An analysis of the potential of Solar energy to realise sustainable energy supply for Ghana's inhabitants, the capacity of the Ghanaian government to reach the ambitious universal access to...Show moreAn analysis of the potential of Solar energy to realise sustainable energy supply for Ghana's inhabitants, the capacity of the Ghanaian government to reach the ambitious universal access to electricity goals for 2020; and the feasibility of the 10% renewable electricity market penetration aim. The thesis will focus on Ghana's critical energy infrastructure, its energy policy framework and its rural electrification challenges. After analysing the projections for the solar-energy technology, the potential of solar energy to solve Ghana's energy crisis and contribute to the climate change challenge is formulated.Show less
After the death of a local fish seller in November 2016, the Rif area in Morocco has witnessed the proliferation of a social movement, using Berber (Amazigh) ethno-political discourse to demand...Show moreAfter the death of a local fish seller in November 2016, the Rif area in Morocco has witnessed the proliferation of a social movement, using Berber (Amazigh) ethno-political discourse to demand social justice and socio-economic improvement for the Riffian people. As a result of that, Riffian (second generation) migrants in the Netherlands have mobilised and organised themselves in action committees, to express their solidarity with the social movement in their home country. This research explores how their mobilisation, collective action framing and organisation relate to their elaborate use of new/social media. Facebook has provided Riffians a platform to articulate a shared Amazigh identity, as well as to share their personal commitment to the social movement in the Rif. This has led to mobilisation beyond preexisting (Amazigh) migrant organisations. At the same time, de-centralised and nonhierarchal organisational structures remain important for the co-ordination of transnational political activism, especially in the case of transnational collective action.Show less
This paper seeks to answer the following question: “To what extent does language policies implemented by the People’s Republic of China government in the education system of Tibet affect the...Show moreThis paper seeks to answer the following question: “To what extent does language policies implemented by the People’s Republic of China government in the education system of Tibet affect the identities of ethnic Tibetans and their economic opportunities?”Show less
This thesis examines the effectiveness of EU initiated education programs in the discourse of EU identity building. Through an analysis of what constitutes a EU identity as well as which challenges...Show moreThis thesis examines the effectiveness of EU initiated education programs in the discourse of EU identity building. Through an analysis of what constitutes a EU identity as well as which challenges it faces, three main factors are isolated. These are the issue of nationalism, the notion of EU elitism, and the lack of shared common history, language and culture. After reviewing the historical progress which the EU has made in the field of educational policy, a case study is made of the current EU education initiative Erasmus+. An assessment of Erasmus+ based on its capacity of combatting the three identified challenges ultimately reveals that while the EU has extensive education frame works in place and funds these sufficiently, the emphasize on content is missing.Show less
Even though Zimbabwe has regular elections, the country is often regarded as an authoritarian regime. In this research, Zimbabwe's results in the EIU index of democracy are analyzed. The main...Show moreEven though Zimbabwe has regular elections, the country is often regarded as an authoritarian regime. In this research, Zimbabwe's results in the EIU index of democracy are analyzed. The main question to answer is to what extent is Zimbabwe democratic or authoritarian and how does the media influence this image of Zimbabwe.Show less
This cross-disciplinary thesis investigated the use of metaphors in modern and contemporary Lebanese literature which portrays Beirut as a woman, and violence or turmoil within the city as sexual...Show moreThis cross-disciplinary thesis investigated the use of metaphors in modern and contemporary Lebanese literature which portrays Beirut as a woman, and violence or turmoil within the city as sexual assaults. Both of these metaphors were identified in texts by Zena el Khalil, Elias Khoury and Etal Adnan, along with shorts from Beirut Noir. Lakoff’s theory of metaphor was used to underline the significant interactions between figurative language, knowledge and real action which motivated the research. The mother-virgin-whore triad was found overly simplistic to describe Beirut’s figuration, although interestingly non-normative characterisations such as corrupted mother and once-virgin arise in the literature. However, Beirut has been consistently imagined as a ‘whore’ throughout history. This stereotyping has a particularly complex impact on the allocation of blame and pity in the related literary imagery of Beirut’s ‘rape’, which was further dissected through feminist and critical theory. Overall, an interrelation between machoistic violence and the destruction city was identified, exemplified in Civil War literature but arising in broader contexts. This thesis' intersectional question merited a broad, multi-stranded answer, concluding that imaginaries of women and cities alike must be nuanced and multiple in order to escape harmful stereotyping which can ‘justify’ destructive action.Show less
