Does society need armed forces? If so, what form should they take and what position should they hold in a democratic society? Critical conscripts, conscientious objectors, professional soldiers,... Show moreDoes society need armed forces? If so, what form should they take and what position should they hold in a democratic society? Critical conscripts, conscientious objectors, professional soldiers, civilians and antimilitarists posed these questions during the Cold War. This study investigates their criticism of and protest against the armed forces and national security and defense policy in the Netherlands between 1945 and 1989. It first examines how and why the critics of the armed forces questioned its form and existence. Secondly, this study looks into the Ministry of Defense's reaction to these critics. It explores how the ministry interpreted and responded to criticism and protest. The main question of this study is to what extent did the ministry believe that the criticism undermined the armed forces' legitimacy? Show less
Does society need armed forces? If so, what form should they take and what position should they hold in a democratic society? Critical conscripts, conscientious objectors, professional soldiers,... Show moreDoes society need armed forces? If so, what form should they take and what position should they hold in a democratic society? Critical conscripts, conscientious objectors, professional soldiers, civilians and antimilitarists posed these questions during the Cold War. This study investigates their criticism of and protest against the armed forces and national security and defense policy in the Netherlands between 1945 and 1989. It first examines how and why the critics of the armed forces questioned its form and existence. Secondly, this study looks into the Ministry of Defense's reaction to these critics. It explores how the ministry interpreted and responded to criticism and protest. The main question of this study is to what extent did the ministry believe that the criticism undermined the armed forces' legitimacy? Show less
This study presents a re-evaluation of Malay adventure stories. These narratives were found in a large part of Southeast Asia for at least three centuries until the beginning of the twentieth... Show moreThis study presents a re-evaluation of Malay adventure stories. These narratives were found in a large part of Southeast Asia for at least three centuries until the beginning of the twentieth century. By adopting a cross-disciplinary approach, it aims to show that Malay adventure stories were not the meaningless fairy tales that Western collectors and scholars have previously held them for. It is argued that instead, they were greatly connected, in various ways, to the socieyt they have sprung from. The second part of the study comprises an annotated edition and translation of the Malay adventure story, 'Story of Bahram Syah' Show less
This thesis examines how the process of social change in the area of Mwinilunga, a district in the north-western province of Zambia, was manifested between 1870 and 1970. The process of social... Show moreThis thesis examines how the process of social change in the area of Mwinilunga, a district in the north-western province of Zambia, was manifested between 1870 and 1970. The process of social change is examined by looking in detail at four aspects, namely production, mobility, consumption and social relationships. Social change has received much attention in Zambian historiography. The anthropologist Victor Turner linked social change in Mwinilunga District to settlement patterns, predicting a change from large concentric villages to small settlements along the roadside. This change in settlement patterns would be accompanied by changes in patterns of production (from subsistence to market production of cash crops), mobility (labour migration to urban areas), consumption (from locally manufactured to store-bought goods) and social relationships (from extended kinship to family nucleation and individualisation). Did such changes indeed occur, or was change more complex and non-linear? Show less