Indian agriculture is widely believed to be in crisis. There is broad consensus among scholar, policymakers and activists that economic hardships and the changing climate have made sustaining a... Show moreIndian agriculture is widely believed to be in crisis. There is broad consensus among scholar, policymakers and activists that economic hardships and the changing climate have made sustaining a livelihood through farming increasingly untenable. There is a strong sense that something has to be done to help farmers deal with the crisis, and in recent years agricultural insurance has been presented as a possible fix for rural distress. This dissertation studies how a new agricultural insurance scheme called PMFBY becomes part of everyday social interactions and experiences. Insurance companies often assert that quantified procedures can accurately - and fairly - calculate the extent of agricultural risk, attach a price tag to it and protect against it. Can quantification really be the antidote to crisis? To answer this question I explore how insurance numbers translate to the everyday experiences of rural people in central Maharashtra. I find that, when seen from the perspective of those encountering them in their daily lives, the numbers are anything but straightforward. The effects of quantification were often arbitrary, and despite promises of transparency, they had a tendency to obscure rather than clarify. In short, the numbers turned out to be inconsistent and ambiguous. The dissertation describes how people attempt to make sense of this ambiguity through their moral understandings. It focusses on the (often heated) discussions, the collective pondering such discussions led to, the personal dilemmas it posed as well as the dreams and aspirations numbers became entwined with. I explore how such quandaries unfold and argue that a focus on the morality of quantification brings to light the social life of numbers beyond their 'objective' factuality. Show less
Besides trading, the Dutch East India Company (VOC) and its Western Indian counterpart (WIC) also sought to expand their dominant position by establishing and managing colonies. Central to this... Show moreBesides trading, the Dutch East India Company (VOC) and its Western Indian counterpart (WIC) also sought to expand their dominant position by establishing and managing colonies. Central to this strategy was to stimulate an orderly, self-producing colonial population, with a European elite at the top and a sharp distinction between free citizens and people in slavery. The reality was less orderly, however: in disparate colonial settlements such as Batavia, Cochin, Ceylon, Elmina, Suriname, Curaçao and Berbice, people from different backgrounds, religions, and social positions encountered one another and formed relationships – formal and informal, coercive and consensual – which could either challenge or reinforce the social divisions on which colonial hierarchies rested. Regulating Relations, focusing on the abovementioned settlements in the eighteenth century, investigates how norms around marriage, family, and sexuality formed in this complex world: how did colonial authorities attempt to regulate the intimate relations of populations under their control, and how did men and women of various backgrounds give shape to these norms through their own behavior and use of institutions? Show less
Struiksma, M.E.; De Mulder, H.N.M.; Van Berkum, J.J.A. 2022
Verbal insults go against a universal moral imperative not to inflict harm on others, and they also pose a threat to one’s face or reputation. As such, these “verbal slaps in the face” provide a... Show moreVerbal insults go against a universal moral imperative not to inflict harm on others, and they also pose a threat to one’s face or reputation. As such, these “verbal slaps in the face” provide a unique opportunity to explore the interface between language and emotion. We used electroencephalography (EEG) and skin conductance (SC) recordings to compare the short-term impact of verbal insults such as “Linda is an idiot” or “Paula is horrible” to that of more positive evaluations (e.g., “Linda is an angel”, “Paula is impressive”) and neutral factual descriptions (e.g., “Linda is a student”), examining how responses to these various speech acts adapt as a function of massive repetition. By using either the participant’s or somebody else’s name, we also explored how statement impact depended on who was being evaluated. Multilevel ERP analysis with three predesignated latency ranges revealed an early insult effect in P2 amplitude that was highly robust over repetition and also did not depend on who the insult was about. This P2 effect points to a very rapid and stable capture of emotional attention, plausibly triggered by the retrieval of evaluative word meaning from long-term memory. Insults also elicited a larger late positive potential (LPP), again regardless of who the insult was about, but this later effect did not withstand repetition. Skin conductance responses showed that insults did not lead to more arousal than compliments did. In all, our findings suggest that in a standard psycholinguistic comprehension experiment without real interaction between speakers, insults deliver lexical “mini-slaps in the face,” such that the strongly negative evaluative words involved (e.g., “idiot”) automatically grab attention during lexical retrieval, regardless of how often that retrieval occurs. Show less
