The philosophy of open access has an important role in the academic publishing world, as it wants to make access to scientific information less restricted to researchers. The reality of it is,...Show moreThe philosophy of open access has an important role in the academic publishing world, as it wants to make access to scientific information less restricted to researchers. The reality of it is, however, more complicated than it seems. The first step is to accept that we are not dealing with a single academic publishing field but with a number of different ones. Each field is highly influenced by the environments in which it emerged. This thesis wants to present two different approaches to the idea of open access to science, and how these approaches were influenced by their regional environments. The two regions analysed in this thesis are Latin America and the Global North. Even though open access has a global character, being part of an international establishment such as academic publishing, the two regions present a diverse development of the idea of open access. These were influenced by the different social, technological and historical environments that the two regions displayed when the ideas of open access were emerging. After presenting a general picture of how the publishing process works and the role of its agents, I analyse the reasons for the use of open access in the two regions and create two timelines portraying the main events, infrastructure, initiatives and regulations that took place and that shaped the two approaches in use today. These two approaches of open access developed at different tempos and they were driven by contrasting motivations. The relationship that the Global North and Latin America have as academic circuits is, however, responsible for the flow of interaction between the two connotations and implementations of open access. In this thesis, I argue that the uneven power dynamics between the two approaches of open access have been influenced by a historical relation between the two regions through a core-periphery perspective. This has created an asymmetrical flow of influences moving from one region to the other, and vice versa. After presenting how these convergences of interactions are experienced on a practical level by researchers and academics, I conclude by suggesting that the discussion should not be about an open access connotation prevailing over the other, but rather about initiating a dialogue and starting a conversation between the two approaches and accepting both perspectives as legitimate and valuable.Show less
Books are deeply intertwined with the societies that produce them. Besides the unmistakable benefits leisure reading can give to individuals, such as literacy, creativity, imagination, knowledge...Show moreBooks are deeply intertwined with the societies that produce them. Besides the unmistakable benefits leisure reading can give to individuals, such as literacy, creativity, imagination, knowledge and empathy, this free time activity has an impact on a higher level too. The written word enables connections between individuals and communities in ways that were unimaginable before the Print Revolution. Books can encompass the values of a nation, they can communicate and reinforce them. These aspects are especially important in the case of a small nation with a distinct language, as a strong need of cultural preservation is present. The main focus of this thesis is the two-way connection between a country’s reading culture and its social, political and economic realms. It is based on the argument that participants of the reading landscape not only affect the readers with their actions, but have an indirect impact on the wider cultural system through the reading landscape. The means to support this argument is an analysis of the literary landscape of Hungary, based on a self-constructed model, the Reading Promotion Impact Matrix. The two dimensions of this model are the nation’s core values that are supported and reflected by the reading promotion efforts; and the areas that can impact and can be impacted by these reading promotion activities. The thesis also highlights the interactivity and interconnectedness of the participants of a country’s literary landscape.Show less
As the volume of openly available digital data continues to grow exponentially daily, open-source intelligence methods have gained significant traction within the field of journalism, particularly...Show moreAs the volume of openly available digital data continues to grow exponentially daily, open-source intelligence methods have gained significant traction within the field of journalism, particularly for investigative news reporting. However, while this practice holds great potential for advancing journalism, it introduces a paradox between the ethos of transparency inherent in journalism and the privacy and security concerns of data subjects and brokers. This article delves into this contradiction by drawing on data from in-depth interviews with eight professional open-source journalists, shedding light on the underlying factors at play. By examining how open-source journalists perceive and navigate privacy issues while striving to achieve their investigative goals, it becomes evident that these journalists possess considerable power and awareness regarding the security and privacy of human data subjects and brokers. The findings of this study reveal that open-source journalists rely heavily on personal assessments and ongoing dialogues with colleagues to make privacy-related editorial choices, as there is a dearth of established rules and guidelines in this domain. Consequently, open-source journalists frequently engage with their organizations’ legal departments as they harbor concerns about potential legal ramifications. This research provides valuable insights into the intricacies of open-source journalism, uncovering the delicate balance between journalistic transparency and privacy/security considerations. It underscores the need for further development of privacy-related frameworks and guidelines specific to the realm of open-source journalism while highlighting the pivotal role of open-source journalists in shaping the privacy landscape within their field.Show less
