In this thesis about the connection between political identity and protest movements, I use Hong Kong as the main case study, due to the interesting political nature and history of Hong Kong. The...Show moreIn this thesis about the connection between political identity and protest movements, I use Hong Kong as the main case study, due to the interesting political nature and history of Hong Kong. The fact that protest movements have continued to take place over an extended period and only grown in size and number, makes Hong Kong and the way the political identity of its people has been shaped, an opportunity to understand the connection between political identity and protest movement in a case as complex as Hong Kong.Show less
This thesis offers a close reading of Yaa Gyasi’s historical fiction novel Homegoing, which is set from roughly the eighteenth century until the end of the twentieth century. It explores identity...Show moreThis thesis offers a close reading of Yaa Gyasi’s historical fiction novel Homegoing, which is set from roughly the eighteenth century until the end of the twentieth century. It explores identity theories of double consciousness, the white gaze, and generational trauma to examine how historical events have affected the identity of the characters in the American narrative. This essay also underscores how the novel depicts the effects of systemic racism on African American identity. It concludes that the characters' struggle with identification is tied to the loss of their ancestry, which forces them to forge a new culture and identity. Marcus, the final character of the novel, heals the trauma inflicted on his lineage by returning to his ancestral home.Show less
This thesis uses a comparative analysis to determine whether the underlying strategies that China employs in their propaganda efforts in regards to Taiwan during the modern age of social media and...Show moreThis thesis uses a comparative analysis to determine whether the underlying strategies that China employs in their propaganda efforts in regards to Taiwan during the modern age of social media and the internet are the same as the strategies that were employed in this field in the era between the defeat of the KMT in China and the invention of social media.Show less
In 2004, an excavation of a tumulus in Rembeç, Albania, uncovered several small metal finds. The finds mainly consist of earrings, rings, buckles, beads and knives, which are generally dated...Show moreIn 2004, an excavation of a tumulus in Rembeç, Albania, uncovered several small metal finds. The finds mainly consist of earrings, rings, buckles, beads and knives, which are generally dated between the 7th and 9th century based on the ceramic goods from the same archaeological context. By comparing these metal items to other similar finds from the southern Balkan and Greece, I have determined that the finds likely hold a Slavic connection. The earrings are similar to earrings found in Croatia, Bulgaria and along the Pindus mountains, reaching into southern Albania and Greece. One ring type found at Rembeç is similar to a set of rings from a female grave from the Slavic cemetery in Argolis, Greece, but the ring type was also found in Central European female Slavic graves. What makes the locations of the items similar to Rembeç’s metal finds so interesting, is that they all in some manner relate to the movement of Slavic groups. The Slavs had close connections with the Avars who moved into Croatia, and the Bulgars. These connections may have led to the development of a similar jewellery style which the Slavs then spread during their migration into Albania and Greece. Specifically the finds along the Pinuds mountains and in Argolis illustrate how Slavic groups may have moved along the mountain range, reaching locations like Rembeç, Rehova and Përmet in Albania, but also Evrytania, Phtiotis and Argolis in Greece. Here, they may have either settled, or traded the Slavic earrings with local populations. My research concerns itself with the concept of “identity creation”, which can be illustrated by the spread of these finds. Slavic influence at Rembeç is highly likely, but this does not have to include a permanent Slavic presence. It can also illustrate how those who used these items placed a certain value on these items, using them to communicate their sense of “self” to those around them. These people buried at Rembeç used these “Slavic” items to construct their identity, and in doing so they became an intrinsic part of their outward presentation that they were included as grave goods after their deaths.Show less
Out of the many examples that contribute to the global rise in right-wing extremist sentiments, Malaysia cannot be excluded. Malaysia is known as a multi-ethnic and culturally diverse nation....Show moreOut of the many examples that contribute to the global rise in right-wing extremist sentiments, Malaysia cannot be excluded. Malaysia is known as a multi-ethnic and culturally diverse nation. However, this public identity is in contrast with the political reality of Malaysia. This multi-ethnicity comes paired with ethnic segregation, where political parties only represent their ‘own’ ethnicity and their ‘own’ people. Though the ethnic Malay community is the most privileged in the country, politicians spread the idea that the ethnic Malays are under a constant threat of marginalization by ethnic minorities. To take this a step further, the privileged position of the ethnic Malay community is protected through the Constitution, resulting in the exclusion of ethnic minorities from political and public spheres. Advocating for ethnic equality and inclusive politics is considered to be going against the Constitution and is taken as a direct attempt at subordinating the Malay community. This has resulted in far-right sentiments surrounding the position of the Malay community vis-àvis the ethnic minorities. In this context, this paper analyses how institutionalized practices of ethnic segregation in Malaysia have created an environment of right-wing extremism.Show less
