In de loop van de eerste vier decennia van de twintigste eeuw dringt de poëzie vanaf 1880 door in bloemlezingen voor de hoogste klassen van gymnasium en h.b.s. In deze studie worden de overwegingen... Show moreIn de loop van de eerste vier decennia van de twintigste eeuw dringt de poëzie vanaf 1880 door in bloemlezingen voor de hoogste klassen van gymnasium en h.b.s. In deze studie worden de overwegingen om poëzie te bloemlezen en de keuzes die daaruit voortkomen van een vijftal bloemlezers (allen leraren) beschreven. Elk van hen propageert een methodiek om poëzie in de literatuurles te verwerken, van een open, globale kennismaking tot een intensieve analyse van een gedicht. Soms wordt een gedicht van een context voorzien maar doorgaans wordt een gedicht als zelfstandige tekst aangeboden. Naast deze bloemlezers brengt voordrachtskunstenaar Paul Huf ter ondersteuning van het onderwijs op een veertiental grammofoonplaten zijn gesproken bloemlezing. Zijn voordracht kan als voorbeeld dienen. Verder inventariseert deze studie de inhoud van 85 schoolbloemlezingen uit de periode 1898–1941 met in totaal 6758 gedichten van 254 dichters. Uit deze inventarisatie blijkt naast de voorkeur voor dichters uit de eerste jaren vanaf 1880 de vrij snelle popularisatie van anderen in de loop van de jaren 1920, 1930. Bloemlezers volgen op literair-historische gronden keuzes van voorgangers, daarnaast tonen zij een brede persoonlijke keuze. Schoolbloemlezingen representeren de voortgang van de contemporaine poëzieproductie en representeren het belang dat docenten voor de literatuurles hechten aan poëzie. Show less
"Change, alter, or perhaps transform?" Selecting the perfect word for a specific context, such as when composing a report or a speech, is all the easier with a thesaurus at hand. These... Show more"Change, alter, or perhaps transform?" Selecting the perfect word for a specific context, such as when composing a report or a speech, is all the easier with a thesaurus at hand. These lexicographic resources are invaluable for looking up alternative words or phrases that convey a specific meaning. In addition, thesauri offer a number of uses beyond looking up alternative phrasings: they are veritable treasure troves for cultural, linguistic, anthropological, and literary-critical research — especially when these resources are arranged in a topical fashion, a hierarchical ordering of its groups of loosely synonymous words according to their meaning. This doctoral dissertation investigates how Web-based dissemination of historical language thesauri can be improved to facilitate academic explorations of language and culture. The investigation includes a case study of "A Thesaurus of Old English", expressing it in a Linguistic Linked Data form and making it available through the web application Evoke, newly developed by the author of this dissertation. A number of researchers, taking part in the research project Exploring Early Medieval English Eloquence, have engaged with these two digital resources and show that thesauri are by no means exhausted by previous investigations. The results demonstrate that both the new dissemination form and the innovative functionalities provided by the web application can offer novel ways in which to explore and analyse thesaurus content of this early medieval variant of the English language. Show less
What does this dissertation on De Haan and language contribute to the ongoing research on De Haan? As I explain in the introduction, this dissertation does not discuss in detail the person and life... Show moreWhat does this dissertation on De Haan and language contribute to the ongoing research on De Haan? As I explain in the introduction, this dissertation does not discuss in detail the person and life of Jacob Israël de Haan himself. The focus has been on the conceptualisation of language and De Haan’s use of language. By making this choice, I do not reduce De Haan to his decadent period, which is often the case, but rather consider his work from the meta-level of language. This dissertation not only shows how De Haan views the phenomenon of language and its use, but also what he is capable of with language, in which way he uses language as a flexible instrument, which language approaches he uses in the process, which language attitudes he can adopt and to what end. Show less
Het begrip burgerschap speelt al eeuwenlang een sleutelrol in de (veranderlijke) relatie tussen burger en de staat en tussen burgers onderling. Verbondenheid komt tot stand in alledaagse culturele... Show moreHet begrip burgerschap speelt al eeuwenlang een sleutelrol in de (veranderlijke) relatie tussen burger en de staat en tussen burgers onderling. Verbondenheid komt tot stand in alledaagse culturele praktijken en gesprekken. In dit onderzoek wordt cultureel burgerschap benaderd vanuit het perspectief van de mensen zelf en niet vanuit instituties. Het onderzoek richt zich op de alledaagse culturele burgerschapsvorming met ondersteuning van Cultureel Ondernemende Professionals. Daarin worden de beroepscompetenties van deze professionals in kaart gebracht op basis van drie casestudies. Het publiek van deze casestudies bestaat uit drie generaties Nederlanders met een Turkse of Marokkaanse achtergrond waarbij binnen de publieksgroep van de derde generatie een nieuwe stedelijke elite aan het ontstaan is met een pluriforme culturele habitus. Show less
