The study of non-Western cultures often relies on the knowledge of those cultures’ religions. This certainly applies to Javanese Studies, where “Javanese Islam” is one of its constitutive concepts.... Show moreThe study of non-Western cultures often relies on the knowledge of those cultures’ religions. This certainly applies to Javanese Studies, where “Javanese Islam” is one of its constitutive concepts. However, this notion is plagued by theoretical problems, suggesting it misrepresents the Javanese religious condition. Through a conceptual genealogy this research traces the origin of “Javanese Islam”. Its conceptualisation is shown to be part of a Western project of making sense of Javanese culture. However, the origin of the twin-concepts “Javanese Islam” and “Javanism” does not lie in the West’s ambitions for colonial dominance. Rather, they are pieces of Christian theology. The West’s preoccupation with religion compelled it to recognise certain Javanese traditions as elements of religion. It thus came to see ngelmu as the core beliefs and slametan as the central ritual of a Javanese religion. This representation however is not supported by empirical evidence or theoretical proof. If, as this research suggests, syncretist Javanese Islam is actually an experiential entity in the experiential world of the West, new research questions arise. Is there an alternative approach to gain insight into Java’s traditions? Show less
This book presents a mode by which to discuss and assess Jewish religious participation and religious group membership as a social phenomenon through the lens of social identity theory. It... Show moreThis book presents a mode by which to discuss and assess Jewish religious participation and religious group membership as a social phenomenon through the lens of social identity theory. It includes analyses and discussion of minority groups’ self-perception within broader national contexts, self-esteem as a result of religious group membership, and the dichotomy between religious in-group identity and active belief. If we are able to distinguish ‘belief’ from ‘belonging’ relative to institutional religions, we might better accommodate the needs and values of these groups. This book focuses on a Canadian group of secular Jews, combining quantitative and qualitative methods to illuminate how religious identity, connection and membership affect daily modern life. Show less
Since the 1980s, a migration has started from the Japanese community in Brazil "back" to Japan. This movement has been studied in recent publications as an interesting example of "return migration"... Show moreSince the 1980s, a migration has started from the Japanese community in Brazil "back" to Japan. This movement has been studied in recent publications as an interesting example of "return migration". This dissertation is based on interviews with migrants of the first and second generation, conducted between 2003 and 2010 in Kandatsu and surroundings. This ethnographic field research shows that the concept of “return” does not properly describe the migration of Japanese Brazilians to Japan, because it is rather a circular movement between the two countries. Moreover, it appears that the identity of these people is an ambivalent dynamic and strategic entity. The study provides important information about the motivation of the migrants, their experiences in Japan, and the challenges they face within and outside the family. It is a very heterogeneous group. Differences in cultural background, appearance, affinity with Japanese culture and Japanese language skills are decisive for the integration process. Within this process migrants handle different strategies that ultimately lead either to a permanent establishment in Japan or a decision to return temporarily or permanently to Brazil. Crucial to the integration process is the success of the Japanese-Brazilian children in Japanese schools. Show less
Much of the previous work investigating the impact of honor on conflict management has focused on how people endorsing honor values respond to possibly offensive interactions. Despite the... Show moreMuch of the previous work investigating the impact of honor on conflict management has focused on how people endorsing honor values respond to possibly offensive interactions. Despite the accumulation of this research, it is yet unclear why people endorsing the ideal of honor respond more fiercely after being offended. Moreover, hardly any systematic attempts have been undertaken to identify ways in which these negative ramifications of offensive encounters can be prevented or reduced. The discoveries made in the context of this dissertation paint a more balanced picture of the effect of honor concern on conflict management and inform us on possible avenues of effective conflict intervention. Show less
