This thesis provides a comprehensive exploration of the anarchistic perspective on the seminal event known as the Kronstadt uprising in 1921, widely acknowledged as one of the pivotal anti...Show moreThis thesis provides a comprehensive exploration of the anarchistic perspective on the seminal event known as the Kronstadt uprising in 1921, widely acknowledged as one of the pivotal anti-Bolshevik movements in the aftermath of the Russian Revolution. The research delves into the evolution and significance of anarchistic discourses, scrutinizing a diverse assortment of primary sources such as seminal book publications and contemporary newspaper issues. The objective is to unfold and dissect the layered perceptions and narratives, contributing to a deeper, multi-faceted understanding of this historical event within the context of anarchistic ideology.Show less
Karel Schoeman (26 October 1939 – 1 May 2017) was one of South Africa’s most prolific writers. His idiosyncratic style contributed to a unique form of authorship. Schoeman’s novels were awarded...Show moreKarel Schoeman (26 October 1939 – 1 May 2017) was one of South Africa’s most prolific writers. His idiosyncratic style contributed to a unique form of authorship. Schoeman’s novels were awarded with many prizes and the output of his historical work is unsurpassed. His status however remains relatively unknown in the world outside South Africa. This can be attributed mainly to the fact that most of his work is written in Afrikaans. Schoeman was raised in three languages. His first language was Dutch, which was spoken at home with his mother. Afrikaans was his second and English his third language. His first unpublished novels were in Dutch and English. From his early twenties on he wrote predominantly in Afrikaans. A decade later he distanced himself from the Afrikaner part of the community. This raises the social-linguistic problem of how it is possible for an author to deeply engage in a language and at the same time not be part of its social group. This matter will be discussed in paragraph two where the course of Schoeman’s life and his attraction and aversion concerning the Afrikaners can be followed and in paragraph four which deals with Schoeman’s creative writing. Schoeman’s work has been the subject of several articles, reviews and theses; many of them are of South African origin. A thesis that investigates the problem posed above has not been written yet.Show less
This thesis is primarily a study of George Baldwin (1743/4-1824), a British merchant and diplomat, and his efforts in developing an overland route through Egypt in the last decades of the...Show moreThis thesis is primarily a study of George Baldwin (1743/4-1824), a British merchant and diplomat, and his efforts in developing an overland route through Egypt in the last decades of the eighteenth century. The significance of the Egyptian overland route in this period has often been overlooked when compared to the later overland mail established by Thomas Waghorn in the 1830s and the Suez Canal. This thesis will provide a reassessment of the overland route’s commercial and geopolitical significance to the British Empire during the period of George Baldwin’s two residencies in Egypt; first as a merchant (1775-1779) and then as the first British Consul-General to Egypt (1786-1798). The growing realisation of the route’s strategic significance by British policymakers, like Henry Dundas, predates the Napoleonic Expedition and will be examined in relation to Baldwin’s consular appointment in 1786. The commercial value of the route will be assessed by looking at the private trade of Baldwin and his associates during both residencies and is something that casts doubt on the traditional view that the Middle East experienced commercial decline in this period. Most significantly, this thesis will focus on the strategic importance of the route to the British position in India. The significance of Egypt increased as the East India Company transitioned into a territorial power in 1770s and 1780s. This meant that Baldwin’s role was a strategic necessity; something shown by a series of case studies on the sieges of Pondicherry in 1778 and 1793 as well as the transfer of Ceylon to the British in 1796.Show less
Casa do Fernandez or Ilojo Bar was a National Monument in the heart of Lagos Island, Nigeria. It was built by the returnees who came back from Brazil to Africa, the homeland that the Transatlantic...Show moreCasa do Fernandez or Ilojo Bar was a National Monument in the heart of Lagos Island, Nigeria. It was built by the returnees who came back from Brazil to Africa, the homeland that the Transatlantic Slave Trade had taken their forefathers away from. Although it was a National Monument and should have been protected under Nigerian heritage law, it was illegally demolished on 11 September 2016. How could this prime example of Brazilian-style architecture have been destroyed in broad daylight? This thesis uses Casa do Fernandez as a case study to explore the challenges of preserving built heritage in Nigeria. In the process, it tries to figure out why there is so little knowledge about the history of a building declared a National Monument over sixty years ago. The story of the monument turns out to be different than always assumed. After researching the building’s history, the focus is turned to heritage: the way the present interacts with the past. Could the way Casa do Fernandez has been defined as heritage have something to do with its sad end? The thesis argues that the rigid definition of Casa do Fernandez as strictly Afro-Brazilian heritage detached the site of its cultural meaning to other groups in society and sowed the seeds of the eventual demise of the National Monument. It is a plea for a wider and more inclusive interpretation of this heritage-site in particular and of heritage in general.Show less