As a curator, in museum Beelden aan Zee, I exhibited the Gorille enlevant une Femme, by Emmanuel Fremiet dated 1887, in an exhibition of French and Belgian animal sculptors in 2011. The... Show moreAs a curator, in museum Beelden aan Zee, I exhibited the Gorille enlevant une Femme, by Emmanuel Fremiet dated 1887, in an exhibition of French and Belgian animal sculptors in 2011. The confrontation with, and my great surprise about this sculpture (a gorilla abducting a woman) led to this research. Just imagine: you walk into a living room in an appartment on the Boulevard des Capucines in Paris around 1890, and on a side table, one discovers a bronze sculpture: a gorilla abducting a woman. Such a sculpture does not suit our sense of taste. I suspected that this sculpture would represent more than just 'a curious piece of kitsch'. The resulting research in my dissertation led to many things: it turned out that the artist was world-famous in his time, it turned out that the gorilla had only been discovered in 1847, and it turned out that a few more gorilla sculptures had been made by Fremiet, the first as early as 1859. Furthermore, I discuss the entrance of the gorilla into zoology, the theme of the abduction of women in art and the use of the image for nationalistic and anti-Semitic purposes. The relevance of this research lies in the use of all kinds of other disciplines, which results in a new art-historical image of nineteenth century art and sculpture. The study also addresses nineteenth century issues: colonialism, the poor position of women, antisemitism, nationalism and our relationship to the animal kingdom are related to technical and iconographical interpretations of the Fremiet gorillas. Show less
This study investigates the meaning of divine forgiveness in the thought of Philo of Alexandria. Did Philo share in the common philosophical disregard for seeking divine pardon? Could he still... Show moreThis study investigates the meaning of divine forgiveness in the thought of Philo of Alexandria. Did Philo share in the common philosophical disregard for seeking divine pardon? Could he still encourage his readers to seek God’s pardon when they have done evil, while he at the same time explained to them that God cannot be hurt nor angered by human evil or made to change his mind? Can divine pardon have a meaningful place within the well-considered thought of a Hellenistic intellectual at all? This study shows that in the case of Philo of Alexandria the answer to this question is affirmative. Yes, divine amnesty has a meaningful place within Philo’s thought, while he managed to avoid implications he and other contemporary intellectuals considered inappropriate. He saw divine pardon as a vital manifestation of God’s goodness, allowing humans to purge their minds from the evil thoughts that have overwhelmed them and caused them to commit evil, to re-establish the control of good reason and welcome God’s wisdom to form their thoughts, words and acts, so that they think, speak and act rationally, as their Creator intended them when he created humans in his own image. Show less
Roger Martin du Gard (1881-1958) (Nobel Prize for Literature in 1937 for the novel cycle Les Thibault in 8 parts, included in the Pléiade edition, Oeuvres complètes, 1955) put, between 1941 and... Show moreRoger Martin du Gard (1881-1958) (Nobel Prize for Literature in 1937 for the novel cycle Les Thibault in 8 parts, included in the Pléiade edition, Oeuvres complètes, 1955) put, between 1941 and 1955, the novel Le Lieutenant-Colonel de Maumort (or: Maumort) on paper, his latest work, which remaines unfunished. It was released posthumously in 1983.The thesis covers in seven chapters a number of aspects of Maumort. In Section I the septuagenarian Bertrand de Maumort looks back on his life (the story is in the first person). His childhood spent in a castle in Normandy (Le Saillant) and his studies in Paris, were given the most space. Instead of ‘Mémoires’, the basic form of Maumort could also have been that of letters (Section II). Maumort corresponds with his friend, the doctor Gévresin (by whom he was given shelter for a large part of the war) about everything he experiences after his return to Le Saillant. There are now (only) nine letters (december 1944-January 1945). After that, the correspondence stops. In the Boîte Noire (Black Box)(Section III), about 40 files appear (= folders in which Martin du Gard stored thoughts on specific subjects that he had written); some of them mention Les Thibault, especially regarding the character Antoine Thibault. Show less
The Spanish comedia nueva was one of the most popular theatrical genres in the seventeenth-century Low Countries. The adaptations of these plays were performed in Dutch and Flemish theatres. This... Show moreThe Spanish comedia nueva was one of the most popular theatrical genres in the seventeenth-century Low Countries. The adaptations of these plays were performed in Dutch and Flemish theatres. This study aimed to explain the popularity of this genre. The conclusion is that the emotional effects were responsible for the popularity of these plays that were translated from Spanish. These tragicomedies by Félix Lope de Vega y Carpio and Pedro Calderón de la Barca offered a drastic alternative for the emotional prescriptions found in the oeuvre of Jacob Cats, Joost van den Vondel, and Pieter Cornelisz Hooft. This way, comedia nueva offered Dutch and Flemish spectators a refuge from emotional and social expectations. Show less