Alden, D.L.; Friend, J.; Schapira, M.; Stiggelbout, A. 2014
The overall goal of the current dissertation is to uncover predictors and outcomes of positive parenting in ethnic minority families. Chapter 2 provides an overview of commonly used observational... Show moreThe overall goal of the current dissertation is to uncover predictors and outcomes of positive parenting in ethnic minority families. Chapter 2 provides an overview of commonly used observational instruments to measure sensitivity, showing the versatility and scientific importance of the construct. The results presented in Chapter 3 suggest that mothers of different cultural backgrounds and socioeconomic groups have a highly similar view on maternal sensitivity. In Chapter 4, the results show that both acculturation stress and general psychological distress mediated the relation between socioeconomic status and positive parenting in Turkish minority families with young children. The results of the empirical study presented in Chapter 5 suggest that family stress processes play a role in adolescents’ behavioral outcomes, whereas family investment processes play a role in adolescents’ cognitive-behavioral outcome in Turkish minority families. Overall, the studies described in this thesis have shown that parenting beliefs and behaviors in ethnic minority families can only be understood in light of factors that are often related to minority status, such as lower socioeconomic status, higher general family stress, and acculturation stress. These factors should be taken into account in research and practice regarding parenting behaviors and child development in ethnic minority families. Show less
Combining extant literature with archival and archaeological evidence, photo albums and oral interviews, eponymous names and witty sayings, folksongs and participant observation; this study,... Show moreCombining extant literature with archival and archaeological evidence, photo albums and oral interviews, eponymous names and witty sayings, folksongs and participant observation; this study, covering from 1880 to 1980, wrote a history of Yorubaland as seen through dress. Also subsumed in this study was a history of Yorùbá dress, especially its place in the construction of Yorùbá ethno-national identity. Yorùbá people conceived dress as an assemblage of modifications and/or supplements to the human body. These included coiffed hair and coloured skin, pierced ears and scented breath, etc. Underlying this conceptualization was the requirement of being an Omoluabi, an ethical category defined as a conglomeration of moral principles such as being lofty in spoken words and respectful, having good mind towards others and being truthful, possessing lofty character and being brave, hardworking and being intelligent, including having a good dress sense. All these formed Yorùbá individual and group identity (Yorùbáness) as well as what Yorùbá dress was all about. To be a Yorùbá man or woman was therefore to dress well and to dress well was to be a Yorùbá man or woman. Understood in this way, Yorùbáness therefore was impossible without Yorùbá dress and Yorùbá dress was impossible without Yorùbáness. Show less
Group B Streptococcus (GBS, Streptococcus agalactiae) has been recognized as an important cause of perinatal morbidity and mortality. The frequency of GBS colonization ranges from 10% to 35% in... Show moreGroup B Streptococcus (GBS, Streptococcus agalactiae) has been recognized as an important cause of perinatal morbidity and mortality. The frequency of GBS colonization ranges from 10% to 35% in women of reproductive age. GBS colonization can be transient, intermittent or persistent. Vertical transmission of GBS from mother to child occurs during labor. Studies on vertical GBS transmission in colonized mothers during labor report incidences of colonization of the infant between 16 and 69%. Early-onset group B streptococcal disease (GBS-EOD) occurs in approximately 1% of newborns who are colonized with GBS. Established risk factors for acquiring GBS-EOD are prolonged rupture of membranes, preterm labor, intrapartum fever, GBS bacteriuria during pregnancy or a previous child with GBS-EOD. Intrapartum antibiotic prophylaxis (IAP) given to women at risk of transmitting GBS to their baby may prevent GBS-EOD. Identification of mothers at risk may be performed by screening (taking a culture during pregnancy to detect maternal colonization) and/ or by identifying pregnancies with one or more of the established risk factors for GBS-EOD. Since the overall effect of the Dutch guideline on the incidence of GBS-EOD is disappointing, adaptation of the Dutch guidelines should be reconsidered. The aim of this thesis is to contribute to the information needed for the establishment of an optimal prevention strategy for GBS-EOD. In this thesis, studies on prevalence of GBS carriage, risk factors for GBS-sepsis in relation to GBS carriage, timing of GBS cultures, association of GBS carriage and preterm labor and resistance of GBS for antibiotics are combined. Show less
