Artistic practice today is uniquely situated to pose critical, alternative responses to contemporary ecological problems. A compelling example from Mexico City is the 2015 performance piece Plan...Show moreArtistic practice today is uniquely situated to pose critical, alternative responses to contemporary ecological problems. A compelling example from Mexico City is the 2015 performance piece Plan Acalote by contemporary art collective Plan Acalli, which reenacted the journey of a traditional acalli boat across Mexico City, crossing highways and avenues that were once canals. This thesis examines the ecological potential of this artwork by studying the performance and its context through a framework of materialist posthumanism. I argue that Plan Acalote crucially enabled human participants to develop environmental skills and awareness and involved ritual, pilgrimage-like encounters. I propose that, in this way, the acalli boat’s journey can thus be read as a material transformation or “becoming” of paved urban roads into an acalote, or Nahua waterway: a collaborative, situated and performative strategy towards research, environmental awareness and art. Therefore, Plan Acalote ultimately demonstrated the potential of a shift in cosmovision through art as a viable approach to furthering ecological goals.Show less
Since the dissolution of the Soviet Union, Central Asia has seen less conflict than initially expected. One of the anticipated sources of conflict has been the uneven distribution of natural...Show moreSince the dissolution of the Soviet Union, Central Asia has seen less conflict than initially expected. One of the anticipated sources of conflict has been the uneven distribution of natural resources between the five states. The theory of the relationship between resource abundance and scarcity and conflict are examined here and applied to the distribution of hydrocarbon and water resources in the region. Though especially water has become a serious issue in the region, it is concluded that it is as yet not acute enough to spark interstate conflict and dependence management policies that might spark internal conflict is largely not followed. However, should the situation continue to worsen or be compounded with other causes for conflict, this status quo may change.Show less
Master thesis | Cultural Anthropology and Development Sociology (MSc)
open access
De laatste jaren wijzen studies in de antropologie uit dat de handelingen van mijnwerkers beter te verklaren zijn door goud te zien als een substantie in plaats van als een natuurlijke hulpbron....Show moreDe laatste jaren wijzen studies in de antropologie uit dat de handelingen van mijnwerkers beter te verklaren zijn door goud te zien als een substantie in plaats van als een natuurlijke hulpbron. Belangrijk verschil is dat goud als natuurlijke hulpbron uitsluitend wordt behandeld in het economische domein. Een substantie is echter gerelateerd aan de leefwereld van mensen en hierdoor afhankelijk van het domein een andere betekenis genereert. Ook dit onderzoek dat is uitgevoerd in een kleine mijn in het Noorden van Ghana toont aan dat mijnwerkers rationeel handelen echter op basis van andere gronden dan het nastreven van exploitatie van een natuurlijke hulpbron. Ook de handelingen rondom watergebruik in de kleinschalige goudmijnbouw wordt in verband gebracht met dit perspectief. Water en goud moeten beiden worden behandeld als een substantie met als gemeenschappelijke waarde dat goud en water beiden aan de aarde worden onttrokken.Show less
This BA-thesis focuses on cisterns in early modern Amsterdam, building upon the research conducted by Gawronski and Veerkamp in 2007. In their research, a number of topics are treated, such as...Show moreThis BA-thesis focuses on cisterns in early modern Amsterdam, building upon the research conducted by Gawronski and Veerkamp in 2007. In their research, a number of topics are treated, such as cistern sizes and capacities. However, little attention is spent to different functional applications of cisterns. Furthermore, spatial dispersion of cisterns in Amsterdam is completely left out. Therefore, in this thesis functional application of cisterns, divided into seven categories of context, and their spatial aspects are focused upon. Data was retrieved from the Amsterdamse Archeologische Rapporten (AAR), in which ninety-one cisterns are documented. This thesis has emerged clear differences and relations between size and capacity, and different categories of context of cisterns. These differences are explained both by functional application of the cistern, as well as wealth of its owner. Spatially, clear clusters of cisterns are recognised in post-17th century neighbourhoods, such as the Jordaan, canal belts and the islands of Marken and Oostenburg. Even in pre-17th century neighbourhoods, many cisterns are located in association to newly built 17th-18th century structures. In order to make more detailed conclusions about the use and dating of cisterns, more extensive documentation, and new dating methods are needed.Show less
