Media power, multiculturalism, and representation are closely related. This thesis analyses how the media portrayed multiculturalism in Schilderswijk between 1970 and 1990. This period offers...Show moreMedia power, multiculturalism, and representation are closely related. This thesis analyses how the media portrayed multiculturalism in Schilderswijk between 1970 and 1990. This period offers insight into the influx of diversity into the Netherlands and the emergence of multicultural neighborhoods, like the Schilderswijk. Academic literature on multicultural frameworks in the media reveals forms of media power as; social integration, political debate, and immigrant rejection. Various theories regarding media power are used as a basis for this thesis. In this study, a discourse analysis is conducted based on newspaper bias regarding three cases: Boarding house Riots (06/06/1969), Housing education (07/07/1971), and The First Hindu School in the Netherlands (08/08/1988).Show less
Dating violence is increasingly becoming a problem in South Korea, however little research has been done into how the issue is represented in the media. Using narrative theory, this research looks...Show moreDating violence is increasingly becoming a problem in South Korea, however little research has been done into how the issue is represented in the media. Using narrative theory, this research looks at representations of the issue of dating violence in South Korean investigative journalism programs. Both the informative content as well as the entertainment elements present in the programs are taken into account. It finds that all seven broadcasts analyzed describe dating violence as a social issue that needs to get the attention of the public, the programs hereby challenge the common perception that dating violence is a private issue. The content of the programs revolves around four key themes: serious problem, institutional failure, the victim, the perpetrator. The representations of the issue on the basis of these themes are found to promote both positive as well as negative beliefs about the issue of dating violence.Show less
The topic of Socially Withdrawn Loners (SWL) has seen a surge in coverage by South Korean media in the past few years. This coverage is not always accurate and many SWL express feeling stigmatized...Show moreThe topic of Socially Withdrawn Loners (SWL) has seen a surge in coverage by South Korean media in the past few years. This coverage is not always accurate and many SWL express feeling stigmatized by society. This thesis explores how SWL are portrayed in Korean drama and if this portrayal coincides with academic literature on this topic. In order to research this, this thesis analyzed and compared four Korean dramas and with the literature as foundation, established a thematic understanding of SWL in dramas. It finds that SWL-characters are generally portrayed positively and sympathetically. Instead dramas are found to have the tendency to trivialize SWL and misrepresent the severity of it.Show less
Bachelor thesis | Film- en literatuurwetenschap (BA)
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An interdisciplinary study dissecting the (mis)representation of child abuse in popular modern films and film's medium specific influence on the viewer and the representation on the basis of...Show moreAn interdisciplinary study dissecting the (mis)representation of child abuse in popular modern films and film's medium specific influence on the viewer and the representation on the basis of spectatorship and the appparatus theory.Show less
Abstract Purpose: This thesis aims to understand, clarify, and further explore the mechanism underlying the relationship between gender and corruption. The objective is to test and develop theory...Show moreAbstract Purpose: This thesis aims to understand, clarify, and further explore the mechanism underlying the relationship between gender and corruption. The objective is to test and develop theory about the link between gender representation in the legislature and corruption levels. Design and methodology: The research design is qualitative. Eight (8) semi-structured interviews with municipal councillors were conducted, coded, and analysed. Through the interviewees’ lived experiences, patterns of attitudes and relationships can be explored, and causation can be established. Findings: The results find that marginalisation is the mechanism that mediates between high corruption levels and low female representation in the legislature. Women are not less corrupt than men. They have fewer opportunities to engage in corrupt behaviour. The lack of accessibility in corrupt networks mediates the link between gender and corruption in the legislature. Research contribution: The existence of an association between gender representation in the legislature and corruption levels has already been established. This thesis answers the call for more research on the mechanism underlying the link between gender and corruption. Practical implications: The findings are relevant for policymakers in Greece. Marginalisation leads women to leave the political scene, further exacerbating the issue of lack of representation. On the contrary, a high female representation may not lead to lower levels of corruption, but it may encourage diverse views for the society’s benefit to be expressed.Show less
Bachelor thesis | Film- en literatuurwetenschap (BA)
