Betrokken burgers vormden de ruggengraat van de Republiek. Het dagelijks leven draaide voor een groot deel op buurtorganisaties, gilden en schutterijen – en dat waren juist de stedelijke... Show moreBetrokken burgers vormden de ruggengraat van de Republiek. Het dagelijks leven draaide voor een groot deel op buurtorganisaties, gilden en schutterijen – en dat waren juist de stedelijke instituties waar zij deel van uitmaakten. In 1796 kondigden de Bataafse revolutionairen het einde van sommige van deze instellingen af en introduceerden zij het staatsburgerschap. Maar was daarmee de rol van de stedelijke burger ook uitgespeeld?Dat komen we te weten als we luisteren naar de stadsbewoners zelf. Aan de hand van de levens van Haarlemmers en Groningers tussen 1747 en 1848 illustreert dit boek het voortbestaan van lokaal burgerschap. Zij komen aan het woord via verzoekschriften, kronieken, gelegenheidsgedichten, vergadernotulen en mondelinge klachten op de burgemeesterskamer. Hoe zag de ideale stedelijke gemeenschap er volgens hen uit? Welke rechten en plichten had een burger in hun ogen? En wat waren de dure plichten van een stadsbestuurder? Voor dit burgerschap putten stadsbewoners met souplesse uit traditionele én revolutionaire idealen en praktijken. Show less
This dissertation explores the ways in which affective responses to disabled bodies are represented and how this invites us to read these bodies aesthetically. I argue that this affective impact... Show moreThis dissertation explores the ways in which affective responses to disabled bodies are represented and how this invites us to read these bodies aesthetically. I argue that this affective impact can be understood as an affordance, a term I use to describe how the appearance of and interaction with disabled bodies produces affective responses such as fear, wonder, or disgust. I study the relationship between representation and affective reactions through literature and other art forms. Through close readings of literary texts and works of art, this dissertation offers an alternative to so-called model thinking—an approach that emphasizes categorization. Instead, I propose a reading that focuses on how bodily capacities are culturally and socially translated into (dis)abilities. Unlike taxonomic approaches that categorize and generalize, this method allows moving from the particular to the private. Works of art, although prone to generalization, emphasize their unicity and resist categorization. By analyzing how different art forms represent disabled bodies, the dissertation brings a new dimension to understanding our emotional responses and the aesthetic appreciation of bodily diversity. Show less
This book is about three West African sign languages with different time-depths, community sizes and patterns of social interactions. Adamorobe Sign Language (AdaSL), Ghana, is an old village sign... Show moreThis book is about three West African sign languages with different time-depths, community sizes and patterns of social interactions. Adamorobe Sign Language (AdaSL), Ghana, is an old village sign language used by 33 deaf people. Langue des Signes de Bouakako (LaSiBo), Côte d'Ivoire, is a new village sign language, used by six deaf people. Língua Gestual Guineense, Guinea-Bissau, is an emerging school-based sign language used by around 500 deaf people.In the three sign languages, 45 narratives of personal experiences were analysed to better understand how the time depth, the community size and the socialisation frequency influenced the three sign languages. Four different descriptive analyses of the narratives were carried out. Study 1 analysed the structure of the narratives, following Labov & Waletzky's model (1967) and Freytag's dramatic pyramid (1894). Studies 2, 3 and 4 focus on specific narrative devices that work to make narratives more convincing, as part of Labov's (1972) "evaluation" component. These devices refer to the moments when storytellers give dramatic prominence to narratives through the incorporation of characters, such as the use of different signing perspectives (Study 2), the use of role shifting between characters and constructed dialogues (Study 3) and the use of different types of descriptions of the animal (Study 4).These studies show that AdaSL and male LGG signers use devices that reflect a greater ability to capture the audience's attention, while LaSiBo and female LGG signers tend to show similar patterns in using simpler or reduced devices.This study shows that the frequency of social interaction between deaf peers is the most crucial factor in language change over time. Show less
This in-depth study explores how women navigate corporate careers and take decisions in pursuit of a meaningful work and personal life. It analyzes the lived experiences of female employees working... Show moreThis in-depth study explores how women navigate corporate careers and take decisions in pursuit of a meaningful work and personal life. It analyzes the lived experiences of female employees working at major firms in Japan and South Korea to reveal how women's agency interacts with a changing environment inside and outside the workplace. It applies the comprehensive Gender Organization System's framework and interpretive approach with life story interview method to identify constellations of factors that influence women's work-family behaviors and attitudes over time. The careful analysis of individual interviews with 24 Korean and 39 Japanese women underscores that we must first understand the specific contexts individuals deal with in localized settings and explore women's personal interpretations of broad concepts to advance the increasingly broad theories in the gender and work literature. The findings suggest that dynamics and conditions at the work group level, and particularly the role of immediate supervisors, are of higher significance than the general organizational or socio-institutional context. Show less