The moral imperatives of kinship in Italy today articulate state law and market in measurements of closeness for access to resources and care. The negotiations of insurance payouts for road crash... Show moreThe moral imperatives of kinship in Italy today articulate state law and market in measurements of closeness for access to resources and care. The negotiations of insurance payouts for road crash victims offer a privileged vantage point to study this articulation and, specifically, how laws and welfare policies are reproduced through financial products. In these negotiations, insurance companies, state agencies, lawyers, and families employ different measurements of kinship as closeness. The notion of ‘kin enough’ indicates thresholds of belonging reached when degrees of closeness measured through different indicators add up. Two case studies show how concrete negotiations of measurement reinforce inequalities of gender, class, and age, and help to moralize kinship according to ideals of middle-class propriety. Show less
This article discusses local expressions of crisis in Beed district, central Maharashtra. Both in public and academic discourse crisis has become the term of choice for the many structural... Show moreThis article discusses local expressions of crisis in Beed district, central Maharashtra. Both in public and academic discourse crisis has become the term of choice for the many structural deficiencies which make agriculture an increasingly precarious livelihood in India. While most voices subscribe to the explanation that the current state of distress can be attributed to the unprofitability of agriculture, a wide range of structural explanations are suggested as to why this might be the case. Consequently, in some debates agricultural crisis runs the risk of moving the experiences, agency and postionalities of those imagined to be living through its consequences to the background. This paper counterbalances such causal explanations by empirically delving into the imaginaries of agricultural crisis as they are articulated, negotiated and employed by farmers in Maharashtra. Based on twelve months of ethnographic research, the paper examines how ideas of crisis are entangled with colloquial understandings by taking experiences of ‘tension’, an Anglicised term used to express feelings akin to stress, as object of inquiry. I argue that by claiming crisis through invoking feelings of tension farmers mobilise a plurality of meanings, narratives and moral evaluations about what is wrong with agriculture in this part of India. Show less
This study focuses on the issue of a “moral crisis” which was a widely discussed topic among the Ottoman intelligentsia. Moving on from the common view that the “moral crisis” reached a peak... Show moreThis study focuses on the issue of a “moral crisis” which was a widely discussed topic among the Ottoman intelligentsia. Moving on from the common view that the “moral crisis” reached a peak during the First World War, this study investigates how morality was related to the war and the preconditions that created the perception of a crisis in morality. The study argues that morality was a contested space among the intellectuals and explains how rival ideologies set forth their political positions depending on differing understandings of morality. For the state, on the other hand, moral decline became a matter of national security during the war. The study demonstrates how wartime rivalries were reflected in the cultural sphere through morality discourses. In public opinion and political circles, immorality was generally considered a social problem that had been imported from European countries. At the social level, the study focuses on family, women, and morality related crimes with an emphasis on the impact of war on traditional family order. The dissertation sheds a light on the place of morality in lawmaking processes, the ideas of reform and progress, and plans for a new society. Show less
This book provides insights and tools for managers and in- and external supervisors within financial services that help to define and assess team climates in order to prevent future misconduct... Show moreThis book provides insights and tools for managers and in- and external supervisors within financial services that help to define and assess team climates in order to prevent future misconduct. Applying social psychological insights about team conditions that invite unethical behaviour, can help understand and improve current work practices in financial services. Team climates are a blind spot for banks and financial supervisors. There is much to win by addressing dysfunctional team practices, as a way to prevent future misconduct. In this book I aimed to provide a practical approach to analyse team climate as an internal or external supervisor. I present the ‘Corrupting Barrels’ model that can be used to characterize teams on three aspects that facilitate unethical behaviour: ineffective error approach, outcome inequality and dysfunctional moral climate. By combining a deep dive review including observations and interviews with a survey, it is possible to effectively identify meaningful differences in team climate characteristics that are known precursors of organizational misbehaviour. The analysis provided is based on data gathered while the author worked as a senior supervisor of behaviour and culture at DNB and provides quotes from board members, senior managers and traders within large European banks. Show less
