theory to Roman society, focusing on the second half of the first century CE. The analysis reveals that the dominant Roman gaze was aiming at the masculinity a Roman man was expected to embody, instead of gender itself. Therefore, the Roman male gaze was specified as the masculine gaze. This gaze revolved for a large part around the active versus passive roles in sexual intercourse. The study also explored a female gaze, presenting the idealized image of the "femina bona" in contrast to the antagonist, the prostitute, with women finding subtle ways of resistance. Additionally, she introduces the intersectional gaze, inspired by Kimberlé Crenshaw's modern intersectionality framework, demonstrating how intersecting features of gender, sexuality, age, and class shaped one's position in the In-group or Out-group and highlighting moments of power for marginalized groups. In conclusion, this research offers a comprehensive understanding of how the gaze theory can be applied beyond its cinematic origins, shedding light on the complexities of societal dynamics in Roman Antiquity and potentially other historical periods.Show less
This thesis investigates the surprising number of shipboard insurrections during the transatlantic voyages of captain Jan Menkenveld and his former officers: David Mulders, Daniel Pruijmelaar and...Show moreThis thesis investigates the surprising number of shipboard insurrections during the transatlantic voyages of captain Jan Menkenveld and his former officers: David Mulders, Daniel Pruijmelaar and Willem de Molder. Compared to the other registered insurrections on Dutch slave ships in the Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade Database, these MCC captains appear to have experienced the most insurrections on their triangular voyages. By carefully interplaying the muster rolls, ships’ journals and correspondence of their voyages on which insurrections occurred, this thesis traces the surrounding conditions aboard the slave ships and answers to what extent the captaincies kindled shipboard insurrections.Show less
The current paper examines the use of political violence during the Ruhr Uprising of 1920. Its main focus is the reaction of the SPD and the KPD to the uprising and its bloody suppression by the...Show moreThe current paper examines the use of political violence during the Ruhr Uprising of 1920. Its main focus is the reaction of the SPD and the KPD to the uprising and its bloody suppression by the Reichswehr and Freikorps. It also contextualises the Uprising and violence that followed by connecting local events in the Ruhr with national developments, such as the Kapp Putsch and international trends of post-war instability and brutality. The paper through its examination of Vorwärts and Die Rote Fahne argues that both the SPD and KPD changed their understanding of the role of violence in preserving or overthrowing the Weimar Republic, respectively. On the one hand, the KPD, weakened by the failures of 1919 did not push for the spread of revolutionary violence. On the other hand, the SPD shifted ideologically from its 1919 of understanding state-sponsored violence as necessary for preserving the integrity of the State. It now understood violence as a tool for protecting the well-being of Germany’s citizenry. A tool to be used sparingly and with restraint, because it needed popular support to be legitimate. This new understanding of state-sponsored violence was not shared by the men tasked with suppressing the Uprising. The result was another bloody chapter in the life of the young RepublicShow less
A nation’s identity builds on a common past and traditions. After the Second World War, the newborn government of the GDR had to make a concerted effort to create such traditions, building on the...Show moreA nation’s identity builds on a common past and traditions. After the Second World War, the newborn government of the GDR had to make a concerted effort to create such traditions, building on the history of the German working class and their leading historical figures. Among them: Clara Zetkin. A dedicated and respected politician in her time, she was made an icon in the GDR, as she was portrayed as an ideal socialist role model and heroine throughout the public sphere, by means of the memory politics of the SED. The biographies, newspaper articles, films, and museums focused on Zetkin, as well as the street signs, statues, banknotes, and awards bearing her name in the GDR created a particular image of the historical figure: a model socialist heroine. This image differs from the historical figure of Zetkin, as some parts have been emphasized, others downplayed, or left out entirely.Show less