The thesis reconstructs Carl Schmitt's 1956 monography on 'Hamlet'. By scanning and unearthing books, essays, think-pieces, articles, personal diaries and private correspondence, this investigation... Show moreThe thesis reconstructs Carl Schmitt's 1956 monography on 'Hamlet'. By scanning and unearthing books, essays, think-pieces, articles, personal diaries and private correspondence, this investigation fully addresses the unwritten philosophy of history -partially developed- in Schmitt's late thought. The question of tragedy, theater, art and myth are also discussed. Show less
Gabriel Paiuk’s project Mutable Audible investigates how that which is heard – the audible – is formed as inherent to material, collective and technical circumstances. The audible is conceived as... Show moreGabriel Paiuk’s project Mutable Audible investigates how that which is heard – the audible – is formed as inherent to material, collective and technical circumstances. The audible is conceived as not exclusively bound to the private realm of the mind or the will of the individual listener, but as dependent on the diverse operations that inform how a sensorial engagement with sound takes place. To account for the mutable character of the audible, Paiuk postulates a novel concept of sound image built upon the work of the French philosopher Gilbert Simondon. This notion is unhinged from previous uses of the term, namely those that define it as a visual surrogate or a mental representation. Rather, the image is conceived as a node in a cycle of functions that articulate a metastable relationship between sensing agent and milieu. The result of this reconsideration is twofold. On the one hand, the sound image is postulated as a tool to address the audible as a variable locus of engagement with the world. On the other, it unsettles assumptions that keep the image anchored to its traditional visual-centric forms and techniques and drives its transformation to encompass the realm of sound. The variable form in which the audible is produced is explored across four artistic works which constitute the experimental backbone of the dissertation. Show less
"Indianisatie" was de term waarmee in het interbellum de opkomst van Indonesiers in de lagere middenrangen van gouvernement en westers bedrijfsleven werd beschreven. Deze Indonesiers wisten zich... Show more"Indianisatie" was de term waarmee in het interbellum de opkomst van Indonesiers in de lagere middenrangen van gouvernement en westers bedrijfsleven werd beschreven. Deze Indonesiers wisten zich met beperkte westerse opleiding op te werken binnen bedrijven en Europese vakbonden, die door de krappe arbeidsmarkt van hen afhankelijk werden. In de vakbondsbladen van onder meer de Indische Post lieten zij hun stem horen. Toen de Indische regering tijdens de grote crisis deze indianisatie zowel als natuurlijke ontwikkeling en als bezuiniging presenteerde, barstte een ongekend felle discussie los tussen de fracties in de raad. In deze discussie bleek hoezeer het rassencriterium, hoewel officieel passe, in praktijk het Nederlandse sociale beleid in de kolonie nog vorm gaf. Conservatieve Indonesische Volksraadsleden, onder meer van het Inlands Binnenlands bestuur, raakten gaande de discussie doordrongen van het feit, dat het indianisatiebeleid van de Indische regering blijvend te kort schoot. Met de nationalistische fractie in de Volksraad gingen zij indianisatie zien als opstap naar het grote bestuurshervormingswerk waarvan zij voor Indonesie hoopten dat het met rasse schreden zou naderen. Show less
James Summers (1828-1891) is the first British professor who conducted systematic research on Chinese grammar. As a former missionary, he had been directly exposed to vernacular Chinese, which... Show moreJames Summers (1828-1891) is the first British professor who conducted systematic research on Chinese grammar. As a former missionary, he had been directly exposed to vernacular Chinese, which enabled him to teach and research it at King’s College London in his later career. This dissertation provides a complete picture of his research on Chinese grammar throughout his publications. It further brings Summers to prominence in the historiography of linguistics. By tracing which and whose ideas inspired him and who he, in turn, influenced, this study identifies his position relative to other linguists. The dissertation claims that Summers was able to integrate the research of his predecessors and arrange their findings and conclusions in his own clearly pedagogically oriented research, abandoning the purely theoretical conclusions to help his students learn Chinese efficiently. Show less
The Bibliotheca Enchusana or Librije of Enkhuizen is one of the oldest libraries that are still preserved in situ in the Netherlands and can rightfully be called a unique book historical monument.... Show moreThe Bibliotheca Enchusana or Librije of Enkhuizen is one of the oldest libraries that are still preserved in situ in the Netherlands and can rightfully be called a unique book historical monument. In this dissertation the history of the Librije is reconstructed through a new scholarly catalogue, which is based on a hands-on examination of all the books from the library’s holdings. The catalogue contains extensive bibliographical descriptions as well as information about the physical evidence of every book’s unique history, such as inscriptions of former owners, binding details, and manuscript annotations. Together with information from archival documents, the new catalogue helps to better understand the holdings of the Librije, their origin and history, as well as the use and function of the library since its foundation. Subsequently, this dissertation explores how the specific character of Enkhuizen influenced the Librije and how the role of the library changed throughout history. Show less