Cross-cultural research shows that cultural frameworks provide guidance on what to feel and when, and how to express emotions from a young age. These cultural variations can cause misinterpretation... Show moreCross-cultural research shows that cultural frameworks provide guidance on what to feel and when, and how to express emotions from a young age. These cultural variations can cause misinterpretation and misunderstanding and are especially relevant for ethnic minority groups, who may be described as living ‘in between’ cultures. This thesis examines the extent to which Moroccan-Dutch adolescents’ emotional functioning can be considered in between cultures. Their emotion awareness, acknowledgment of social emotions, anger regulation, and anger communication was compared with those of their Dutch peers and with those of their peers living in Morocco. The thesis also addresses the adaptiveness of these aspects of emotional functioning in terms of psychological functioning. The results reveal that, overall, Moroccan-Dutch adolescents’ emotional functioning shows more similarities with that of their Dutch than their Moroccan peers. Although these ‘Dutch’ emotion patterns do not always seem adaptive for Moroccan-Dutch adolescents’ psychological wellbeing, the findings suggest that their emotional functioning in peer situations is a product of the Dutch culture. Show less
interventions in village life. Doing all this work for the community has also schooled them in the use and meaning of Sa‟vi. For those who do not know how to read and write, the process starts with... Show moreinterventions in village life. Doing all this work for the community has also schooled them in the use and meaning of Sa‟vi. For those who do not know how to read and write, the process starts with the office of Mayor de Vara del Ayuntamiento. For those who do, with that of Síndico Municipal. In these offices they start speaking the Sa’vi, when delivering messages to the citizens. If one does not have the necessary experience or knowledge of this special way of oral expression, one asks the immediate superior in the same line of duty to help out and teach it. If that is not sufficient, one goes to a trusted experienced and respected elder in the community to learn from him the usages, times and places of this discourse. The apprenticeship commences with short messages, e.g. thanks for an invitation.The central question of this study is: How are the ideas and values of a culture, specifically of the culture of Ñuu Savi (the Mixtec people in Southern Mexico), transmitted and perpetuated? This prompts exploration of a specific genre of oral literature, the Sa’vi or “ceremonial discourse”, which plays a prominent part in the construction of community and cultural memory. Although this genre is obviously important for many studies of Mesoamerica, it has so far received little attention. Consequently our first task was an adequate representative documentation, both of the texts and of their contexts, with their linguistic and anthropological dimensions. With the help of many local people a corpus of discourses (“parangones”) from Yutsa To‟on (Apoala), situated in the Mixtec Highlands in the Mexican State of Oaxaca, was taped, transcribed, translated and commented upon. An important aspect of this research is the historical dimension, because from the same region a number of precolonial pictorial manuscripts has been preserved, in which Yutsa To‟on also appears prominently. As these manuscripts must also have functioned as a basis for public discourses and performances within a ceremonial context, the question arises whether there is a relation and continuity between the pictographic scenes in those codices and the Sa’vi of today, in composition, style, contents and social function. The ceremonial language is employed in solemn acts of family or community life – such as baptism, compadrazgo, asking the hand of a woman, traditional weddings, the receiving and honouring of municipal authorities, thanksgiving for the harvest to Mother Earth, healing ceremonies, mayordomías etc. In all of these events the discourse invites reflection through counselling and exhorting respect and mutual support among the individuals, searching