This thesis delves into the early modern Dutch and Flemish chroniclers' perceptions and the trust or distrust of newspapers, particularly focusing on the emergence of newspapers in 1618 and their...Show moreThis thesis delves into the early modern Dutch and Flemish chroniclers' perceptions and the trust or distrust of newspapers, particularly focusing on the emergence of newspapers in 1618 and their evolving role in chronicles over time. This study uses computational methods, in which a macro-level analysis of a corpus of 275 early modern Dutch chronicles and a micro-level case study are combined. The research aims to explore how these chroniclers incorporated newspapers into their accounts, shedding light on their trust or distrust in this new medium. The study shows that chroniclers used newspapers as sources in their works, indicating a level of faith in the newspaper's content. The analysis of the full corpus supports previous findings on prevalent themes, source utilization, and the integration of newspapers into society. It appears that newspaper integration began in the second part of the seventeenth century and peaked in the eighteenth century. This corresponds to the increasing popularity of newspapers at the time. Notably, the chroniclers' mentions of newspapers remained consistent in frequency, indicating that newspapers held a similar level of importance despite changes in their content. The research emphasises the importance of chronicles as historical sources for understanding early modern news consumption and views. Given the obstacles faced by historic languages and imperfect transcriptions, it also emphasises the importance of close reading alongside computational tools. In conclusion, this research contributes to the understanding of early modern newspaper reception, emphasizing the trust chroniclers placed in newspapers while acknowledging occasional expressions of doubt. It also provides insights into the limitations and possibilities of computational methods in historical research, emphasizing the remaining importance of close reading.Show less
Young adults are continually confronted with instability and crises, as well as traumatic events at large. Considering that literature, and Young Adult literature specifically, can be seen as a...Show moreYoung adults are continually confronted with instability and crises, as well as traumatic events at large. Considering that literature, and Young Adult literature specifically, can be seen as a reflection of the lived experience, it is expected that the existence of such trauma influences the novels written. The ability of Young Adult literature to reflect the lived experience, and the necessity for it to do so, is also discussed by columnist and author Michael Cart in 2016, literature researcher Bruce Carrick in 2017 and literature studies researcher Amy Elliot in 2015. However, they do not specifically note on the place of trauma in this reflection. This thesis considers how trauma affects the narrator’s voice. To do so, Canadian author Sebastien de Castell’s fantasy Young Adult novels Way of the Argosi and Spellslinger were taken as a case study. Ferius and Kellen, the respective protagonists of the aforementioned novels, are confronted with traumatic experiences, such as torture and genocide. Due to perceived commonalities in the situations of the protagonists, and their communities, to that of Indigenous communities, knowledge of the latter is used to make sense of the former. Similarly, knowledge of the Holocaust was used to contemplate the fictional narrative. Knowledge on trauma in these real world communities was gained from articles by, among others, psychologists Sarah Panofsky et al. (2021) and social worker Elizabeth Fast and psychologist Delphine Collin-Vézina (2010). Due to the influence trauma can have on the lived experience, there was a need for discussing the reliability of the narrator of each novel. As a result, this thesis looked to the articles on unreliable and fallible narrators by religious studies professor Catherine Caufield, published in 2021, and cultural studies researcher Greta Olson, published in 2003. A close reading of the novels found trauma to affect not only the narratorial style, such as through narrative fragmentation, but also the narrator’s reliability and tone of voice. Though the narrators of Way of the Argosi and Spellslinger were not affected similarly in narratorial style, with the former’s narration being more fragmented as opposed to the linear narration of the latter, the tone of voice is comparable. In both cases, there is a clear influence of fear and resentment on the narrator’s voice. The reliability of the respective novels narrators is also similarly fallible, though due to different reasons. The insight provided by the novels to the readers allow for a fostering of understanding between different real-life cultures, histories and life-journeys.Show less
Recent developments in adaptation studies have found influence in poststructuralist studies, and prioritise a non-hierarchical, open approach to adaptations, rather than the previous comparative...Show moreRecent developments in adaptation studies have found influence in poststructuralist studies, and prioritise a non-hierarchical, open approach to adaptations, rather than the previous comparative approaches that determined the framework for adaptation studies. This new perspective, in line with the poststructuralist de-emphasis of the figure of the literary author, diminishes the role of the literary author in the meaning of a literary text. This allows the adaptation to be examined in relation to the adapted text. Which aids the acknowledgement of their interconnection, without discrediting the adaptation, and encourages the examination of the respective cultural and social contexts of the adapted text, and the adaptation. However, images of literary authors return throughout pop culture, even in cinematic adaptations. This thesis is concerned with the portrayal of literary authors in cinematic adaptations of their literary works. In relation to Barthes' 'The Death of the Author' and other theories on literary authorship, this thesis examines the potential function of a representation of the literary author in an adaptation of their literary text.Show less