Master thesis | Cultural Anthropology and Development Sociology (MSc)
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This thesis explores the presentation of digital identity within a digital social space through a two-month case study of practices on a platform that has not yet been extensively researched, and...Show moreThis thesis explores the presentation of digital identity within a digital social space through a two-month case study of practices on a platform that has not yet been extensively researched, and furthermore, that has been subject to incredible growth in the past few years, Twitch. By analyzing the way the audience presents itself within the chat, and furthermore, by asking viewers directly about their experience and practices within the chat of several different live streaming channels, this thesis looks at how we can understand the phenomenon of how people present themselves and experience their identity within this setting, by showing how perceptions, strategies, and challenges of viewers influence this process.Show less
This thesis offers a close reading of Yaa Gyasi’s historical fiction novel Homegoing, which is set from roughly the eighteenth century until the end of the twentieth century. It explores identity...Show moreThis thesis offers a close reading of Yaa Gyasi’s historical fiction novel Homegoing, which is set from roughly the eighteenth century until the end of the twentieth century. It explores identity theories of double consciousness, the white gaze, and generational trauma to examine how historical events have affected the identity of the characters in the American narrative. This essay also underscores how the novel depicts the effects of systemic racism on African American identity. It concludes that the characters' struggle with identification is tied to the loss of their ancestry, which forces them to forge a new culture and identity. Marcus, the final character of the novel, heals the trauma inflicted on his lineage by returning to his ancestral home.Show less
This thesis offers a close reading of Yaa Gyasi’s historical fiction novel Homegoing, which is set from roughly the eighteenth century until the end of the twentieth century. It explores identity...Show moreThis thesis offers a close reading of Yaa Gyasi’s historical fiction novel Homegoing, which is set from roughly the eighteenth century until the end of the twentieth century. It explores identity theories of double consciousness, the white gaze, and generational trauma to examine how historical events have affected the identity of the characters in the American narrative. This essay also underscores how the novel depicts the effects of systemic racism on African American identity. It concludes that the characters' struggle with identification is tied to the loss of their ancestry, which forces them to forge a new culture and identity. Marcus, the final character of the novel, heals the trauma inflicted on his lineage by returning to his ancestral home.Show less
This thesis offers a close reading of Yaa Gyasi’s historical fiction novel Homegoing, which is set from roughly the eighteenth century until the end of the twentieth century. It explores identity...Show moreThis thesis offers a close reading of Yaa Gyasi’s historical fiction novel Homegoing, which is set from roughly the eighteenth century until the end of the twentieth century. It explores identity theories of double consciousness, the white gaze, and generational trauma to examine how historical events have affected the identity of the characters in the American narrative. This essay also underscores how the novel depicts the effects of systemic racism on African American identity. It concludes that the characters' struggle with identification is tied to the loss of their ancestry, which forces them to forge a new culture and identity. Marcus, the final character of the novel, heals the trauma inflicted on his lineage by returning to his ancestral home.Show less
Roughly from the beginning of the common era and the late fourth century, the area that now makes up the Netherlands functioned as a frontier zone of the Roman Empire. Its border was the Rhine,...Show moreRoughly from the beginning of the common era and the late fourth century, the area that now makes up the Netherlands functioned as a frontier zone of the Roman Empire. Its border was the Rhine, with the South of the river the territories under Roman rule, while the area to the North was part of an area called Germania by the Romans. The current North-Western Netherlands, consisting of the provinces of Noord-Holland, Friesland and partly Groningen, was the living area of a Germanic people or tribe named the Frisii. For a long time, local peoples at the borders of the Roman Empire have been regarded as a matter of secondary importance in not only the archaeology of the Roman Period but also in the museum