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Why do boys seem to prefer the films rather than the books? In this thesis I try to come up with an answer by comparing the representation of gender within two Young Adult books and their...Show moreWhy do boys seem to prefer the films rather than the books? In this thesis I try to come up with an answer by comparing the representation of gender within two Young Adult books and their adaptations (The Hunger Games and Divergent). And analyse the way in which stereotypes are being represented and if these stereotypes are in any way appealing to the young boy or girl reader.Show less
The Western media’s representation of Africa has primarily consisted of Afro-pessimistic portrayals, though the emergence of Afro-optimistic portrayals is arguably increasing. Black is King is an...Show moreThe Western media’s representation of Africa has primarily consisted of Afro-pessimistic portrayals, though the emergence of Afro-optimistic portrayals is arguably increasing. Black is King is an example of the attempt to increase Afro-optimistic depictions of Africa in Western media. This BA International Studies thesis evaluates how Beyoncé Knowles-Carter’s visual album contributed towards the representation of the African continent in Western media. The literature review discussed five processes of African representation that have been identified in the academic discourse. Literary and film analyses were the primary methods used to examine the case study Black is King. The theoretical frameworks of wakandification and anti-antiessentialism were also used to highlight the film’s role in African representation. This BA thesis paper concludes that Black is King primarily misrepresents the African continent through depending on the stereotypical descriptions of Africa, the hyper-emphasis on royalty and social status, and on the primary observation of Africa through an African American perspective.Show less
This thesis aims to explore whether the song WAP (2020) by Cardi B and Megan Thee Stallion, exemplifies a paradigm shift in feminism. WAP caused much outcry and grew rapidly in fame because of its...Show moreThis thesis aims to explore whether the song WAP (2020) by Cardi B and Megan Thee Stallion, exemplifies a paradigm shift in feminism. WAP caused much outcry and grew rapidly in fame because of its sexually provocative imagery and lyrics, unlike other similar songs. The question arises: If Cardi and Megan’s song is so unique that it might be the start of a feminist paradigm shift, or whether it follows an already established trend? First, the song is looked at scene by scene, scouting for reoccurring elements. Then, general representational tactics of women in media are analyzed, which help evaluate the elements in WAP further, determining feminist or non-feminist tactics. Lastly, the music of other female artists like Madonna, Lil Kim and Christina Aguilera are studied in order to determine whether WAP is following a trend or stands on its own. After exploring these different aspects, it is possible to see that WAP is a starting point for a feminist paradigm shift in media, of which there are likely more artists or songs to follow.Show less
The statement “a picture tells a thousand words” is pretty often used.I want to find out if there is real value in this statement. In this thesis I will discuss the representations of images of the...Show moreThe statement “a picture tells a thousand words” is pretty often used.I want to find out if there is real value in this statement. In this thesis I will discuss the representations of images of the SARS and COVID-19 virus in People’s Republic of China (PRC). Images help us learn, images grab attention and they are helping to explain tough concept. That is why I think it is interesting to take a look at the representations of images of SARS and COVID-19. In this context I speak about images that are directly related to the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) or are at least have been approved by it. In my research I will focus on two time periodes. 2002-2003, the time of the SARS virus outbreak and 2020, the year of the global pandemic caused by COVID-19. I will analyze images from both time periodes to investigate if the images show similarities in representing the virus or have changed over time and I will try to analyze why this is the case.Show less
In the last century the Netherlands went through several large changes. After the Second World War, the Netherlands, as many other West-European countries, modernized which included the creation of...Show moreIn the last century the Netherlands went through several large changes. After the Second World War, the Netherlands, as many other West-European countries, modernized which included the creation of large industry, the process of destratification, secularization, emancipation of women, democratization of politics and the emancipation of minority groups like homosexuals. Supposedly, Iran went through an opposite and backward development. From the glory years of the Shah, when modernization of Iran was top priority, the country rapidly declined, in the eyes of the Dutch, into the realm of a backward religious society which the Netherlands tried to espouse for a long time. The knowledge Dutch people have about Iran is not based on individuals visiting Iran but on how the media portrays Iran and reports on Middle Eastern affairs. However, is this dichotomy between Iran, as an Eastern country, and