Erasmus University Thesis Repository
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"What do you even think about the fact that I am not Dutch?"
No full textSwiping, matching and bumbling during one's lunch break, while waiting for the train to arrive, or when going on vacation has become common practice. The dominance of digital dating in contemporary society cannot be denied. However, in recent years, it has also become increasingly clear that not everyone experiences the online sphere in the same way. Women of colour are continuously marginalised, which has implications for how they position themselves online and by proxy on dating apps too. The ways in which women of colour navigate this marginalisation impacts their way of being, becoming a self-surveyor of their own behaviour. Through a Foucauldian lens of self-surveillance, the research examines in what ways self-monitoring arises in the online dating behaviour of Dutch women of colour. This study focused on the Netherlands, because of its interesting racial dynamics that marginalise people from racial minority groups in specific ways. The dating app Bumble was chosen, as it is a self-proclaimed feminist dating app, which is reflected in the app's architecture and functionalities, hence it provides reason to examine whether this also affects the experiences of women of colour on the app and subsequently, their behaviour and dating practices. Through in-depth interviewing with twelve Dutch women of colour, a diverse, complex picture of how a wide range of structures intersect in the negotiation of their Bumble use was illustrated. Self-surveillance arose in various ways, but women also offered resistance and practices that subverted Dutch expectations. The affordance framework provided guidance in analysing the role of technological design in their behaviour, offering that especially visual dominance influences how women think about their self-presentation. Managing authentic impressions through control was an unexpected finding that showed how internalised strategic communication is vital in self-presentation, as these impressions are shaped by technological design and affordances, To a certain extent, it decreased self-disciplinary practices, as the women prioritised authenticity over adjusting themselves to align with Dutch hegemony. This study contributed to online dating research by focusing on the intersectional experiences of women of colour and their behaviour, emphasising the importance of researching meaning making for marginalised communities. It also illustrated the vast extent to which technology influences daily practices, including dating and in what ways it perpetuates systematic societal issues. Overall, the research calls into question what societal implications are regarding individuals' behaviours resulting from these communication technologies and how they impact relationships
Negotiating Reciprocity
No full textEurope's Independent Performing Arts (IPA) field thrives on transnational collaborations between project-based artistic companies and presenters, yet faces systemic precarity. While Fabian Eder's (2023) large scale quantitative study revealed pan-European isomorphism stabilizing IPA structures, it also highlighted imbalances destabilizing the field. This thesis shifts focus to the micro- level, asking: What form of reciprocity logic is pre-dominantly encoded in written contracts between IPA companies and presenters? (RQ1) and Do these contracts exhibit transnational convergence linked to isomorphic pressures? (RQ2).
Through qualitative content analysis of 13 guest performance contracts (2022-2025) from 10 European countries, this study reconceptualizes contracts as dynamic sites of institutional work (Lawrence et al., 2006, 2009). This practice-theoretical lens deciphers how competing logics- transactional (economic equivalence) versus relational (sociocultural embeddedness)-are encoded in clauses and form the processes and practices between parties. A novel Reciprocity Ratio Score (RRS) quantifies the dominance of each logic per contract.
Findings reveal institutional duality: Contracts predominantly enforce transactional practices- rigid liability terms, unilateral penalties, and EU compliance clauses-driven by coercive isomorphism (e.g., tax/employment regulations). However, relational outliers emerge: 30% of cases standardize ethical guidelines (e.g., anti-harassment protocols), shared insurance, or proportional cancellation liabilities. These outliers represent intentional efforts to disrupt exploitative norms and sustain mutual trust through sociocultural reciprocity.
Transnational convergence is evident in administrative/technical clauses, reflecting mimetic adoption of "best practices." Yet divergence persists: Swiss, and Scandinavian presenters lead in relational innovation (e.g., Hamburg's graduated cancellation fees; Zurich's co-insurance), while the German, French, and Dutch contracts stress compliance. Critically, presenters exercise agency: as first- movers drafting contracts, they balance the ambiguity of reciprocity and negotiate isomorphic pressures, balancing top-down regulations with bottom-up relational repair.
The study concludes that contracts are both products and acts of resistance within the IPA's field. While Eder advocates structural governance, this research reclaims stakeholder agency in shaping sustainable reciprocity. Practically, it urges presenters to adopt hybrid contracting and policymakers to incentivize socioethical standards. The RRS framework offers a tool for self-assessment and sectoral reform, but also for further scientific application in research on reciprocity in network structures.