This thesis analyses the forms, content, networks and function of Uzbekistani representations of Temurid figures, namely Amir Temur and Alisher Navoiy, across the Soviet and post-Soviet (Karimovian...Show moreThis thesis analyses the forms, content, networks and function of Uzbekistani representations of Temurid figures, namely Amir Temur and Alisher Navoiy, across the Soviet and post-Soviet (Karimovian and Mirziyoyevian) eras in order to assess the degree of change and continuity in these components across time and the reasons for said change and continuity. After an introduction, an explanation of the methodology and a literature review related to the state of affairs in Central Asian Studies, and English and Russian scholarship on Uzbekistani nation-building and Temurid figures, there are three chapters. Chapter 1 provides an overview of the early Soviet nation-building project in Uzbekistan (1920s-1940s) and the relationship of Alisher Navoiy and Amir Temur to this in the context of Soviet ethnogenesis and historiography. It also analyses the failed attempt at the rehabilitation of Temur in the 1960s due to said historiography and analysing the late Soviet context which laid the foundation for post-independence nation-building in which Temur and Navoiy have played an integral role. Chapter 2 examines the context of Uzbekistan’s newfound independence from 1991 onwards before taking a case study of the 1996 celebrations linked to Amir Temur’s 660th anniversary in 1996, analysing decrees, speeches, the use of public space, and a literary publication related to this anniversary and the relationship of a rehabilitated Amir Temur in particular to state legitimisation and nation-building in the Karimovian era. It finds that an Uzbekified and "Universalised" Temur was a key image in the domestic and international legitimisation of early post-Soviet rule. Chapter 3 turns to Shavkat Mirziyoyev’s presidency (2016-present), examining the context of this political and historical crossroads in post-independence Uzbekistan before turning to a case study of the 2021 celebrations of Alisher Navoiy’s 580th anniversary, looking at decrees and associated actions as well as an online forum from the British-Uzbek Society. It is argued that cultural diplomacy is seen as a way of domestically and internationally rebranding Uzbekistan in the post-Karimovian era, though the structure of the cultural diplomacy betrays deeper tendencies toward continuity.Show less
Peru faces problems in evenly distributing its water sources amongst regions and stakeholders, resulting in a lack of access to water near the coast and in the Andes. These problems of scarcity are...Show morePeru faces problems in evenly distributing its water sources amongst regions and stakeholders, resulting in a lack of access to water near the coast and in the Andes. These problems of scarcity are worsened by a growing Peruvian population and processes of urbanization, while water resources are distributed unevenly between Peru's three main geographical regions: 'la costa', 'la selva' and 'la sierra'. In order to combat these problems, the Peruvian government proposed and implemented a new water law in 2009: la Ley de los Recursos Hídricos 29338. This thesis evaluates the results of this water law and uses the active mining region of Cajamarca as a case study to evaluate the law. We find that the new water law provides a basis for a better integrated organization of water management through new institutions and organizations. However, its contents are ambiguous and leave room for neoliberal interpretations, which consolidates the power of the agro and mining sectors in the distribution of water sources in Peru.Show less
This thesis summarises the actions included in Ecuadorian governmental programmes concerning oil extractivism on the territories of indigenous communities. Moreover, it identifies the different...Show moreThis thesis summarises the actions included in Ecuadorian governmental programmes concerning oil extractivism on the territories of indigenous communities. Moreover, it identifies the different approach of the indigenous communities towards the land they live on, versus the economically driven approach of the government. As the indigenous population is significant in Ecuador, the government had (and has) no choice but to take their requests regarding the conservation of nature into account. By examining the reaction of the indigenous people following proposals for rules and regulation concerning extractive activities and the conservation of indigenous occupied land, one can be able to understand how the indigenous people perceive extractivism. It is important to try to understand whether the indigenous population perceive extractivism as a ‘resource curse’ or as a ‘resource blessing’.Show less
In deze scriptie zal worden geprobeerd een antwoord te geven op de vraag wat voor gewone mensen nou écht de belangrijkste thema’s uit de nazi-ideologie waren. Met andere woorden; Waarom voelden...Show moreIn deze scriptie zal worden geprobeerd een antwoord te geven op de vraag wat voor gewone mensen nou écht de belangrijkste thema’s uit de nazi-ideologie waren. Met andere woorden; Waarom voelden mensen zich aangetrokken tot de NSDAP? Daar zal worden getracht in deze scriptie een antwoord op te geven. Om antwoord te kunnen geven op deze vraag is gebruik gemaakt van de zogenaamde Abel Papers. In 1934 deelde de Amerikaanse socioloog Theodore Abel, met toestemming van de NSDAP in totaal 400 Reichsmark prijzengeld uit aan diegenen die vóór 1 maart 1933 lid waren geworden van de NSDAP, en het best een essay konden schrijven over hun levensloop en motivaties om lid te worden van de partij. Dit resulteerde erin dat maar liefst 683 brieven werden opgestuurd, bronnenmateriaal dat nog steeds één van de mooiste inzichten biedt in de identiteiten en motivaties van doodnormale NSDAP-leden. In deze essays schreven de NSDAP-leden uitgebreid over onder andere hun achtergrond, werkervaringen, economische omstandigheden, politieke visies en hun beeld van de recente Duitse geschiedenis. De respondenten die deelnamen aan de prijswedstrijd vertelden vooral ook hoe ze bij de NSDAP terecht waren gekomen. Daarmee bieden de essays een unieke bron in het onderzoek naar de beweegredenen van mensen om lid te worden van de NSDAP.Show less
Deze scriptie plaatst de Ierse onafhankelijkheidsoorlog in een koloniale context om zo te bepalen in hoeverre Ierland gezien kan worden als een kolonie.
