The central argument of this thesis is to establish the link between mobility, material culture and urbanisation in Africa with special focus on the urban elite of Baba I in the North West Region... Show moreThe central argument of this thesis is to establish the link between mobility, material culture and urbanisation in Africa with special focus on the urban elite of Baba I in the North West Region of Cameroon. The study lies within an intricate political system and topography. The thesis questions the effects of material culture on landscape transformation of the society through mobility. Over the past decades, the use and acquisition of land have changed greatly with increased geographical and social mobility. This has caused tremendous effects on the lives of people be it politically, economically and socially and above all in the dynamics of land acquisition and development. The changes on the landscapes are not only physically visible but also socio-culturally with the way people carry themselves around through their daily interactions. Thus, the thesis attempts to study these transformation processes in the form of an ethnography of mobility and belonging of the Papiakum people of Baba I. An extra contribution of this thesis is that it is the first to tell the story of the Papiakum who have been glossed over by the early colonial ethnographers and anthropologists of the North Western Grassfields of Cameroon. The research focused on a specific group: the urban dwellers of Baba I who are constructing at home. I tried to understand the meaning and importance of land and houses (home) within the Baba community in which these elites invest. The study of these changing infrastructural landscapes gave an insight into the socio-political and cultural settings and challenges as well as the role of the elite in development.. The construction of these houses and other infrastructure are an expression of this elite’s belonging as required by Papiakum cultural tenets. Show less
Horst, Sander van der; Lammers, Linde; Maanen, Melle van 2022
Four years of protracted negotiations and bitter warfare passed between the declaration of Indonesian independence on 17 August, 1945, and the official transfer of sovereignty on 27 December, 1949.... Show moreFour years of protracted negotiations and bitter warfare passed between the declaration of Indonesian independence on 17 August, 1945, and the official transfer of sovereignty on 27 December, 1949. Whereas the newly proclaimed Republic of Indonesia rejected the colonial regime and hence any attempt at ‘recolonization’ by the Dutch after the Japanese occupation (1942-1945), the Dutch framed their return to the archipelago as a mission to restore ‘order and peace’. Images of the Indonesian War. Many of these materials, alongside photographs and oral history collections, ended up in the collections of the KITLV and eventually the Leiden University Libraries. This trilingual (English, Dutch and Indonesian) catalogue accompanies a digital exhibition of some fifty unique items. The selection made demonstrates the sharply contrasting perspectives on the legitimacy of the Republic and Dutch colonialism, and also offers first-hand testimonies of a bitter war with a huge imbalance of casualties. Show less
Written Culture at Ten Duinen: Cistercian Monks and Their Books, c. 1125-c. 1250 uses both traditional and new methodologies to examine the extant twelfth- and early thirteenth-century manuscripts... Show moreWritten Culture at Ten Duinen: Cistercian Monks and Their Books, c. 1125-c. 1250 uses both traditional and new methodologies to examine the extant twelfth- and early thirteenth-century manuscripts from the Flemish abbey of Ten Duinen, once situated in the dunes near present-day Koksijde. Patterns in the production and use of books are identified within the abbey's extant manuscripts and defined by analyzing substantial data, gathered within a customized database, for each manuscript unit (i.e., both homogenous manuscripts and non-homogenous manuscripts wherein parts can be differentiated by production period or technique). Scriptorium, library, and reading practices are then situated within the context of the Long Twelfth Century (c.1075–c.1225) and the abbey’s Cistercian network to discuss how the monks of Ten Duinen organized, accessed, interpreted, and transmitted knowledge in the manuscripts they made and used. Show less
In Westerblokker even buiten Hoorn werd in 1475 een vrouwenklooster met de naam Bethlehem opgericht. De grote stichtingsgolf van kloosters, die eind 14de eeuw begon, was al enige tijd over zijn... Show moreIn Westerblokker even buiten Hoorn werd in 1475 een vrouwenklooster met de naam Bethlehem opgericht. De grote stichtingsgolf van kloosters, die eind 14de eeuw begon, was al enige tijd over zijn hoogtepunt heen. In het proefschrift wordt onderzocht waarom aan het einde van de 15de eeuw nog een nieuwe kloostergemeenschap tot stand kwam en wat zegt dit over de vitaliteit van het kloosterleven in de tweede helft van de 15de eeuw en vroege 16de eeuw. Deze nieuwe stichting op het platteland volgde een geheel eigen formule: het nam de regel van Augustinus aan en schaarde zich onder de Orde van het Heilig Kruis. Aanvankelijk hadden de kruisbroeders alleen het toezicht over het vrouwenklooster en in 1530 namen ze ook het biechtvaderschap op zich. Dankzij het statutenboek krijgen we een goed beeld van het religieuze leven in het klooster en de wijze waarop de kruisbroeders vorm gaven aan een vrouwenklooster onder hun hoede. Tussen 2003 en 2008 is klooster Bethlehem voor een groot gedeelte opgegraven. De kloosterplattegrond en de inrichting van het kloosterterrein kunnen deels worden gereconstrueerd. De opgravingen hebben tevens grote hoeveelheden vondstmateriaal opgeleverd, waaronder veel devotionalia van pijpaarde en terracotta, die een beeld geven van het kloosterleven. Show less