In this thesis, Roman slaves' access to water is used as a case study for the study of Roman marginalisation. Roman slaveholders used water to marginalise slaves in two different ways: on a...Show moreIn this thesis, Roman slaves' access to water is used as a case study for the study of Roman marginalisation. Roman slaveholders used water to marginalise slaves in two different ways: on a personal level, the access to water was restricted, and on a professional level, the access to water was increased. Access to water was a power tool consciously employed by Roman slaveholders to marginalise others.Show less
“The struggles for water between hegemons and subordinates are set within the framework of hydro-hegemony and include the concept of power. Hegemonic and counter-hegemonic strategies drive changes...Show more“The struggles for water between hegemons and subordinates are set within the framework of hydro-hegemony and include the concept of power. Hegemonic and counter-hegemonic strategies drive changes at the international level allowing different states to shift their perceived power. Their positions actively affects the discourse, influencing processes like agenda-setting, policy-making and hydropower plans. This paper analyses the struggle between Egypt and Ethiopia within the hydro-hegemonic framework assessing the different practices employed by Cairo to (re-)assert its position as the most powerful player in the Nile River Basin complex, the hegemon.”Show less
Master thesis | Crisis and Security Management (MSc)
open access
Freshwater is an essential yet scarce good, that is predicted to only become scarcer because of climate change and growing populations. In addition, freshwater in rivers is often shared between...Show moreFreshwater is an essential yet scarce good, that is predicted to only become scarcer because of climate change and growing populations. In addition, freshwater in rivers is often shared between multiple countries. Despite multiple predictions by scholars and experts, states often do not go to war over freshwater. Instead, most disputes end in the signing of a treaty. However, these treaties are not always fair and do not, actually, always end conflict. In the view of this research, treaties are merely a way in which states fight, without using violence, and should thus be seen as a part of ongoing conflict, rather than the end of it. In addition, despite theoretical predictions, international organisations do not play a large role in the creation of River Basin Organisations and neither do hydrohegemons.Show less
Since 1995, the World Bank is the most dominant world actor in the international water sector through their large influence on policy making and contribution to financial aid for water projects....Show moreSince 1995, the World Bank is the most dominant world actor in the international water sector through their large influence on policy making and contribution to financial aid for water projects. Such financial aid comes with economic reform, including the privatization of key industries such as the water supply. In the 1980s Bolivia took a loan from the Bank, which meant that they had to adhere to such economic reform and privatized their water supply in Cochabamba. The World Bank has a water policy to which they should adhere. However, with the implementation of the privatization several instances of organized hypocrisy were highlighted. This hypocrisy created instances of corruption during the privatization of the water supply in Cochabamba in the period of 1999-2002.Show less
Determining the UV photostability of organic molecules is key to understanding the recent detection of such molecules on comets. We used in situ spectroscopy measurements of glycine in both argon...Show moreDetermining the UV photostability of organic molecules is key to understanding the recent detection of such molecules on comets. We used in situ spectroscopy measurements of glycine in both argon and water ice to investigate the photolysis reactions of glycine, and determine the dependence of the VUV-photostability of glycine on the thickness of the water matrix at both 10 K and 100 K. We directly observed the photodissociation of glycine into methylamine and carbondioxide inside the argon matrix, and we found compelling evidence that the water matrix provides a protective environment for the glycine against UV dissociation.Show less
Economic sanctions have frequently been used as a foreign policy tool against the Islamic Republic of Iran since the 1979 Iranian Revolution. The consequences of these sanctions have been...Show moreEconomic sanctions have frequently been used as a foreign policy tool against the Islamic Republic of Iran since the 1979 Iranian Revolution. The consequences of these sanctions have been investigated for instance in the context of basic human rights. However, the quality of life for Iran’s local communities is also largely defined by trends of environmental change, particularly those relating to water, such as more frequent droughts and flooding. As economic sanctions have, directly or indirectly, led to diminished resources at the national and local level, the capacity of local communities to adapt to environmental change is also hindered. An analysis of these international-national-local relations through the lens of environmental justice suggests that such community-level indirect effects should be better taken into account in evaluating the consequences and justification of economic sanctions.Show less