Penicillin discovered in 1928 by Sir Alexander Fleming was the start of a revolution in the medical world, allowing scientists to develop antibiotics and doctors to cure bacterial diseases. Today,...Show morePenicillin discovered in 1928 by Sir Alexander Fleming was the start of a revolution in the medical world, allowing scientists to develop antibiotics and doctors to cure bacterial diseases. Today, only 89 years after its discovery, we are encountering that due to human behavior this therapeutic drug is becoming less effective. Bacteria have mutated and created resistance. The loss of effectiveness of bacteria is denominated in medical papers as Antimicrobial resistance. Antimicrobial resistance is a development which concerns the global population and is most difficult to stop in countries ruled based on a neoliberal paradigm and without means to enact on governmental regulations. Chile is a good example of such a country.Show less
Although media attention has drastically decreased, feminicides are still a major problem in the Mexican city Ciudad Juárez, Chihuahua. It is widely accepted that the misogynistic killings started...Show moreAlthough media attention has drastically decreased, feminicides are still a major problem in the Mexican city Ciudad Juárez, Chihuahua. It is widely accepted that the misogynistic killings started in 1993, one year before the North American Free Trade Agreement entered into force, but still no consensus on the number of victims is reached and many cases remain unsolved. This thesis examines the role of grassroots activism in pressuring the Mexican government to take responsibility, recognize the crimes, and implement solutions to the feminicides occurring in the Mexican border town Ciudad Juárez. An understanding of the causes and contributing factors is crucial to determine the role and responsibility of the government. By applying social movement theory and framing theory to the social movement Ni Una Más and various small-scale grassroots organizations, the effects of grassroots activism on the government’s attitude and policies regarding feminicide and gender-based violence have been investigated in this thesis. Even though feminicides are still regularly occurring nowadays, and the Mexican authorities thus ultimately failed to eradicate the problem, social movements and grassroots activism have proven to play a decisive role in raising national and international awareness, pressuring the government to take effective measures to solve the problem, and striving for justice and security for the women of Ciudad Juárez.Show less
Citizen journalism is a relatively new term, especially in many non-western parts of the world. It is best known to make it easier for people to share information and stories with the rest of the...Show moreCitizen journalism is a relatively new term, especially in many non-western parts of the world. It is best known to make it easier for people to share information and stories with the rest of the world through online platforms. The negative sides of citizen journalism are however sometimes hard to overlook, especially in situations where citizen journalism may completely replace the mainstream media. This can be seen to have happened during the 2007 Kenyan presidential election crisis, when the elections took a violent turn.Show less
In the thesis I have looked to the imam training debate in the Netherlands and if the Netherlands is willing to re-introduce a new imam training in the future. In addition, I have researched if the...Show moreIn the thesis I have looked to the imam training debate in the Netherlands and if the Netherlands is willing to re-introduce a new imam training in the future. In addition, I have researched if the Netherlands could cooperate with Morocco in the training of imams. An important aspect in this matter is the separation of church and state. To what extent is the Dutch state allowed to interfere in the training of clergymen and is it possible to work together with another country?Show less
This thesis aims at providing a research on Mexican-American security cooperation under the Mérida Initiative, initiated in 2008, and more precisely regarding the drug trafficking and cartels in...Show moreThis thesis aims at providing a research on Mexican-American security cooperation under the Mérida Initiative, initiated in 2008, and more precisely regarding the drug trafficking and cartels in Mexico.Show less
The DRC has been a conflict-ridden country since pre-colonial times, it is paradoxical that a country so rich in natural resources remains so poor and underdeveloped. This thesis attempts to...Show moreThe DRC has been a conflict-ridden country since pre-colonial times, it is paradoxical that a country so rich in natural resources remains so poor and underdeveloped. This thesis attempts to discover whether the modern, industrialised countries play any role in the perpetuation of the conflict situation in the DRC regarding the exploitation of 'Coltan' which is a widely used mineral for the manufacturing of smartphones and other electronic devices. The historical legacies of the DRC will be explored, an analysis of the conflict situation in the eastern provinces of the DRC will be provided and the commodity chain of coltan will be discussed.Show less
The author sets out to explore the actors, channels, and processes through which the Israeli-Palestinian conflict influences not only the dynamics of international aid to Palestinians, but also the...Show moreThe author sets out to explore the actors, channels, and processes through which the Israeli-Palestinian conflict influences not only the dynamics of international aid to Palestinians, but also the narratives that present, shape, and define the approaches of donors. Bringing together two fields of study that have been treated separately until now, the author historicizes and contextualizes the evolution of a 'conflict-development' nexus and the repercussions of this emerging dynamic on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. The methodological approach makes use of a combination of scholarly and primary sources, drawing together the fields of Conflict and Development Studies, Communication for Development, literature on Palestine, and case studies the author became familiar with through her own experience in the field. Moreover, the use of narrative analysis and inquiry is employed to develop and support the argumentation. Hereby, the thesis establishes how aid to Palestinians and the communication of the conflict by donors has become increasingly divorced from realities on the ground.Show less