This thesis discusses the earliest Iranian loanwords in Tocharian, a branch of two Indo-European languages spoken in Western China during the first millennium of our era, as well as an early... Show moreThis thesis discusses the earliest Iranian loanwords in Tocharian, a branch of two Indo-European languages spoken in Western China during the first millennium of our era, as well as an early stratum of so-called "BMAC" loanwords in Tocharian. Show less
Violent episodes from the early history of the Dutch East India Company, including its violent depopulation of the Banda Islands in 1609-1621 in order to gain exclusive control over nutmeg, have... Show moreViolent episodes from the early history of the Dutch East India Company, including its violent depopulation of the Banda Islands in 1609-1621 in order to gain exclusive control over nutmeg, have received increasing public and scholarly attention. However, the wider conflicts in the region over cloves, which continued for decades afterwards and were mainly centred around Ambon, received less attention as yet. In this dissertation, Tristan Mostert examines these seventeenth-century spice wars, and the influence of both environmental factors and the political dynamics of the region, from the arrival of the first Dutch ships in the area to the establishment of colonial control over Ambon, Hoamoal and the surrounding islands around 1656. The dissertation explores how the escalating conflict triggered wider regional power dynamics in which Gowa (Makassar) and Ternate were heavily involved. It also shows how the VOC turned to increasingly extreme tactics in its attempts to achieve its monopoly: deliberate environmental destruction, driving out and deporting the population, dismantling existing political and social structures. It contents that in order to understand how the VOC eventually established its monopoly, one should not look for traditional military explanations, but rather to this policy of environmental warfare and colonial control, through which it transformed the landscape of the region. Show less
This thesis researches the profession of the upholsterer – or ‘kamerbehanger’ in Dutch – and the role they played in the creation of interiors in the Dutch Republic, in the long eighteenth century ... Show moreThis thesis researches the profession of the upholsterer – or ‘kamerbehanger’ in Dutch – and the role they played in the creation of interiors in the Dutch Republic, in the long eighteenth century (1680-1810). Its research centers on the cities of Amsterdam, The Hague and Haarlem. A total of 234 shops or individual upholsterers working there in this period were found. Hopefully, the index of their names included in this thesis will advance future research. The first chapter describes the way the profession developed, as well as how upholsterers learned the trade, worked, kept their shops and advertised. In the following four chapters, the relation between upholsterer and client is explored in-depth through case studies from the period 1680-1810.Upholsterers provided bed and wall hangings, curtains of all sorts, upholstered furniture and other textile wares. They were a relatively small but diverse group working in the luxury industries, with about 10 shops at any one time in Amsterdam and in The Hague, and about 1-5 shops in Haarlem. Some upholsterers did not have a shop but worked their trade from a single room, or worked for others. Most kept a small shop. For some, this was indeed the best profession (‘le meilleur métier’). Upholsterers such as a Pierre Courtonne or Johannes Deel, working for the Stadholders and the elite of their day, were able to amass fortunes of 20,000-50,000 guilders and played a role in designing interiors. Succes was dependent on factors such as seed money, an up-to-date knowledge of current fashions, and maintaining good relations with clients. Most shops went from father to son, and most of the upholsterers working in the Republic were locals. Only a small percentage were foreign-born, and even though France exercised a large influence on the luxury market in the eighteenth century, this is not reflected in the number of French upholsterers settling in the Republic. Only at the end of the century can an increase in their number be seen, and a handful of ‘French upholsterers’ settle in Holland. They seem to have had an advantage over their Dutch colleagues in that they were able to purchase the latest French wares directly through their connections.Regarding the relationship with their clients, it has been found that most upholsterers played the role of advisor and facilitator, when helping their clients buy a new interior or furniture. All-in-all, the case studies show how upholsterers would balance their client’s quest for the newest and most fashionable furniture and interiors with their budget and the available goods. Show less