Sentiment analysis is the method of computationally recognising opinions stated in a piece of text, particularly to identify if the writer has a positive, negative, or neutral attitude towards a...Show moreSentiment analysis is the method of computationally recognising opinions stated in a piece of text, particularly to identify if the writer has a positive, negative, or neutral attitude towards a given topic. Although sentiment analysis is commonly used to analyse short texts on social media platforms, its application in literary research has gained traction in recent years. The emergence of sentiment analysis tools, such as Syuzhet, has notably expanded the research possibilities in this field. However, despite these advancements, there remains a need to further explore and understand the strengths and limitations of sentiment analysis in the context of literary analysis. The aim of this thesis is to further the body of knowledge about the use of sentiment analysis as a technique for plot extraction. Throughout this thesis, I experiment with a modified form of the social media analysis tool VADER. While this method proofs to work as an effective tool for extracting sentiment from linear stories, it still shows limitation on a sentence-to-sentence basis. Moreover, I use this tool to replicate an often-cited study by Reagan et al., where it was stated that the majority of stories can be categorized in six basic ‘plot shapes’. I argue that while most of these shapes can still be identified using an alternative sentiment analysis technique, this technique occasionally classifies a story into a different shape than Reagan et al.’s analysis did. I conclude by giving a critical evaluation of sentiment analysis as a tool for plot extraction. Since the ‘plot’ of a story is a multifaceted concept, we cannot simply argue that a sentiment analysis graph displays the progression of plot. Nonetheless, modifications can be made to get a fuller understanding of the narrative of a story.Show less
In recent decades, our understanding of archives has evolved beyond the familiar, institutional archive carefully tended to by a small group of trained professionals. Movements such as...Show moreIn recent decades, our understanding of archives has evolved beyond the familiar, institutional archive carefully tended to by a small group of trained professionals. Movements such as postcolonialism and postcustodialism, combined with the digital turn, have allowed interest in other, less conventional forms of archiving to emerge. As such, the concept of an archival continuum (that is, the understanding of archives as evolving and participatory systems rather than fixed institutions) has been accepted by archival scholarship. This thesis investigates whether printed family memoirs that incorporate visual material from family archives can be placed along said archival continuum. Four such memoirs – The Hare with Amber Eyes (2010), In Memory of Memory (2018), Heimat: A German Family Album (2018), and Letters to Camondo (2021) – have been selected as case studies by which to examine their potential archival and evidentiary value. Each memoir is a work of postmemory – following Marianne Hirsch, the authors are processing generational trauma passed down as a result of the Holocaust. I argue that it is not only the narratives that lend them archival value, but also their inclusion of archival material. As I will show, understanding published memoirs as archives supports an expanded recognition of non-professional memory work as archival. Importantly, the increased accessibility of published memoirs to a general audience versus that of conventional archives allows for greater interaction with the preserved objects, and so aids in supporting the societal memorialization of the Holocaust. By focusing on the paper editions of the books, I am able to examine the unique benefits and challenges of the printed book as a form of accessible archive and memory object.Show less
The era of Western colonialism and slavery has ended, but racism and discrimination still exist and the privileged position that White people still have in Western society makes it difficult for...Show moreThe era of Western colonialism and slavery has ended, but racism and discrimination still exist and the privileged position that White people still have in Western society makes it difficult for people of colour to trust them, no matter these White people’s often good intentions. Similarly, but also in a more visibly extreme way, the struggle against racism in South Africa did not end with the abolition of Apartheid. Scholars think differently about what the appropriate response would be of White South Africans to their dark history. Should they withdraw in silence and humility? Alternatively, should they play an active role in the future of the country? And how? From her position as a White Dutch woman, Zijlstra has explored the issues of race, identity and progressive change in South African literature. For White South African authors, silence was never an option, but they were nonetheless aware of their ambiguous position. With the analysis of three novels from such authors (Burger’s Daughter (1979) by Nadine Gordimer, The Rights of Desire (2000) by André Brink, and The Promise (2021) by Damon Galgut), this thesis aims to contribute to a nuanced view on both the controversy around the position of well-intentioned White people in a position of privilege, and their possibilities to take responsibility. The theorists who inform the analysis are Michael Rothberg (2019) with his concept of the implicated subject, Melissa Steyn (2001) with her research on the fragmentation of White identity in South Africa after Apartheid, Shannon Sullivan (2006) with her theory on unconscious racial habits, and Zoë Wicomb (2018) with her critical eye on myths of traditional culture and identity, as well as on the responsibility of literary authors.Show less