Kurdish dengbêjs are singer-poets who are trained in singing and telling stories. For a long time, the dengbêjs and their art were suppressed and forgotten, and only recently did they return into... Show moreKurdish dengbêjs are singer-poets who are trained in singing and telling stories. For a long time, the dengbêjs and their art were suppressed and forgotten, and only recently did they return into public life. Today the dengbêjs are seen as guardians of Kurdish history and culture. This vision tells much about recent socio-political developments and should be understood in the context of the evolving story of Kurdish nationalism. The dengbêjs and their songs create a Kurdish home set within the landscape of Turkey and the surrounding (nation-)states. Since the foundation of the Republic of Turkey, the political landscape of the Kurdistan region was marked by conflict and turmoil that greatly affected the lives of millions of people. The art the dengbêjs, and the negotiation about what it means to be a dengbêj today, reflect this difficult history. From a theoretical perspective the dissertation gives an ethnographic account of narrative. The variety of narratives circulating in a society at a particular time and place are presented and analyzed. The narratives do not only tell us a story about Kurdish society in Turkey, but also about the larger global stories of modernity, nationalism, and Orientalism. This gives the study a wider relevance. Show less
Previous research has revealed that it is important for people to be moral. Nevertheless, they may sometimes commit immoral acts. In this dissertation, I examined when people tend to act in ways... Show morePrevious research has revealed that it is important for people to be moral. Nevertheless, they may sometimes commit immoral acts. In this dissertation, I examined when people tend to act in ways that are considered moral; whether it is important for them to be perceived as moral by others; and how much they care whether or not they succeed in behaving according to their moral values. Additionally, I used neuroscientific (i.e., EEG and fMRI) and psychophysiological (i.e., skin conductance) research methods to gain insight in some of the processes underlying these questions. Extending previous research by examining people's actual moral behavior and shedding light on the cognitive and affective processes underlying their acts, the findings in this dissertation reveal not only that, but also when and how people behave according to their moral values. Show less
Morality is of particular importance to people: People want to be considered moral and want to belong to moral groups. Consequently, morality judgments have the potential to motivate individuals to... Show moreMorality is of particular importance to people: People want to be considered moral and want to belong to moral groups. Consequently, morality judgments have the potential to motivate individuals to behave in ways that are considered to be ‘good’. In the current dissertation, I examined the impact of intragroup morality judgments on group members’ motivational responses, and compared those to competence judgments as an alternative domain of evaluation. In three empirical chapters, I investigated the impact of morality (vs. competence) judgments from different perspectives, namely judgments of 1) group member’s own prior behavior, 2) another group member’s behavior, as well as 3) the behavior of a prospective group member. The central hypothesis was that intragroup morality judgments generally impact more strongly on group members’ motivational responses than competence judgments. The results demonstrated that the motivational force of morality largely pertains to immorality. Judgments of immorality elicit a range of motivational responses in group members, such as negative affect, lowered perceived coping abilities, a cardiovascular pattern indicative of threat rather than challenge, and a greater inclination towards social exclusion. In conclusion, morality judgments—generally more so than competence judgments—impact on group members’ striving to be a ‘good’ group member. Show less
I theorized that if redressing inequality becomes a way for dominant group members (i.e., Whites) to boost their group‘s moral standing (i.e., as fair and just), resistance to increased equality... Show moreI theorized that if redressing inequality becomes a way for dominant group members (i.e., Whites) to boost their group‘s moral standing (i.e., as fair and just), resistance to increased equality among these group members might decrease, thereby increasing opportunities for social change. Thus, I examined the effect of morality framing—i.e., presenting social equality as a moral ideal versus a moral obligation—on Whites‘ responses to social inequality. In Chapter 2 it is demonstrated that exposure to the moral ideal (vs. obligation) frame elicits more positive intergroup attitudes among Whites. In Chapter 3 it is established that giving a speech about equality as a moral ideal (rather than as a moral obligation), elicits cardiovascular (CV) reactivity and speech rates among Whites that are consistent with less relative threat and vigilance. However, studies in Chapter 4 show that during contact with a Black confederate, prior exposure to the moral ideal (vs. obligation) frame elicits CV reactivity among Whites consistent with greater relative threat. CV reactivity was reliably predicted by more positive intergroup attitudes, and thus, heightened threat during intergroup contact can indicate the psychological cost of caring. These findings can inform policy and interventions aimed at increasing commitment toward equality. Show less