This thesis explores how urban night spaces have been, and how they are currently produced, imagined, experienced, and narrated among the Cabo Verdean migrant community in Rotterdam. The common... Show moreThis thesis explores how urban night spaces have been, and how they are currently produced, imagined, experienced, and narrated among the Cabo Verdean migrant community in Rotterdam. The common thread that runs through this research is music, which is analysed through lyrics, performances, and as an integral part of nightlife. The Netherlands and Rotterdam are sung about or mentioned in many songs by Cabo Verdean artists from different generations. Cabo Verdean music about Rotterdam is distinctive in that it contributes significantly to processes of place-making as it reflects on and generates representations of specific places which were important during the times in which that music was written. It traces places and routes through the city and uncovers daily and nocturnal rhythms, echoing a particular atmosphere. Simultaneously, night spaces were used to mobilize the community politically in times of the independence struggle against Portugal and are still essential in generating a collective sense of self. With Rotterdam continuously developing, the histories of particular Cabo Verdean night spaces are appropriated in contemporary nightlife, as organisers draw on collective memories of historical nightlife events. As such, cultural texts and events not only shape Cabo Verdean life in the city, but they also facilitate the re-memorisation and re-experiencing of diasporic lives in current events and cultural productions. Show less
Egypt became a province of the Persian or Achaemenid Empire in 526 BC. In the decades thereafter, some inhabitants of the Delta and Nile Valley rebelled against their Persian overlords. Though... Show moreEgypt became a province of the Persian or Achaemenid Empire in 526 BC. In the decades thereafter, some inhabitants of the Delta and Nile Valley rebelled against their Persian overlords. Though these rebellions are well known, they have been little studied. The present thesis provides an in-depth study of the first two rebellions of Persian-Period Egypt: the rebellion that began in ca. 521 BC, and which may have lasted until 519/18 BC, and the rebellion that began in ca. 487/86 BC, and which may have lasted until 485/84 BC. Show less
This study analyses the representation of the Atlantic world in the Dutch periodical press throughout the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries. How did the periodical press cover the Dutch invasion... Show moreThis study analyses the representation of the Atlantic world in the Dutch periodical press throughout the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries. How did the periodical press cover the Dutch invasion and colonization of Brazil, the continuous warfare in the Caribbean in the latter part of the seventeenth century, the increasing confrontations between the French and the British in North America in the course of the eighteenth century, and the issue of slavery and slave revolts? It demonstrates how ordinary readers could gain knowledge of a world far beyond their daily horizons and shows how the (tone of the) coverage in the newspapers developed in correlation with the changing position of the Dutch Republic in the geopolitical constellation. Secondly, this study illuminates the news networks themselves, exploring how news travelled from one place to the next and how news networks influenced, and were influenced by, geopolitical developments. Thirdly, by taking a long-term perspective, this study also analyses the development of the periodical press and its function in the wider arena of early modern print media while also tracing the various transformations of the Atlantic world over the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries. Show less
This thesis explores the use of narrative patterns in Herodian’s History of the Roman Empire (third century AD), a work that covers in eight books the period between the death of Marcus Aurelius,... Show moreThis thesis explores the use of narrative patterns in Herodian’s History of the Roman Empire (third century AD), a work that covers in eight books the period between the death of Marcus Aurelius, in 180, and the accession of Gordian III, in 238. Drawing from narratological studies and literary theory, this dissertation provides a detailed analysis of the shape, function, and scope of the literary strategies used in the History. Aspects of Herodian’s narrative style that have often been criticized in modern scholarship (abundance of repetitions and formulae, indiscriminate use of classical models, excessive dramatization of events and characters) are re-examined through close readings of selected episodes. This is an investigatigation into the inner workings of Herodian’s storytelling and historiographical methods, in an effort to show that truth is not opposed to fiction, but both are key elements of the intellectual process inherent to the production of a historical text: through amplification, thematization, and arrangement, fiction, or invention, supplies raw facts with a density essential to any sort of deeper historical understanding. The narrativization of historical material is at the heart of this study. Show less
