Erasmus University Thesis Repository
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Shattered Futures
No full textThis thesis explores how the Taliban's ban on education for women in Afghanistan not only serves as a form of oppression against women but also as a broader political measure to exert control over Afghan society as a whole. Both the justifications used by the Taliban to implement this ban and the lived experiences of women in Afghanistan under this policy are analysed using a feminist framework. This thesis employs Critical Discourse Analysis and Narrative Analysis to highlight both the Taliban's strategies of legitimation and the experiences of Afghan women. By examining these two perspectives, the short- and long-term social and cultural implications of this specific ban are revealed. The central argument of this thesis is that this ban on education is not merely one of the many policies the Taliban use to control and oppress women, but one of the most crucial policies implemented that will allow the Taliban to control Afghan society to the fullest
Consensus Pays: Examining Cross-Platform Rating Divergence
No full textPrior studies have examined the effects of UGC on consumer behavior (Chevalier &
Mayzlin, 2006), film success in terms of revenue (Duan et al., 2008), or model bias in
reputation systems (Wu et al., 2018). Yet, none have isolated the comparative roles of national
versus international platforms in this context. Against this backdrop, the present study
compares the French platform Allociné with the global benchmark IMDb and sets out to: (i)
compare user-generated reviews between a national (Allociné) and international (IMDb)
platform, (ii) trace the economic stakes of any divergence, and (iii) the cultural conditions
under which those gaps widen or shrink.
To conduct the research, a matched, cross-sectional dataset of 2,296 French and US
feature films released between 2010 and 2020 was gathered. After harmonizing all rating
scales, I carried out paired t-tests, Bland-Altman plots, ordinary least squares and quantile
regressions, and a film-level linear mixed-effects model with random intercepts.
Results indicate that platform context matters. The same films often receive different
ratings across the two platforms. This gap between platform ratings narrows only for the very
best-reviewed films, and critics magnify these platform differences further. Higher intrinsic
quality and larger grosses foster convergence, halving the gap in the upper quartile, whereas
every additional point of spectator disagreement is associated with a 36 % drop in worldwide
gross for lower-earning films. Yet, against the theoretical premise of cultural proximity
theory, there is virtually no domestic uplift on Allociné according to the spectator ratings for
French movies (an uplift of 0.09). Rather, according to the mixed-effects results, U.S. films
receive a 0.58-point lift on Allociné compared to a -0.64-point more negative rating it gets on
IMDb. This means that there is virtually no home bias on Allociné, but rather a preference for
U.S. films.
Taken together, the findings portray rating sites as distinct attention markets whose
biases can erase or create commercial value and contrast cultural proximity theory.
Shrinking cross-platform gaps may therefore offer distributors a route to higher revenues and
provide scholars with preliminary findings on how platform ratings diverge
Metal, Market, and Mayhem: The Sikligars' Quest to Keep Their Craft Alive
No full textThis thesis explores the socio-economic and cultural evolution of the Sikligar community of Rajasthan, India-an artisan group historically renowned for their mastery in arms-making, metal polishing, and Koftgiri (gold and silver inlay work). Once central to the martial and aesthetic heritage of Rajput courts, the Sikligars now occupy a precarious position within India's informal craft economy, shaped by colonial disruption, caste marginalization, and contemporary market forces. Although their swords are displayed in museums and sold as ritual or tourist objects, the artisans behind them remain largely invisible in heritage discourses and institutional narratives. The central research question guiding this thesis is: How have the traditional metal-making and polishing practices of the Sikligar community evolved culturally and economically, and in what ways are these practices sustained, adapted, or represented today across local, institutional, and global contexts? To answer this, the study adopts an interdisciplinary approach grounded in postcolonial theory, subaltern studies, cultural economics, and intangible heritage frameworks. Methodologically, it draws on qualitative research through 13 semi-structured interviews with Sikligar artisans, museum curators, and international metalsmiths across three cities-Jaipur, Udaipur, and Pushkar. These interviews are complemented by field observations, visual documentation, and secondary media analysis, analyzed through thematic coding and triangulation. Findings reveal that the Sikligars are not passive bearers of a vanishing tradition but adaptive agents negotiating craft survival within uneven terrains of recognition and value. In