context. While various reasoning lay at the basis of this, a crucial factor is the early 19th century concept of romanisation, which disregarded autonomy, authority, and self-identification of those who have been ascribed to the Germanic peoples over ‘being Roman’. In this thesis, as a focused case in the context of the previously mentioned, an exploration is made of the representation of the Frisii. Two questions stand central in this: ▪ How are the Frisii represented in museums in the North-Western Netherlands? ▪ Why are the Frisii (not) represented? These main research questions are subsequently divided into a set of sub-questions, focussing on various aspects of the representations. The study was conducted by analysing three different museums: The Rijksmuseum van Oudheden (RMO) in Leiden, Huis van Hilde museum (HvH) in Castricum, and Archeologisch Museum Baduhenna (AMB) in Heiloo. As the living area of the Frisii has been ascribed to both the western and northern Netherlands and the study focuses on the western area, the Fries Museum (FM) in Leeuwarden was chosen as a comparative case study location. These locations were subjected to a thorough investigation, consisting of exhibition and (online) content analyses. Literature research on the background contexts and interviews with professionals from some of the organisations were conducted additionally. The reasoning for the latter was to better understand the motives behind (not)representing the Frisii and the here for chosen methods. As the study indicated, the representation of the Frisii at these locations varied in presentation methods and communicated narratives, underlining different approaches to Roman history, including Roman-centred, presented perspectives versus more autonomous ones. Various motives to represent the Frisii were identified, including the formation of regional identity and the substantiation of national history frames. In this, various forms of archaeological representations, didactic and non-didactic, are used to bring forth the presented narratives. In addition to these (re)presentations, a disarray of terminology was identified and discussed. This study explores all the issues previously mentioned and hopes to create a starting point for critically analysing the representation of local or ‘Germanic’ peoples in the Dutch Museum context, working towards the (re)presentation of a more inclusive Roman history of the Netherlands to the museum public.Show less
A socio-historical, comparative curriculum study in both time (1945-2010s) and space (France, Italy, Luxembourg and the Netherlands) concerning the representation of European identity in two types...Show moreA socio-historical, comparative curriculum study in both time (1945-2010s) and space (France, Italy, Luxembourg and the Netherlands) concerning the representation of European identity in two types of secondary school curricula: the formal curricula of these four Western European countries and the so-called 'ideological curricula' consisting out of international recommendations from the Council of Europe and UNESCO. The starting point of the research is that a majority of citizens in the European Union consider themselves to feel 'European' in one way or another according to Eurobarometer surveys. The thesis further explores the relationship with curriculum reforms and international educational organisations since 1945. The idea of having complementary, international forms of identity and citizenship requires the increase of international understanding among citizens over time. Meanwhile, fostering international understanding has generally been the main purpose of UNESCO. Curriculum construction is a comprehensive, unfathomable process, but the four cases of formal curricula demonstrate the rise of a global scope in history education throughout the decades. The thesis suggests that education can be understood as a gearwheel accelerating the processes of European integration that were already in place.Show less
The long-standing relationship between Turkey and the EU has cooled considerably over the past decade. Due to its geopolitical importance in various areas – including the fields of security,...Show moreThe long-standing relationship between Turkey and the EU has cooled considerably over the past decade. Due to its geopolitical importance in various areas – including the fields of security, migration, and trade – the developments of the Turkey-EU relations are closely followed by experts. This thesis aims to determine what factors have contributed to post-2011 Turkey-EU tensions. It is convinced that relying upon events alone is not sufficient to understand the key dynamics of Turkey-EU tensions and to answer the research question. Specifically, it investigates how the notion of identity – as an angle within constructivism theory - played a role in the rise of right-wing populism and Islamophobia in Western Europe, the rise of political Islam in Turkey, the EU accession process, and it also scrutinizes the role of identity independently. To answer the research question, secondary data was collected through qualitative and quantitative research methods. Primary data was collected through one-on-one interviews with both Turkish and European participants. Responses were analyzed using critical discourse analysis (CDA). The results show a strong correlation between ‘‘Self’’ vs. ‘‘Other’’ sentiments - as prevalent in Turkey-EU tensions - and identity. On this basis, both Turkey and the EU seem to find themselves in an identity crisis that they both reflect upon the ‘‘Other’’ to safeguard their own identity. These results suggest that developments such as the rise of right-wing populism and Islamophobia in Western Europe and the rise of political Islam in Turkey, each contributing to mutual tensions, are products of a contemporary identity dilemma.Show less