(This abstract was generated with GenAI (DeepSeek-R1, 2024), minor adoptions were made by the author.
The Long Arm of Assimilation: Uyghurs and Native Americans' Experiences with Genocide
No full textThis thesis investigates the continuity and evolution of settler colonialism through a comparative analysis of assimilation practices, drawing on Patrick Wolfe's theory of the "logic of elimination"-the systemic erasure of Indigenous peoples via cultural assimilation, physical extermination, and legal means. Focusing specifically on assimilation as a central mechanism of settler colonialism, the study compares the experiences of Native Americans at the Carlisle Indian Industrial School in the United States (1879-1918) and Uyghurs subjected to "re-education" camps in China, particularly the Konasheher facility (since 2014).
The central research question asks: What are the different methods of elimination operating through assimilation camps that serve to erase the existence of Indigenous peoples, specifically Native Americans in the U.S. (1879-1918) and Uyghurs in China (since 2014)? Methodologically, the thesis employs close reading to analyze a range of primary sources. For the U.S. case, these include Indigenous memoirs, legal documents, letters from Carlisle, and contemporary reports. For the Chinese case, the analysis draws on leaked government documents, internal state speeches, security plans, photographs, a Uyghur memoir, and satellite imagery.
Beyond exploring settler colonial strategies, the thesis centers Indigenous and Uyghur resistance as counter-narratives, exposing the whiteness embedded in Settler Colonial Studies and foregrounding the persistence of Indigenous agency. The findings reveal that the assimilation of Native children functioned as a territorial strategy, facilitating settler expansion by replacing Indigenous identities with Euro-American ones aligned with settler norms such as the imposition of Western names, clothes, and standardization of education. In parallel, the study uncovers the political and ideological indoctrination of Uyghurs in re-education camps, enforced through mandatory loyalty pledges, patriotic songs, the confiscation of religious items, and the surveillance of daily life.
Crucially, the thesis highlights the Chinese Communist Party's use of digital technologies-such as the Integrated Joint Operations Platform (IJOP) and biometric surveillance-to systematize and criminalize Uyghur identity. This technological assimilation supports a broader settler colonial agenda to urbanize Xinjiang and transform it into a Han-majority region. In doing so, the study expands existing frameworks of settler colonialism to account for emerging digital forms of elimination and state control and expands on Wolfe's theory of settler colonialism in a Global South context to contribute to the Eurocentrism of Settler Colonial Studies
The Fake, the Forgery and the Frankenstein
No full textThis study investigates how collectors of Nazi militaria from the Second World War II negotiate questions of authenticity, legitimacy, and value in an online forum setting dedicated to military collectibles. Although the objects themselves are tied to a dark history, they continue to circulate in private collections, outside of institutional oversight. Based on a thematic analysis of 52 forum threads with over 600 user comments, alongside interviews and participant observation, this research reveals how value and authenticity are not fixed attributes but outcomes of social interaction and collective judgment. Forum users engage in practices that resemble forensic analysis mostly based on reference books, yet they rely heavily on peer recognition, and community norms. The findings show that expertise is performed and earned through repeated participation and mentorship. Users co-produce standards through informal policing and boundary work, creating a hierarchy where some voices carry more weight than others. The study further identifies a typology of inauthentic items frequently encountered in forum discussion, being reproductions, forgeries, fantasy pieces and Frankenstein hybrids. Each have a distinct moral and historical relevance and moreover, this classification influences the value. It also shows how collectors respond to a shifting market, where German militaria is slowly becoming a speculative commodity. The findings challenge traditional notions of heritage and expertise by showing how cultural memory and historical value are actively assembled in online communities. The study contributes to broader sociological conversations about heritage, material culture, and the role of online communities in this
Comparative Analysis of Supply Chain Vulnerabilities and Resilience Across the Automotive, Pharmaceutical, and Grocery Retail Sectors Under Demand and Supply Shocks
No full textPersonal Leadership Development Through Self-Efficacy, Positive Affect, and Engagement: a Longitudinal Study
No full textStop Guessing, Start Knowing: Data-Driven Lead Time Optimization Through Regression-Simulation Modeling
No full textHyper-personalized digital advertising in the online luxury retail: the impact on consumer perceived value
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