The past historiography on the Boxer Rebellion was often characterized by an Orientalist perspective. Contemporary literature strives to surpass this approach, however, treating Westerners and...Show moreThe past historiography on the Boxer Rebellion was often characterized by an Orientalist perspective. Contemporary literature strives to surpass this approach, however, treating Westerners and Orientals as two different “beings” and using two measures in the analysis, reiterates the same paradigm. Focusing on Jane Elliot’s revisionist approach, this work shows the post-Orientalism stemmed from the necessity of surpassing the classic Orientalism, more subtle and devious. By comparing the Chinese and the European vision of the other, Occidentalism and Orientalism in both writings and pictorial sources (such as Boxer postcards and nianhua), a more clear and more precise vision of the events is drawn. Thus, this thesis expands the current literature on the Boxer Rebellion and displays the necessity of considering both parts in order to have a complete picture.Show less
In 1998, the Linkage Act came into effect in the Netherlands, linking the right to social benefits to a residence permit. Migrants who were unable to claim a residence permit, were to be deported....Show moreIn 1998, the Linkage Act came into effect in the Netherlands, linking the right to social benefits to a residence permit. Migrants who were unable to claim a residence permit, were to be deported. Fifteen Turkish women resisted the Linkage Act, and went on a hunger strike for 39 days. Women, who were also mothers, going on a hunger strike was a new phenomenon in the Netherlands. This thesis analyses the following research question: 'How and why did the fifteen Turkish women decided to go on a hunger strike and use it as a method of protest?' This thesis aimed to answer this question by using interviews with the hunger strikers together with an analysis on gender, motherhood, support, and avoiding a precedent.Show less
For the Moluccan community in The Netherlands representation and emancipation are important matters. This thesis examines how one of the most renowned Dutch ethnology museums, the Museum of...Show moreFor the Moluccan community in The Netherlands representation and emancipation are important matters. This thesis examines how one of the most renowned Dutch ethnology museums, the Museum of Ethnology, has represented the Moluccas and the Moluccan people in its exhibitions between 1995 and the present-day. It also zooms in on how the museum has engaged with the colonial history of its Moluccas collection. Lastly, this thesis shows to what degree it has involved the Moluccan community in the creation of its Moluccas exhibitions.Show less
Historians of the late pre-colonial Indian political and military landscape have often pointed to the prevalence of self-interested pragmatism, intrigue and shifting allegiances within it. Against...Show moreHistorians of the late pre-colonial Indian political and military landscape have often pointed to the prevalence of self-interested pragmatism, intrigue and shifting allegiances within it. Against this backdrop, this thesis examines a prominent, yet understudied, military and political player within late-eighteenth and early-nineteenth century India, Amir Khan of Tonk, through the lens of martial honour. This is done through analysis of both his career and memoirs, the Amirnama, in which he is represented as one “whose conduct and character within and without were clear as the spotless sun”. Following the Amirnama’s account of the four main stages of his career, whilst also cross-referencing with other relevant contemporary sources, reveals the complex and manifold relation of theoretical ideals of martial honour with the realities of political and military action within his world. During the early stages of his career, cultivating a reputation for bravery and clemency on the battlefield facilitated his social climbing, enhancing “his fame and rank” and forging valuable alliances. Yet increasingly, a gulf appeared between the rhetoric and reality. Whilst honour could legitimise political action, it also contrasted sharply with the flexibility of allegiance, use of deception and even murder increasingly deployed by Amir Khan to achieve his ambitions and strategic aims. Ultimately, securing his political survival in the face of encroaching British power would necessitate jettisoning a plethora of social obligations to those with whom he was theoretically “honour-bound”. Examining Amir Khan’s self-fashioning in the Amirnama in light of these controversial acts reveals how the gap between the theoreticals of martial honour and the murkier realities of realpolitik pragmatism could be, at least rhetorically, reconciled.Show less
Stillbirth and the way that parents express their grief are still sensitive topics in the twenty-first century. This thesis ties in with the debate on whether or not parents grieved their stillborn...Show moreStillbirth and the way that parents express their grief are still sensitive topics in the twenty-first century. This thesis ties in with the debate on whether or not parents grieved their stillborn children, as it was long believed that parents were ‘indifferent’ to the deaths of infants and baby’s due to high mortality rates in the nineteenth century (and earlier centuries). By examining Dutch death notices and family announcements placed in newspapers between 1870 and 1990, this thesis expands the existing historiographic debate and shows that parents did in fact grieve their stillborn children in the late nineteenth century and twentieth century.Show less