for solutions to problems by making explicit or implicit references to the ancestors and their norms of conduct and living together. The Sa’vi is also the language in which to address the gods, and to refer to different sacred symbols, such as the Tukukua, Itakutsa, staff of office, mat and throne (el Yuhuitayu analyzed by Kevin Terraciano and Angeles Romero), the Rosary, and the authorities themselves (Tade’e), as those who carry the responsibility for the well-being of the people. Thus the discourses fulfill several objectives at the same time, expressing normative and explicatory ideas about nature, religion, history, politics, morality etc., and exposing the knowledge of earlier generations and different segments of society. The Sa’vi is interactive: on the one hand it may be an opening discourse or a responding one , on the other there is always the relation between the canonical message and the specific moment in which it is pronounced (cf. RAPPAPORT 1999). Susana Cumming y Tsuyoshi Ono stress that discourse and context generate and limit each other (van DIJK 2001:174). As a specialized speech genre Sa’vi is the reserved domain and competence of a the group of elders known as Tanisa’nu, who have accumulated social prestige and moral authority because of their community services, i.e. by passing through the hierarchy of social, communitarian municipal and ecclesiastic offices (cargos), which has provided them with a detailed knowledge of customs and prestige because of their positiveFrom the familial and personal environment we move on to the social and political life of the town, focusing on the discourses pronounced at the occasion of the change of municipal authorities and discussing the meaning of the symbols used and referred to in this context, e.g. the bush of flowers (Chapter V). We pay attention to the complex social organisation, which is connected to the worldview, rooted in the precolonial period but remodelled later under Catholic influence. This aspect of syncretism is even more present in the religious festivities with their corresponding mayordomías (Chapter VI). All these activities imply also the participation of family members, compadres, authorities, neighbours and other helpers, which has to be solicited and for which thanks is given for by a Tanisa’nu with adequuate phrases. Obviously the Sa’vi is also used during ceremonies that clearly have a precolonial background, such as the celebration of the Days of the Dead. The abovementioned social contexts, with their corresponding symbolisms, are, indeed, also present in the Mixtec codices. With a deeper understanding of the form, function and contents, we may achieve a more adequate reading of the pictorial scenes and propose new interpretations of specific elements. In Chapter VII the following important examples are analysed: - the staff of office as symbol of power, - the throne and the mat as signs of the unity of the community and civil authority recognising the seated couple as Tade’e, “father and mother of the people”, - the flint knife as symbol of justice, - the processions of protagonists as an expression of social organisation, comparable with the contemporary authorities lined up with their staffs, - the symbolism of the four directions that is manifest in the so-called Venus Staff, corresponding to the contemporary wooden frame known as Tukukua, - the bush of flowers (Itakutsa) as part of the public recognition of power, - the Sacred Bundle as a container of abstract force and luck, - elements of the sacred landscape of Apoala itself, which appear in the codices, - the symbolic meaning and ritual use of maize, epitome of the Mesoamerican cosmos. Each of the chapters of this dissertation moves us to reflect on the use of the language: this analysis makes us understand its grammatical richness, but the focus on ceremonial speech is especially significant as it makes us aware of the persistence and continued transmission of cultural memory and philosophy among our peoples. Observing that this is the very language which our ancestors used to express their thoughts in the different codices they painted before the Spanish conquest, we not only discover that through the surviving manifestations of this special language, Sa’vi, we understand better several important passages of those ancient books, but also the continuity of that ancient thought and worldview in our present-day perspectives and identity. On the other hand, this language is dwindling: the new generations generally do not know and do not want to speak the common Mixtec language, much less the Sa’vi. Among the causes we may point to poverty (exploitation), discrimination, migration, alienating education with its