The reputation of the statesman M. Tullius Cicero in the Roman imperial period (ca. 31 BC – 300 AD) is often approached from a rhetorical perspective. After all, Cicero was most influential as an... Show moreThe reputation of the statesman M. Tullius Cicero in the Roman imperial period (ca. 31 BC – 300 AD) is often approached from a rhetorical perspective. After all, Cicero was most influential as an orator and rhetorician — or was he? This dissertation discusses four important episodes in the reception of Cicero’s political achievements, which together demonstrate that the orator’s career is fruitfully applied by imperial historical writers to symbolize the crisis of the first-century Roman Republic. As Sallust testifies, already in the late Republic, Cicero’s skills as political leader are critically evaluated (and found wanting). In the early empire, under the influence of the Roman discourse of exemplarity, which amplifies civic virtue at the cost of anything else, Cicero’s public achievements are often overshadowed by a focus on his intellectualism. Readings of Seneca, Plutarch, Appian, and Cassius Dio show further how in the course of the first three centuries AD, Cicero’s life exemplifies the conflict between intellectual ideals and political interests. This dissertation explores step by step how Cicero became a universal icon for the problem of political morality, which, according to ancient authors, lay at the basis of the fall of the Republic. Show less
a successful book in Italy and then beyond the Alps. While the literary reception of Ariosto inFrance has already been widely studied since the work of Alexandre Ciorănescu and SijbrandKeyser, this... Show morea successful book in Italy and then beyond the Alps. While the literary reception of Ariosto inFrance has already been widely studied since the work of Alexandre Ciorănescu and SijbrandKeyser, this PhD dissertation consists of an analysis of the diffusion of this masterpiece throughthe prism of the loving passion. In the sixteenth century, during the first French reception, readers and authors felt passionately about amorous episodes, and more specifically ones about the madness of desperate lovers. French authors took several figures of unfortunate lovers from the abundance of characters in Orlando furioso. Besides, thanks to its plasticity, Ariosto’s text was able to inspire most literary genres. We study the evolution of this representation of passion in French translations and imitations, both through a diachronic analysis and an analysis by literary genre. While in the first translations the French transposition can sometimes influence the representation of passion, the love poetry adopted more aesthetical an approach of these episodes. We insist on the 1570s, as they demonstrate the presence of remake in the epic genre but also of many partial imitations. Thus, the representation of the sentiment amoureux will progressively be depicted with more diversity and complexity until the beginning of the seventeenth century when it evolved towards a more psychological approach. Show less
This research problematizes the rapid growth of beauty blogs, investigating how this process has been shaped and accelerated by gender discourses, platform labor, and the beauty industry, each of... Show moreThis research problematizes the rapid growth of beauty blogs, investigating how this process has been shaped and accelerated by gender discourses, platform labor, and the beauty industry, each of which is rooted in the broader context of China’s social transformation. It offers an integral frame to understand the drivers and effects of beauty bloggers and the wanghong economy in China. It reveals that the explosive development of beauty blogging in China is a result of connections and cooperation among heterogeneous actors at a specific historical conjuncture. Gendered beauty has played an indispensable role in China’s economic reform in that the former has driven and strengthened the latter and vice versa. Platforms worked in tandem with changing beauty discourses and promoted their expansion through beauty blogs. In the meantime, the rise of beauty blogging in China is an embodiment of global capitalism, which has strong ties with the beauty industry’s pre-digital system of mass production. Show less
**English Translation of this thesis can be found at : https://hdl.handle.net/1887/3245181 **Deze dissertatie gaat over hoe schrijvers en beeldende kunstenaars uit Equatoriaal Guinea door middel... Show more**English Translation of this thesis can be found at : https://hdl.handle.net/1887/3245181 **Deze dissertatie gaat over hoe schrijvers en beeldende kunstenaars uit Equatoriaal Guinea door middel van hun werk aandacht vragen voor de huidige (politieke) situatie in hun land; een voormalige kolonie van Spanje die in 1968 onafhankelijk werd met tot op heden een dictatoriaal regime. Onderzocht is, vanuit een politiek-filosofisch kader (Jacques Rancière en Alain Badiou) en door middel van een narratieve en visuele analyse, waar zich in de werken van de uit het land afkomstige schrijvers Donato Ndongo Bydiogo, Juan Tomás Ávila Laurel en María Nsue Angüe, en de beeldende kunstenaar Ramón Esono Ebalé, breukvlakken en leegten bevinden. Mijn onderzoek toont aan dat het bijzondere en de kracht van hun werken niet zozeer gelegen is in de hierin naar voren komende historische aspecten of bepaalde binaire tegenstellingen (zoals veel onderzoekers tot nu toe veronderstelden), maar juist in het poëtische van wat de in de werken gevonden breukvlakken en leegten blootleggen en openen. Dat maakt dat met deze werken een procedure