Jaipur, institutional ties offer partial visibility but limited livelihood security. In Udaipur, intergenerational businesses maintain tradition through familial networks and Koftgiri expertise. Pushkar presents a tourist-driven economy where swords are reframed as ritual souvenirs, illustrating the shift from functionality to symbolic consumption. While economic sustainability remains a core challenge complicated by structural informality, caste stigma, and exploitative intermediaries. Yet, emerging digital platforms, museum collaborations, and international partnerships offer pathways of resilience and cultural continuity. The thesis highlights significant gaps in heritage governance, including the absence of attribution, inadequate state support, and exclusion from formal policy schemes. It argues for more inclusive, decolonial, and community-centered approaches to cultural policy and museum curation. Recognizing artisans not just as skill bearers but as knowledge-holders is essential to sustaining India's intangible heritage. Ultimately, this research contributes to global conversations on cultural sustainability, marginality in creative industries, and the politics of recognition in postcolonial heritage discourse. It calls for urgent structural reforms to ensure that crafts like those of the Sikligars are not only remembered but supported, not only admired but lived
Excluding in the Name of Freedom
No full textThis thesis investigates how the Dutch populist radical right party, the Partij voor de Vrijheid (PVV), constructs national identity in its political discourse, and how this construction has evolved from the party's founding in 2006 to its electoral victory in 2023. The research is situated within broader academic debates on national identity and populism, particularly the ways in which identity is strategically shaped through political rhetoric. While the PVV is known for its anti-Islam and anti-immigration stance, this study seeks to uncover how its understanding of 'the' Dutch identity has shifted over time and how boundaries are rhetorically drawn and redrawn in response to societal developments. The central research question guiding this thesis is: How has the PVV's construction of Dutch national identity transformed and evolved from its founding in 2006 to its electoral victory in 2023? To answer this question, the study adopts a qualitative approach, drawing on a close-reading analysis as its main method. The primary sources consist of a selection of PVV national election programs and contributions to yearly debates by Geert Wilders. Through textual analysis, the research identifies recurring themes, rhetorical shifts, and symbolic references that together form the PVV's evolving narrative of Dutch identity. The findings show that while the PVV's populist core, centered on a dichotomy between a belonging in-group of Dutch people and threatening out-groups, remains stable, the expression of this binary becomes increasingly exclusionary over time. Initially grounded in civic appeals to citizenship, the PVV's discourse gradually shifts toward an ethnic and more exclusive conception of identity that privileges nativeness, moral conformity, and historical rootedness. Muslims, non-Western immigrants, and political elites are consistently portrayed as existential threats to a culturally homogeneous Dutch identity, while national values and historical references are reframed as the exclusive inheritance of native Dutch citizens. The thesis concludes that Dutch national identity, in the PVV's discourse, is not a fixed construction, but a strategic and flexible narrative shaped by political goals and societal context. This evolving construction reflects both ideological consistency and rhetorical adaptability. The study contributes to the literature on populism and nationalism by highlighting how identity narratives are actively produced and redefined within political discourse. It also points to the importance of analyzing symbolic and emotional appeals, such as references to history, culture, and values, as central tools in the construction of exclusionary national identities
The Freedom of Speech Argument in the Face of Digital Legislation: An Analysis of the French Far-Right Discourses
No full textThis thesis examines how the policies and media discourse of the French radical right mobilize the argument of freedom of expression in response to the European Union's attempts to regulate the digital space, particularly through the Digital Services Act. In a context marked by the fragmentation of the information space, the rise of populism, and post-truth dynamics, the study questions the discursive strategies that allow regulation to be presented as a form of ideological censorship. Based on a corpus of parliamentary discourse analyses and press articles, the analysis tends to use the critical discourse analysis methods developed by Teun A. van Dijk, articulating this approach with a number of theoretical contributions, in particular those of Michel Foucault, Judith Butler, and Wendy Brown. The results highlight a set of recurring processes: lexicalized alarmism, the moral reversal of democratic principles, and a populist grammar that pits "the people" against "Brussels technocracy." Far from being anecdotal, these discourses are experienced as efforts to destabilize an order or a project in which the defense of freedom of expression constitutes, in a context of public regulation of digital technology, a counteroffensive