modernisation „Western‟ style, the mass media, acculturation to „Western‟ thought, the lack of transmission and teaching of our own language and otherfactors that together provoke the displacement and extermination of the Mesoamerican languages, and in fact endanger the languages of all indigenous peoples of the planet. In this context we may understand the lack of consciousness and even apathy among the cultural descendants, which contributes to the further erosion of forms of knowledge, meanings, historical and philosophical values still existent in indigenous communities. To confront this problem, the challenge is that those of us who are conscious of our culture take an active approach, creating more reflection and understanding of this matter and of our cultural heritage. It is with that aim in mind that this dissertation was written. Show less
That art has some sort of relation to reality is an assumption underlying most of the past and the present discourse on and about art. The questions of what sort of relation, whether it is at all... Show moreThat art has some sort of relation to reality is an assumption underlying most of the past and the present discourse on and about art. The questions of what sort of relation, whether it is at all valid and specific (as opposed to science’s or philosophy’s relation to reality), however, are hardly ever addressed. In studying a relation between terms, one needs to be clear about the terms themselves: ‘Art’ is understood here in the sense of the notion that crystallized no earlier than the 18th century in Europe. That notion is, in its essential features, still valid today. ‘Reality’ tends to be understood as that what exists independently of us ‘out there’, but it can also be the inner world of feelings, perceptions and memories, which entirely depends on the individual. The former is best described by science whereas the latter is inaccessible for it. Then there is the reality of inter personal relations, like society, culture and language. The thesis examines art in relation to each of them, on the level of individual experience, on the level of social life, in historical perspective. Informed by all these different viewpoints it eventually addresses the question whether the making or the experiencing of art can lead to any knowledge.Concerning the illustrations 5, 9, 10, 11, 18, 19, 20, 21, 26, 27, 28, 34, 39, 40, 41, 42, 43, 44, 45, 46, 47, 48, and 49 of Chapter I, the illustrations 15, 17, 18, 19, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, and 31 of Chapter II, the illistrations 20, 21, 22, 23, 27, 28, 32, 33, 42, 45, 44, 45, 46 , 47, 48, 49, and 50 of Chapter III. the illustrations 4, 5, 8, 9, and11 of chapter IV, and the reproduction of a painting by Mondriaan on the cover the author does not own the copyright, Concerning this material the author has striven to ensure that in using the illustrations all legal rights have been taken into proper account. However, parties who believe they can claim legal rights are invited to apply to Leiden University, c/- Universiteitsbibiotheek, Afd. Acquisitie, Postbus 9501, 2300 RA Leiden, or to proefschrift@library.leidenuniv.nlMet betrekking tot de afbeeldingen 5, 9, 10, 11, 18, 19, 20, 21, 26, 27, 28, 34, 39, 40, 41, 42, 43, 44, 45, 46, 47, 48 en 49 van het hoofdstuk (I.), de afbeeldingen 15, 17, 18, 19, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28 en 31 van het hoofdstuk (II.), de afbeeldingen 20, 21, 22, 23, 27, 28, 32, 33, 42, 43, 44, 45, 46, 47, 48, 49 en 50 van het hoofdstuk (III.), de afbeeldingen 4, 5, 8, 9, 11 van het hoofdstuk (IV.), en de afbeelding van het Mondriaan schilderij op de cover bezit hij geen copyright. Met betrekking tot dit beeldmateriaal heeft de promovendus ernaar gestreefd de rechten van de illistraties volgens wettelijke bepalingen te regelen. Degenen die desondanks menen zekere rechten te kunnen doen gelden, kunnen zich wenden tot de Universiteit Leiden, p.a. Universiteitsbibliotheek, Afd. Acquisitie, Postbus 9501, 2300 RA Leiden, of bij proefschrift@library.leidenuniv.nl Show less
In deze studie wordt de invloed van instituties en cultuur op het overheidsbeleid onderzocht. Aan de hand van twee case-studies naar het automobiliteitsbeleid in de steden Birmingham en München... Show moreIn deze studie wordt de invloed van instituties en cultuur op het overheidsbeleid onderzocht. Aan de hand van twee case-studies naar het automobiliteitsbeleid in de steden Birmingham en München wordt duidelijk dat lokale beleidsinstituties en culturen voor een grote mate van invloed zijn op de keuze voor het automobiliteitsbeleid. Een link wordt gelegd met de Nederlandse situatie en het thema van bestuurlijke vernieuwing. Show less