Donald Trump has frequently been labelled an idiosyncratic aberration and has equally been accused of breaking with American foreign policy tradition. However, by applying the foreign policy...Show moreDonald Trump has frequently been labelled an idiosyncratic aberration and has equally been accused of breaking with American foreign policy tradition. However, by applying the foreign policy traditions uncovered by Mead (Wilsonianism, Hamiltonianism, Jeffersonianism and Jacksonianism), scholars began arguing that Trump was perfectly traditional because he adhered to one or more of these historic traditions. Simultaneously, scholars argued that Trump rejected the myth of American exceptionalism that informs said traditions. This begs the question of how one can be traditional, yet also reject their foundational myth. Scholars had failed to consider these two facets in tandem, and had only focussed on Trump’s campaign and early presidency therefore failing to provide a prudent analysis of Trump’s entire foreign policy. This thesis aimed to rectified both by asking the following question: how has Trump’s re-interpretation of American exceptionalism influenced the utilisation of the dominant traditions in American foreign policy in his foreign policy discourse? Through the use of a critical geopolitical analysis, it was uncovered that Trump redefined American exceptionalism to an conditional state of objective greatness that only he could achieve and maintain, rather than an inherent trait. This allowed him to argue that his predecessors had made America unexceptional, stirring feelings of betrayal that he could then mobilise for his own political gain. This demagogic ‘exceptional me 2.0’ strategy shaped his application of all the four traditions wherein he blames Wilsonianism for American decline and aims to rally disappointed Hamiltonians, Jeffersonians and Jacksonians against them in order to effectuate a great reset of American foreign policy and domestic politics.Show less
This thesis focuses on the ways in which the linguistic choices of drag queens can play a role in their identity performance. Transcripts from season nine of the television show RuPaul’s Drag Race...Show moreThis thesis focuses on the ways in which the linguistic choices of drag queens can play a role in their identity performance. Transcripts from season nine of the television show RuPaul’s Drag Race were analysed in order to determine what lexical and grammatical features were more common among drag queens on this show than in general English conversation. The pervasive features of their language were then considered in their context to see how these features could possibly relate to the construction and performance of identity. The results show that the language of drag queens can be seen as drawing attention to one’s own personality and identity as a drag performer and as imitating stereotypically female ways of using language. In addition, the language of drag queens contains a strong emphasis on collective identity as a subgroup within the broader LGBTQ+ community.Show less
With the adoption of the European Union Global Strategy in 2016 the EU renewed its quest for attaining strategic autonomy. However, the EU document did not specify what would constitute European...Show moreWith the adoption of the European Union Global Strategy in 2016 the EU renewed its quest for attaining strategic autonomy. However, the EU document did not specify what would constitute European strategic autonomy (ESA), so, as is the case with the EU’s external policies, the national perspectives of Member States are its obvious basis. Historically, the Netherlands has been an obstructionist when it came to European security and defence integration due to its Atlanticist position, begging the question: how is European strategic autonomy represented in Dutch politics? To understand the Dutch perspective and positioning regarding ESA, this thesis drew from the field of Critical Geopolitics, conducting an interpretive-explanatory research employing discourse analysis by analysing statements made by party representatives in the Tweede Kamer during the period of 2016-2021. Three distinct schools of thought underpinning the representations of ESA in the Dutch debate. The Sovereigntists are Eurosceptics who present ESA as an attempt to establish a European army and a threat to national sovereignty. The Europeanists actively champion ESA and envision it as an emancipatory project to make the EU able to act independently of the US because it is an increasingly unreliable ally. The Atlanticists present ESA as an opportunity to take responsibility within NATO and improve burden-sharing with the US. This thesis found that the Dutch debate regarding European security policy has substantially Europeanised. While the Atlanticists are still cautious, they no longer take an active obstructionist position, instead adopting Europeanist talking-points from the 90s. Considering this Europeanist momentum, there is potential for the Netherlands to become an active and serious promotor of ambitious European security commitments.Show less