Artificial Intelligence in Action
No full textThis thesis investigates how Western philosophical science fiction cinema represents artificial intelligence (AI). In doing so, it examines AI as the posthuman subject centred around posthuman theory. The study reconfigures mainly around the themes of identity, consciousness and connection within and between the posthuman subjects in Western cinema, and critically analyses the representation of gender and ethics in science fiction as reflective medium genre. The qualitative thematic analysis was the method employed to analyse the three films featured in this study: Her (Jonze, 2013), Ex Machina (Garland, 2014), and Blade Runner 2049 (Villeneuve, 2017) for the exploration of the thematic representation of artificial intelligence in science fiction cinema. Using a custom-made codebook (Appendix B) the analysis was guided by five emerging themes informed by posthumanist and feminist theoretical frameworks. The coding process consisted of systematic and objective selection and analysis of data and was aimed at examining how cinematic media representations construct meaning about AI. The findings partially confirm posthuman theory as an emerging concept in science fiction representation
Brand Advocacy Formation through Trust: A Study of Communication Strategies in Digital Environments
No full textIn digital software environments traditionally defined by constant updates and iterative change, communication becomes more than just delivery of information, it becomes a signal of presence to the customers. How brands speak during these moments often shapes how much users trust them, and whether that trust later translates into advocacy. While existing research has given considerable attention to communication strategies in the context of visibility and conversion, far less has been said about their longer-term effects. This study enters that space, examining how three distinct styles of informational, emotional, and interactive can influence brand trust, and whether that trust, in turn, prompts users to advocate.The study draws on a between-subjects experimental design. A total of 120 participants were randomly assigned to one of four message conditions, including a neutral control. Each participant was shown a mock software update crafted to reflect one of the communication styles. The study used Net Promoter Score, which was chosen for its simplicity and alignment with behavioural intent to measure advocacy.
Findings revealed that brand trust played a pivotal role in shaping advocacy intentions. However, none of the three strategies produced significant differences in trust or advocacy when compared to the control condition. Moreover, trust did not serve as a mediator between message style and advocacy. These results challenge the assumption that message format alone can shift user behaviour in the short term. While participants may have found the messages engaging, this did not translate into measurable trust or recommendation. Rather than treating this as a failure of format, the findings suggest that trust may be less a reaction to message style and more a cumulative interpretation formed across time, tone, and consistency.
Communication, then, should be assessed as less about a spark and more as sediment that is layered through repeated exposure, aligned values, and ongoing relational signals. The thesis concludes by calling for future research to go beyond single-exposure designs and explore how trust and advocacy emerge in real-time, platform-native settings. For practitioners, the message is equally clear, one message may inform, but only the long arc of communication builds trust strong enough to speak for
The Role of Gatekeepers in the Evolving Art Market
No full textIn an evolving digital landscape, the art market in relation to the transformative force of digitisation is reshaping how art is consumed, distributed and monetised. This thesis addresses a critical challenge that questions the role of gatekeepers of the art market within a digital context. The main focus of this thesis remains on how gatekeepers navigate the challenges and opportunities that are tackled by online platforms.
The main guiding research question of this study is how gatekeepers in the mid-range Dutch art market adapt to the impacts of digitalisation on their relationships with audiences and the broader art ecosystem. To delve into this question, a qualitative research approach guides the following methodology, which is outlined by Grønmo (2019). This study approach is for examining the complex social phenomena that allow flexibility in the data collection and analysis. The study conducted in-depth semi-structured interviews with art market intermediaries such as gallerists, art dealers, curators and market researchers to deliver a rich and broad insight into the art market dynamics and the role of gatekeeping within a digital time.
