Molluscan shell remains are among the most widespread materials to be found at pre-Columbian archaeological sites in the Caribbean. Particularly that of the Queen Conch (Aliger gigas, previously...Show moreMolluscan shell remains are among the most widespread materials to be found at pre-Columbian archaeological sites in the Caribbean. Particularly that of the Queen Conch (Aliger gigas, previously known as Strombus gigas or Lobatus gigas), which became a significant resource for Amerindians throughout the region during the Archaic and formed a central part of many coastal Caribbean economies during the Ceramic. Not only as a source of food, providing plenty of meat, but also for its shell which provided as a handy source material for tools and ornaments. The extraction of meat from the shell of Aliger gigas comes in a variety of techniques, from breaking open the shell, to perforating a part of the shell’s spire to cut the animal loose, to burning the shell, but also to simply let the animal out to dry or decompose. The prevalence of some of these techniques over others is an interesting topic in archaeomalacology that is often overshadowed by tool and ornament manufacture. Perhaps most relevant is the research done by Antczak in the Los Roques archipelago, Venezuela. The ABC-islands, and particularly Curaçao, were particularly reliant on Queen Conch, as a food source as well as a source material for tools. In this thesis, the author examines a sample of Aliger gigas individuals taken from the excavations performed by Leiden University at Spaanse Water, Curaçao, to try and understand which food extraction techniques are still visible in the shell assemblage. Shells are analysed on macro-scale, and visible traces of alteration are recorded using a make-shift typology based on prior research and stored in a database. Results show a clear inclination towards food extraction that leave no mark on the shell (i.e., drying, heating, or decomposing), followed by other techniques such as breaking and perforating. Quantitative conclusions are hard to make, as the sample set is a rather small part of the total Aliger gigas assemblage of Spaanse Water. In any case, the high level of variability in extraction techniques raises questions that might require future research to look at food extraction as a cultural process, not unlike tool and ornament manufacture.Show less
Molluscan shell remains are among the most widespread materials to be found at pre-Columbian archaeological sites in the Caribbean. Particularly that of the Queen Conch (Aliger gigas, previously...Show moreMolluscan shell remains are among the most widespread materials to be found at pre-Columbian archaeological sites in the Caribbean. Particularly that of the Queen Conch (Aliger gigas, previously known as Strombus gigas or Lobatus gigas), which became a significant resource for Amerindians throughout the region during the Archaic and formed a central part of many coastal Caribbean economies during the Ceramic. Not only as a source of food, providing plenty of meat, but also for its shell which provided as a handy source material for tools and ornaments. The extraction of meat from the shell of Aliger gigas comes in a variety of techniques, from breaking open the shell, to perforating a part of the shell’s spire to cut the animal loose, to burning the shell, but also to simply let the animal out to dry or decompose. The prevalence of some of these techniques over others is an interesting topic in archaeomalacology that is often overshadowed by tool and ornament manufacture. Perhaps most relevant is the research done by Antczak in the Los Roques archipelago, Venezuela. The ABC-islands, and particularly Curaçao, were particularly reliant on Queen Conch, as a food source as well as a source material for tools. In this thesis, the author examines a sample of Aliger gigas individuals taken from the excavations performed by Leiden University at Spaanse Water, Curaçao, to try and understand which food extraction techniques are still visible in the shell assemblage. Shells are analysed on macro-scale, and visible traces of alteration are recorded using a make-shift typology based on prior research and stored in a database. Results show a clear inclination towards food extraction that leave no mark on the shell (i.e., drying, heating, or decomposing), followed by other techniques such as breaking and perforating. Quantitative conclusions are hard to make, as the sample set is a rather small part of the total Aliger gigas assemblage of Spaanse Water. In any case, the high level of variability in extraction techniques raises questions that might require future research to look at food extraction as a cultural process, not unlike tool and ornament manufacture.Show less
Partnerships of international environmental organisations (IEOs) and polluters can have positive outcomes for the environment, but they can also result in an organisation greenwashing a polluting...Show morePartnerships of international environmental organisations (IEOs) and polluters can have positive outcomes for the environment, but they can also result in an organisation greenwashing a polluting company. The International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN), a leading IEO, is partnering with the oil giant Royal Dutch Shell, one of the biggest polluters worldwide. This study aims to determine whether the partnership makes a positive contribution to the environment or if the opposite is the case and IUCN is greenwashing Shell. Specifically it investigates the effectiveness of an IUCN–Shell project in the Niger Delta, which aims to improve Shell’s sustainability record in the area. As a result of the project, two reports were published which give recommendations on how to reach this aim. These reports are the substance of this study’s methodology, with a number of hypotheses testing their integrity, whether they had a positive effect and whether the absence of positive effects was criticized by IUCN. Methods which test the hypotheses are a summative content analysis, evaluating the content – and process-tracing, assessing the effects of the reports. The results showed that IUCN is greenwashing Shell, as the reports are biased, not transparent and the authors not independent. Furthermore, there was determined only a minor process and a lack of criticism by IUCN to Shell’s poor behaviour. The outcome of the study questions not only the legitimacy of IUCN as an IEO but also the overall system of global environmental governance in which these organisations operate and are entrusted with effecting a meaningful impact for the environment.Show less
Despite decades of extensive oil extraction, the inhabitants of the Niger Delta remain very poor. This thesis addresses this issue by questioning the role that Shell plays in the Niger Delta. In...Show moreDespite decades of extensive oil extraction, the inhabitants of the Niger Delta remain very poor. This thesis addresses this issue by questioning the role that Shell plays in the Niger Delta. In order to do so, Shell is related to five common negative practices of multinational presence: not taking care of the environment, social conditions and labour rights as well as contributing to corruption and conflict. After explaining the wider system of neocolonialism that Nigerian people are subjected to, it is stated that Shell is an active player in this system. Shell is involved with all five practices and this phenomenon is explained by referring to dependency theory and world-system theory.Show less