in gang wordt gezet die de gesloten waarheid van het huidige dictatoriale regime overstijgt, waarmee die dictatuur als het ware wordt opengebroken en geleegd. Show less
In analyses of four case studies – the establishment of the International Criminal Court in The Hague, the Hague Yi Jun Peace Museum, the trial of Lucia de Berk, and the French ‘Contaminated Blood... Show moreIn analyses of four case studies – the establishment of the International Criminal Court in The Hague, the Hague Yi Jun Peace Museum, the trial of Lucia de Berk, and the French ‘Contaminated Blood Affair,’ – the dissertation shows that new forms of spatiality, corporeality, media and genre are currently breaking open, undermining and renewing the existing legal order. Scholars in the field of Law and Culture have always conceptualized law as a theatrical affair in terms of the logic of drama, a form that consolidates the legitimacy of the existing legal order. In recent years, scholars, lawyers and citizens have also been taking note of a legitimacy crisis that confronts legal institutions in our time. The dissertation argues that this crisis becomes apparent in a close reading of the forms law’s theatricality currently takes, as legal institutions are increasingly confronted with, or permeated by, a theatrical logic that theatre scholar Hans-Thies Lehmann called the ‘postdramatic’. This is celebrated on the one hand, because of the political possibilities that might arise out of these confrontations. On the other hand, cultural responses to these legal events also make apparent a revaluation of dramatic forms. The thesis is an exercise in reading law ‘with’ artworks. Show less
This dissertation explores the performative qualities of the museum presentation of Chinese porcelain from the Ming and Qing dynasties. It explores the capability of porcelain display to generate a... Show moreThis dissertation explores the performative qualities of the museum presentation of Chinese porcelain from the Ming and Qing dynasties. It explores the capability of porcelain display to generate a body of surplus meanings with ideological overtones and the underlying Self-Other configurations. It also investigates how certain effects that the display performs are connected with specific viewing experiences. To illustrate these issues, it presents six case studies and provides close readings of the narrative framings built around Chinese porcelain, as well as the spatial narratives constructed by the positioning of objects and specific viewing orders in gallery spaces. The first two case studies are semi-permanent displays in two prominent national museums: The British Museum in London and the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam. Following these two cases are three high-profile temporary exhibitions: the co-curated exhibitions Asia > Amsterdam (2015-2016) at the Rijksmuseum and Asia in Amsterdam (2016) at the Peabody Essex Museum in Salem; and China: Through the Looking Glass (2015) at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York. The final case study is a national museum that, compared to the institutions of the previous case studies, has a more confrontational attitude towards Chinese heritage: The National Palace Museum in Taipei, Taiwan. Show less
The dissertation examines the life and work of G.B. and A. Salm, father and son. Their body of work embraces a wide diversity of architectural styles. Although they occupied a central position... Show moreThe dissertation examines the life and work of G.B. and A. Salm, father and son. Their body of work embraces a wide diversity of architectural styles. Although they occupied a central position within the principal architecture associations at the time they do not seem to have taken a clear position in the polemics on style and material use that architects of the time were engaging in. Their buildings are at first sight difficult to place within the architectural history of the nineteenth century, as a result of which they are all too readily classed among the ‘eclectics’, the group of architects who presented a mixture of styles as a contemporary alternative to the perceived ‘impasse’ in architecture. The question that this dissertation addresses is whether this label is correct. Very little is known about the ideas that form the basis of the designs of this father and son. A further study and analysis of their ideas and their body of architectural work has therefore been carried out to determine the true place of both G.B. and A. Salm in the architecture of the nineteenth century. This study includes a review of the networks and clientele of both father and son. Show less
The German journalist, writer and politician Bodo Uhse (1904 – 1963) would have completely disappeared in the mist of history, had not his one decision - to leave Hitlers NSDAP and to join the KPD... Show moreThe German journalist, writer and politician Bodo Uhse (1904 – 1963) would have completely disappeared in the mist of history, had not his one decision - to leave Hitlers NSDAP and to join the KPD in 1931 – saved him from oblivion. His determined and apparently spectacular step, did provide him, from the very moment he returned to East Germany in 1948, with a prosperous career and a reputation of being one of the more heroic antifascists in the country. This study – formally a biography - describes the development of Uhses political stance, from about 1921 till the moment he left the NSDAP and became a member of the KPD, and tries to shed a fresh light on why he made his move in the first place, why the despised communist party suddenly ended up as a welcome home for his political ideas. A clarification of the “Konservative Revolution”, a generic term for a number of right wing groups propagating similar ideas on how German society should be changed, and an analysis of the change of direction set in by the KPD in 1930, by issuing a manifesto, introducing a national and social agenda into her program helps us to understand Uhses ‘switch’, and, similarly, putting it in perspective. Show less