Is de verkiezing van Cristina Kirchner gebaseerd op het succes van haar man? Die vraag staat centraal in deze thesis. Er wordt aan de hand van verschillende factoren geanalyseerd in hoeverre de...Show moreIs de verkiezing van Cristina Kirchner gebaseerd op het succes van haar man? Die vraag staat centraal in deze thesis. Er wordt aan de hand van verschillende factoren geanalyseerd in hoeverre de verkiezing van zijn echtgenote gestoeld is op zijn presidentschap.Show less
This thesis focuses on the question how literary writers intervened in the debates about the nature and history of the GDR in the period following unification by publishing their autobiographies ...Show moreThis thesis focuses on the question how literary writers intervened in the debates about the nature and history of the GDR in the period following unification by publishing their autobiographies (1990-1997). The examination of four writers’ autobiographies by separating their epistemic, moral and political relations to the past, while also considering the emotions expressed in them, reveals the underlying, leading arguments in these texts by shedding light on individual, implicit claims. The writers took varying but concrete stances in the debates. The perspective of the writers' relations to the past reveals their arguments and demonstrates that these were primarily based on epistemic and moral claims instead of on direct political suggestions. It shows the variety of the writers' 'political' arguments and explains in which ways the writers made political points or took a stance in these texts, namely by (epistemically) explaining or showing and by (morally) judging, ridiculing or lamenting certain aspects of their lives, thus differentiating the ‘political’ nature of the interventions and the strategies to convey these. Moreover, the thesis' approach reveals and explains the texts' contradictions. These inconsistencies reveal the issues in which the writers' present interpretations cannot be applied to the construction of their pasts, demonstrating where these ‘weak points’ lie and that autobiographies are not as free as fiction. The analysis furthermore reveals strong correlations between the autobiographies’ styles and conceptualisations. Overall, the thesis complements historiography in various ways. For one, it proves the value of studying the autobiographies of literary writers, of whom other scholars of autobiography assumed that they could easily frame their lives around their art and hold back on political questions. The historical approach furthermore contradicts and complements interpretations by literary scholars. It is original in its use of the perspective of relations to the past in combination with comparing expressed emotions in the texts. Ultimately, this analysis sheds light on the ways in which individuals can deal with historical changes impacting not only their present, but also their past lives.Show less
Nkrumah werd in het begin van zijn regeerperiode gezien als grote held, maar werd uiteindelijk afgezet vanwege zijn dictatoriale bewind. Ergens ging het mis. Of zaten de dictatoriale neigingen er...Show moreNkrumah werd in het begin van zijn regeerperiode gezien als grote held, maar werd uiteindelijk afgezet vanwege zijn dictatoriale bewind. Ergens ging het mis. Of zaten de dictatoriale neigingen er altijd al in?Show less
The Tarikh-i Alfi or “History of One Thousand Years- a Millennium” was commissioned by the Mughal Emperor Akbar in the year 990/1582. The task was to compile a history of the world from the death...Show moreThe Tarikh-i Alfi or “History of One Thousand Years- a Millennium” was commissioned by the Mughal Emperor Akbar in the year 990/1582. The task was to compile a history of the world from the death of Prophet Muhammad in 632 C.E down to Akbar’s reign and it was undertaken by a group of well-known scholars of his court. The book was to commemorate the completion of the first Islamic millennium, which occurred in 1592. It was designed to be superior in scope and contents over all other historical works that had been ever compiled. It was planned to include the history of all Muslim rulers from the day the Prophet passed away, to analyzing reasons of their rise and fall. Nonetheless, it was not limited to Muslim rulers, but also encompassed all other people, who came in contact with them. Hence, this makes the book more than simply a history of Mughals, Muslim rulers, or a certain region, but rather the history of the world for the one thousand years from 632 till 1592.Show less
In this BA-thesis, the publications of the pretender to the Portugese throne, Dom António, prior of Crato (1531-1595) published in the Netherlands between 1582 and 1585 are analysed (Corte...Show moreIn this BA-thesis, the publications of the pretender to the Portugese throne, Dom António, prior of Crato (1531-1595) published in the Netherlands between 1582 and 1585 are analysed (Corte Verklaeringe, 1582; Maatregelen, 1583 and Justificatie, 1585). The publications are compared to the propaganda of the Dutch Revolt, especially with those of William of Orange. The use of the motif of the "Black Legend", anti-spanish propaganda which saw much use during the Dutch Revolt, is also studied. Concluded is that there were contacts between Orange's chief propagandist Villiers and representatives of Dom António. In his publications, Dom António tried to model his persona and propaganda to that of William of Orange.Show less