the Netherlands, as a Western country, so clear? When looking into contemporary documentaries Iran is still portrayed as different country than the Netherlands. Portraying is focused on the religious repression, backward economy, bearded men and veiled women. When comparing the footage of contemporary documentaries with documentaries from the start of this genre in 1960, the same type of footage is shown. Has Iran not changed since then? This type of footage seems to fall under the greater themes of Orientalism and the Western narrative of modernity and have been present in the Western conception of the Middle East for very long. This research focusses on the discourses of Orientalism and the Western narrative of modernity in Iranian representation in Dutch documentaries from 1960 until 2018 and the continuity and discontinuity in this representation. This research contributes to the understanding of the development of Orientalism and the Western narrative of modernity in the 20th and 21st century.Show less
This thesis takes a brief look at Edo era Yoshiwara art, and the disparity between what it portrays and represents. Furthermore, it takes a look at the way this art is currently portrayed and...Show moreThis thesis takes a brief look at Edo era Yoshiwara art, and the disparity between what it portrays and represents. Furthermore, it takes a look at the way this art is currently portrayed and spoken about; examining its place in modern art discourse.Show less
Research master thesis | Arts and Culture (research) (MA)
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This thesis examines what insights the photography series Blue Sky Days (2012-) by Tomas Van Houtryve provides into concepts as vision, subjectivity and representation, which means that the series...Show moreThis thesis examines what insights the photography series Blue Sky Days (2012-) by Tomas Van Houtryve provides into concepts as vision, subjectivity and representation, which means that the series functions as a case study, a common thread. The drone as imaging technology challenges the traditional relation between image and vision. The remarkable visuality of the series, the vertical perspective, distorts our sense of spatial and temporal orientation. It differs from the visuality that long dominated our vision, the paradigm of the linear perspective. I argue that drone vision is a collaborative vision by a human-drone assemblage that should be understood as an embodied vision. Blue Sky Days problematizes the effect of the vertical perspective and the necropolitical logic to which it invites. In contemporary warfare, the digital drone image is no longer treated as a passive representation, but as an active entity, being part of a process. Blue Sky Days as a series of static photographic images emphasizes ambiguity and undecidibility, which contrasts the visuality of certainty employed by synthetic vision systems. Van Houtryve uses a strategy of anthropomorphism, a strategy that raises awareness for the fact that agency is distributed by human and nonhuman forces. His series humanizes the other, encourages empathy for the people living under the drone, which contrast the current of anthropophobia in synthetic imagery. In the last chapter, I discuss the series in relation to the debates around representation that troubled documentary photography, war photojournalism and art. Now hypermediacy and immediacy seem both a strategy by the military to create a civic weaponized eye, Van Houtryve’s drone photography is an interesting alternative gesture by emphasizing the process of remediation.Show less
The displaced looks back at the place he/she left when entering in a new place. In this thesis, I will invite you to move into a space-time without the need to take a plane, not even the bus. I...Show moreThe displaced looks back at the place he/she left when entering in a new place. In this thesis, I will invite you to move into a space-time without the need to take a plane, not even the bus. I will take you for a walk into the ‘androgynous’ that questions the collective representations of gender based on sexuality. In anthropological terms, gender points out the presence of a culturally constructed difference between male and female. More than this, the differences point out a dichotomy between two symbols shaped by the meanings of feminine and masculine principles. The concept of androgynous is the absence of this construction not so much in bodily attributes but more into the psychological domain. Hence, androgyny can offer a third space, proposed for the intersection of multiple spaces instead of binary categories. The implications of such understanding can reshape the relationships between the political, the economic and the historical away from the presupposed hierarchy of genders, and thus empower subjects of marginalization.Show less
On the basis of identity theory, this thesis analyses three films directed by Karim Dridi regarding the representation of the North African diaspora in France. These analyses will be put next to...Show moreOn the basis of identity theory, this thesis analyses three films directed by Karim Dridi regarding the representation of the North African diaspora in France. These analyses will be put next to the representations provided by dominant French discourse to conclude that the the latter takes a less comprehensive approach towards including the North African diaspora and representing them.Show less