Discourses on humanoid machines as cultural objects encompass a range of topics pertaining to the functions and significances of humanoid machines in contemporary culture and science fiction;... Show moreDiscourses on humanoid machines as cultural objects encompass a range of topics pertaining to the functions and significances of humanoid machines in contemporary culture and science fiction; however, not much attention has been paid to the specific theme of altruism in relation to fictional robots. This dissertation examines the theme of altruism in the representation of robots in early science fiction texts as a means of revealing a thematic preoccupation with questions regarding human nature and benevolence. These science fiction narratives constitute more than mere literary reactions or responses to various technophobic anxieties in the age of industrialism and/or the horrific aftermath of the First World War. Rather, these narratives also sought to explore and better understand the human condition by exploring the nature of human benevolence. By establishing a theoretical framework followed by literary analyses of selected texts, this dissertation contributes to our understanding of the versatility of fictional robots more generally, as well as our understanding of early thematic developments of this particular subgenre in science fiction. Show less
Why should we look at art when we talk about nuclear power? Nuclear power, military and civilian, has been framed as a solution many times: a solution to end war and sustain global peace, a... Show moreWhy should we look at art when we talk about nuclear power? Nuclear power, military and civilian, has been framed as a solution many times: a solution to end war and sustain global peace, a solution for growing energy demands in rich countries, and more recently, a solution to climate change. All of these solutions soon produced a number of new problems, or turned into problems themselves, contributing to the wicked complexity of the techno-human condition. Yet, it is a mistake to turn away from complexity and seek answers in the form of certainties. After all, the ‘solutions’ listed above are a product of creating certainties where there are none, of trying to overcome complexity and ambiguity.In this study, I argue that art is relevant to the nuclear debate not despite, but because the answers it offers to the societal questions raised by nuclear technologies suggest other problems. Drawing on Braden R. Allenby and Daniel Sarewitz’s notion of ‘intelligent muddling’ as a strategy to navigate the techno-human condition, I show through a series of close readings of recent artistic responses to nuclear energy production and its ‘by-products’ that art points towards ways of muddling through nuclear complexity. Show less
This project examines the representation of sexual trauma in trauma narratives written by the Turkish author Elif Şafak. She writes trauma novels by using diverse narrative devices to give form to... Show moreThis project examines the representation of sexual trauma in trauma narratives written by the Turkish author Elif Şafak. She writes trauma novels by using diverse narrative devices to give form to the unpresentable trauma of sexual violence. In particular, her works explore the relationship between violence and silence as well as femininity and masculinity as defined by Turkish society, the possibility of healing from trauma, and the role that society plays in the healing process. Since I focus on those narratives that enact the trauma caused by sexual violence and gender-related issues at the structural and thematic levels, my corpus consists of novels that portray the complex relationship between rape, childhood abuse, honor killings, and sociocultural dynamics in Turkey. Show less
This study focuses on the decorative oeuvre of Willem Adrianus Fabri (1853-1925). As one of the few decorative painters from the era 1870-1925, quite a bit of his work has been preserved in situ.... Show moreThis study focuses on the decorative oeuvre of Willem Adrianus Fabri (1853-1925). As one of the few decorative painters from the era 1870-1925, quite a bit of his work has been preserved in situ. Characteristic for his decorative paintings is the great variety of activities in terms of interior types. In his almost fifty-year career Fabri has decorated houses, theaters, churches, government buildings, palaces and passenger ships. From around 1877 Fabri worked for the Rotterdam furniture company C.H. Eckhart. This company belonged to the large furniture factories in the Netherlands. Around 1893 Fabri started his own painting studio. Fabri's oeuvre is pre-eminently representative of the profession of decorative painter in the period described. This area of the applied arts in the Netherlands has been neglected so far. Beside the decoration works of Willem Fabri this study examines his network, sources of inspiration, clients and competitors. Show less
