The versatility of palm oil makes it a demanded global commodity. Almost every product that we use in daily life contains palm oil. However, as palm oil plantations are mostly located in Southeast...Show moreThe versatility of palm oil makes it a demanded global commodity. Almost every product that we use in daily life contains palm oil. However, as palm oil plantations are mostly located in Southeast Asia’s biodiversity-rich forests, their contribution to massive deforestation has resulted in protests from the international community. As the palm oil industry is also dominated by big corporations, the global demand for palm oil incentivizes the needs for plantation expansions. Despite its adverse environmental impact, the land for plantations incrementally expands every year. Although regulations and policies to control land use for plantations have been enforced, there has been little evidence showing the decrease of land use for palm oil plantations. The patronage democracy, as a key feature of Indonesian politics, enhances incentive favouring the economic interest of business actors. With Indonesia’s democratisation, a pervasive patron-client relationship bolsters the ties between district governors (politicians) and palm oil companies (business), especially since decentralisation in which local governments are responsible for a large part of their own budget. Subsequently, it poses the question: how does patronage democracy halt the effort to combat corruption of palm oil land deals in Kalimantan? From 2 corruption cases of district head’s corruption in Gunung Mas and Seruyan district in Central Kalimantan, this research examines the creation of a system deriving from patronage democracy that halts the effort to combat corruption of palm oil land deals.Show less
Indonesia has been regarded as a prospective candidate to great power status. However, because these propositions typically build on assessments from realist theory, they overemphasize a country’s...Show moreIndonesia has been regarded as a prospective candidate to great power status. However, because these propositions typically build on assessments from realist theory, they overemphasize a country’s material capabilities (e.g. territory, GDP, and size of population) while overlooking other relevant components of status formation. In analysing power status through the lens of identity and behavioural approaches, this thesis considers the role of a country’s international relations in status change, and assesses how Indonesia’s conduct in foreign affairs affects the country’s prospects of emergence. Considering that great powers are increasingly enacting geopolitical strategies it could be expected that, as a prospective ascendant, Indonesia would follow similar procedures. Yet, the country has not only refrained itself from adopting a realist stance, it has prioritised a hedging strategy based on multilateral cooperation with regional and major powers, one that uses ASEAN as the primary vehicle for maintaining Southeast Asian security and stability. As this thesis identifies, Indonesia’s behaviour in international relations therefore does not depict any of the major motives that are expected to drive great powers to adopt realist procedures, namely: seeking greater status acquisition, and conforming to the pressure of global trends. Nevertheless, this does not necessarily imply that Indonesia is disinterested in upgrading its international ranking, nor that the country is unlikely to emerge. Rather, it poses the possibility that Indonesia may rise in ways considered atypical to Western interpretations, and achieve a hybrid power status position that incorporates elements of middle and great power states.Show less
History education has often been a topic of discussion and debate in the Netherlands. Many have argued that the dark pages of Dutch history are not sufficiently brought to attention in history...Show moreHistory education has often been a topic of discussion and debate in the Netherlands. Many have argued that the dark pages of Dutch history are not sufficiently brought to attention in history education and learning materials. This thesis aims to find out how Dutch colonial history is represented in Dutch secondary education learning materials. Through an analysis of several high school history textbooks, it became clear that there are quite a few issues when it comes to the representations of Dutch colonial history. In short, the books pay too little attention to the topic, contain Eurocentric and one-sided narratives, biased language use and they rarely engage in current public debates around colonial history. A questionnaire was also conducted among high school students to discover how extensive their knowledge on Dutch colonialism is, and to get an insight on their opinions and perspectives regarding that history. The questionairre revealed that there are significant gaps in the students’ knowledge about Dutch colonialism. While the newer editions of the textbooks showed some improvements, the learning materials still have a long way to go.Show less
This thesis studies a series concerning the portrayal of Indonesian cuisine: the photo series ‘Indonesian Culinary Photography’ by The Goethe-Institut in Jakarta. It looks at food identity, the...Show moreThis thesis studies a series concerning the portrayal of Indonesian cuisine: the photo series ‘Indonesian Culinary Photography’ by The Goethe-Institut in Jakarta. It looks at food identity, the visualization of taste and smell by word and image, and food identity's place within Indonesia's national narrative.Show less