The data collected results in findings that illustrate how digitalisation has significantly impacted the traditional role of gatekeeping structures, which are now facing the challenge of maintaining the relevance of art market validators while adapting to new technologies and digital tools. The research points out that while digital technologies and platforms on one hand offer the opportunity to engage and broaden audience engagement, on the other hand, they introduce the complexities of a gatekeeping structure that maintains the role of curating and valuing the art. It results in the core of gatekeepers must tackle these challenges while balancing the use of digital tools with the focus on preserving and catering to personal connections and network structures by applying their expertise that defines their role.
In conclusion, this thesis outlines the necessary steps for further empirical research into the evolving dynamics of the art market in the context of digitalisation. It showcases further knowledge on the gatekeepers' perspective and their strategies for adaptation to this digital sphere. It is crucial to sustain the integration and value of art in an ever-changing digital space. The implications of this study extend beyond the art market, reflecting a broader societal context that is shifting towards digitalisation and the changing nature of cultural consumption
Eenzijdig nieuws?
No full textOp 7 oktober 2023 voerde Hamas een grootschalige aanval uit op Israël. In reactie hierop volgden Israëlische vergeldingsacties op Gaza, wat leidde tot een heropleving van het langdurige conflict tussen Israël en de Palestijnen. Deze ontwikkelingen kregen wereldwijd veel aandacht in de media. Ook in Nederland domineerde het conflict het nieuws. Het NOS Journaal en het NOS Jeugdjournaal waren daarbij belangrijke nieuwsbronnen voor respectievelijk volwassenen en kinderen. Nieuwsmedia spelen een grote rol in de manier waarop mensen - ook kinderen - conflicten begrijpen. In het geval van gevoelige en gewelddadige conflicten kan de manier van berichtgeving bijdragen aan het ontstaan van bias. Deze scriptie onderzoekt in welke mate en op welke manier het NOS Journaal en het NOS Jeugdjournaal aandacht besteden aan het conflict tussen Hamas en Israël tussen 7 oktober 2023 en 19 januari 2025, en in hoeverre hierbij sprake is van bias. In dit onderzoek is een kwantitatieve inhoudsanalyse uitgevoerd, waarbij zowel een automatische als een handmatige analyse zijn toegepast. Met behulp van het AmCAT-systeem zijn 919 nieuwsitems verzameld uit beide journaals binnen de gestelde periode. De automatische analyse richtte zich op de hoeveelheid aandacht voor het conflict en de verdeling van die aandacht over de betrokken actoren. De handmatige analyse onderzocht het gebruik van het human-interest frame, de inzet van ideal victims en het gebruik van bronnen, waarbij onderscheid werd gemaakt tussen Israëlische en Palestijnse perspectieven.
Uit de resultaten blijkt dat het NOS Journaal significant meer aandacht besteedde aan het conflict dan het Jeugdjournaal. In beide journaals was er echter meer aandacht voor Palestijnen dan voor Israël. Het Jeugdjournaal maakte significant vaker gebruik van het human-interest frame, waarbij deze personalisering vooral de Palestijnse kant betrof. Daarnaast werd in het Jeugdjournaal ook significant vaker gebruikgemaakt van ideal victims, met name kinderen. Bij het NOS Journaal was het brongebruik meer in het voordeel van Israëlische overheidsbronnen, terwijl het Jeugdjournaal relatief vaker Palestijnse burgers aan het woord liet. De resultaten laten zien dat beide journaals het conflict op een verschillende manier presenteren, passend bij hun doelgroep. Waar het NOS Journaal meer aandacht heeft voor politieke context en diplomatieke ontwikkelingen, ligt de nadruk in het Jeugdjournaal op personalisering en toegankelijkheid voor kinderen. Deze keuzes leiden tot verschillen in framing en brongebruik, wat in sommige gevallen kan bijdragen aan het ontstaan van bias. Dit onderzoek toont aan dat ook kindernieuws een belangrijke rol speelt in hoe jonge kijkers conflicten interpreteren en benadrukt daarmee het belang van bewustwording rondom journalistieke keuzes in zowel volwassen- als jeugdnieuws