The Reception of Voltaire’s theater in the Netherlands during the eighteenth century. Nowadays, when you think about Voltaire, you think about his “Tales”. Who does not know Candide or Zadig?... Show moreThe Reception of Voltaire’s theater in the Netherlands during the eighteenth century. Nowadays, when you think about Voltaire, you think about his “Tales”. Who does not know Candide or Zadig? However, in the XVIIIth century, he was famous and wanted to be celebrated for his theater. A few specialists already studied the reception of his theater in France. But what happened outside France? It seems that Voltaire as a dramatist was very appreciated in the Europe of the Enlightment. He is in the “United Provinces”, today the Netherlands, seen as the main figure of Classicism. Moreover, some aspects of his plays were found of particular interest: the exoticism of some of them, and specifically the patriotism often intensified in the translations. We talk about his tragedies like Zaïre, the best known, but we forget his comedies most of the time. However, the public loved them have been in a country, where despite the critics, the French culture has kept her Glory. Show less
This thesis examines the character, spread, development and influence of the Dance of Death or danse macabre theme in late-medieval England within its literary, socio- and art-historical context.... Show moreThis thesis examines the character, spread, development and influence of the Dance of Death or danse macabre theme in late-medieval England within its literary, socio- and art-historical context. It traces the origins of the theme and, following the deaths in 1422 of the English king Henry V and Charles VI of France, its adaptation to the political circumstances in English-occupied Paris by means of a famous (lost) mural in the cemetery of Les Saints Innocents painted in 1424-25. The French poem in this mural was translated into English by John Lydgate and incorporated into a (lost) painted scheme at Old St Paul's Cathedral, London. The theme subsequently spread to other parts of Europe. Two murals in Basel were to influence the artist Hans Holbein the Younger, who designed a famous series of danse macabre woodcuts (published in 1538). The thesis explores the likelihood of cryptoportraits within the P aris mural and other schemes. The loss of the majority of English medieval art means that the true importance of the danse macabre has hitherto been underestimated. However, influences of the danse macabre can be identified in English late-medieval and renaissance poetry and drama, tomb iconography, misericords, prints and other forms of art. Show less
The thesis focuses on 5 studies examining the role of adult attachment in volunteering by defining volunteerism as a form of caregiving. By that we suggest an effect of one behavioral system,... Show moreThe thesis focuses on 5 studies examining the role of adult attachment in volunteering by defining volunteerism as a form of caregiving. By that we suggest an effect of one behavioral system, attachment, on another, caring or prosocial behaviors in individual or group settings. Studies 1 and 2 examined the links between adult romantic attachment, volunteer behavior, and volunteer motivations. Attachment avoidance was associated with less volunteering and with lowered altruistic and exploration volunteer motives, whereas attachment anxiety was associated with self-enhancing volunteer motives. Volunteering was associated with fewer interpersonal problems for those high in attachment anxiety. Study 3 ruled out the alternative interpretation that these links were due personality characteristics. In Study 4, the role of morality was explored. Levels of moral reasoning moderated the effects of attachment avoidance on volunteerism motives Study 5 examined attachment pattern differences in responses to manipulated group respect and disrespect. Attachment anxiety moderated the effect of group respect and disrespect inductions on group commitment, donations and effort expenditures. Overall, these findings are important because they suggest that attachment experiences influence one’s caregiving approach, not only in close relationships, but one’s caregiving approach to others in general, including strangers. Show less
In the present thesis, a homogeneous upper middle class sample of firstborn girls and their mothers were followed from infancy (18 and 24 months) to middle childhood (89 months) using... Show moreIn the present thesis, a homogeneous upper middle class sample of firstborn girls and their mothers were followed from infancy (18 and 24 months) to middle childhood (89 months) using questionnaires and observations. The focus of the study was on three components of moral behavior, i.e. empathy, compliance and prosocial behavoir. The longitudinal development and stability of empathy and compliance from infancy to middle childhood was described, and their relation to prosocial behavior in middle childhood. Empathic concern towards mother increased from 18 to 24 months, but strongly decreased from 24 to 89 months. Empathic concern toward an unfamiliar person decreased from 18 to 89 months. Compliance increased from 18 to 89 months. Only empathy towards mother seems to be fertile ground for donating to charitable organizations like UNICEF. Also, the role of antecedent and concurrent sensitivity and attachment security in prosocial, externalizing, and internalizing behavior in middle childhood was investigated. Results showed that, controlling for concurrent influences, maternal sensitivity and attachment security in infancy predicted prosocial and externalizing behavior Show less