Speaking more than one language has a profound impact on both the mind and the brain. But how does the multilingual brain manage a native language as well as a non-native language, specifically... Show moreSpeaking more than one language has a profound impact on both the mind and the brain. But how does the multilingual brain manage a native language as well as a non-native language, specifically when the non-native language was acquired later in development? In this thesis, we aimed to characterise the multilingual experience of late language learners in three ways. First, we examined how the cross-linguistic influence (CLI) between the native language and the non-native language influenced non-native comprehension and production. Second, we compared different multilingual populations to quantify the impact of language similarity on CLI and non-native comprehension and production. Third, we examined whether language similarity played a modulating role beyond language processing in terms of domain-general inhibitory control. These are critical issues because they speak directly to the notion of how the native language and the non-native language co-exist in the brain. Further, they help us characterise the functional organisation of these languages in the multilingual brain. Across several studies, we systematically explored these three issues by using several experimental paradigms and a combination of behavioural and electroencephalographic measures. Subsequently, we pushed the theoretical boundaries of the issues in question and contributed novel evidence to this area of research. Show less
This dissertation deals with the legitimacy of Muslim women as Islamic scholars (ulama) and the right ascribed to them by society to interpret religious texts and issue fatwas. The study is... Show moreThis dissertation deals with the legitimacy of Muslim women as Islamic scholars (ulama) and the right ascribed to them by society to interpret religious texts and issue fatwas. The study is therefore concerned with the concept of religious authority and how this is modulated through gender. Using a combined anthropological, religious studies, and gender lens, it examines how and why women issue fatwas in different spaces of interaction including women’s branches of Islamic organizations and institutions, local communities, and women’s magazines. The main argument of this dissertation is that, both at the grassroots and in the public sphere, Muslim women in Indonesia play an increasingly influential role as ulama. Although their role is not often recognized by men, once we privilege the perspective of women a completely different picture emerges, one in which women are granted religious authority that turns out to be as strong as that of male ulama in issuing fatwas. Their authority is, on the one hand, a community-based authority contingent on local concerns and networks of knowledge. Yet on the other hand these women also contribute to a larger effort, namely the creation of a national network of Indonesian female ulama. Show less
This dissertation examines the continued, yet hitherto overlooked, engagement of the Greek community in Egypt from the period after the en masse departure of most of its members (1962), until the... Show moreThis dissertation examines the continued, yet hitherto overlooked, engagement of the Greek community in Egypt from the period after the en masse departure of most of its members (1962), until the implementation of the infitāh policies in 1976 by Anwar Sadat. Beyond Departure: The Greeks in Egypt, 1962-1976 explores the Greeks’ multiple personal, local and institutional histories that make up the Greek presence in history after 1962. It reveales the diversity of Greek experiences based on geographical, socioeconomic and individual context. It analyzes the motivations and strategies they employed to respond to the economic and social changes in Egyptian society, such as the end of the Capitulations, WWI and WWII, the formation of the post-colonial state, and the 1961 Nationalization laws, among others, and the relations these events formed between Egyptian nationals and non nationals and the Egyptian state. It also explores how Greeks negotiated their presence, identity and feelings of belonging, in mind and practice, as a diaspora with a transnational agency. Show less
This dissertation investigates the arts of the book in the Abū’l-Khairid dynasty. Often and inaccurately called Shībānid, the Abū’l-Khairids occupied what would become Uzbekistan and surrounding... Show moreThis dissertation investigates the arts of the book in the Abū’l-Khairid dynasty. Often and inaccurately called Shībānid, the Abū’l-Khairids occupied what would become Uzbekistan and surrounding territories across the sixteenth century. It focuses on specific illustrated works of battles and biographies composed in Persian and Turkish; the manuscripts encompass Shāhnāma productions and other works of epic poetry and dynastic history. The political and artistic strength of the Abū’l-Khairids was short-lived, but significant. Their leaders exchanged embassies with the Ottomans in Turkey and Mughals in India, and sparred with the Safavids in Iran. Although the official dates of the Abū’l-Khairid dynasty span 1500–1599, the examination extends the margins by two decades on either side. The focus is on the copyists and illustrators who contributed to the book creations, even if they worked in other artistic centers and political regions at other times.These manuscripts, and the scribes and painters contributing to them, fostered extended cultural exchanges between khans in Central Asia and their regional counterparts: Safavid shahs, Ottoman sultans, and Mughal emperors. These interactions were not confined to high echelons, however, and the study also traces the migrations of artistic talent across courts and commercial hubs during periods of dynastic rivalry and economic strain. Ambassadors, pilgrims, merchants, scholars, and artisans transported the objects. In the analysis, art is not separate from political, religious, economic, or intellectual matters but synthesizes art, history, geography, politics, economics, the movement of manuscripts, and the social relationships of the individuals engaged in their manufacture and transit. Show less
