Erasmus University Thesis Repository
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Queer and Asian: Examining Eastern Asian LGBTQIA+ Individuals' intersectional Identity and Belonging at Pride Amsterdam
No full textThis research explores how Eastern Asian queer migrants participating in Pride Amsterdam potentially influence their self-perception and community belonging in the Netherlands. Although Pride Amsterdam is often praised as a symbol of liberation and inclusion, this study reveals the nuanced ways in which queer migrants from Eastern Asia experience both empowerment and alienation within the Pride festival and broader Dutch society. Drawing on ten semi-structured interviews, this qualitative research is grounded in the theories of Crenshaw's intersectionality, gender performativity (Butler), social identity theory (Tajfel & Turner), and Bourdieu's capital theory. The findings uncover that Pride Amsterdam provides queer migrants a sense of freedom and affirmation of their queer identity; however, the inclusivity is conditional and temporal. Many participants recounted a paradoxical feeling of being accepted by their queer identity while simultaneously being marginalised for their racial identity.
Furthermore, participants criticised the entertaining nature and the symbolic support of Pride for overlooking the protest and pursuit of social minority groups. In response, Eastern Asian migrants sought to join ethnic-specific queer communities or grassroots initiatives for deeper emotional connection and cultural resonance. Moreover, racism and discrimination were frequently imposed on Eastern Asian queer individuals beyond Pride, ranging from verbal harassment and authorities' indifferences, demonstrating the challenges these intersected groups faced were more often racialised than sexuality-based. These findings highlight that Dutch society is conditionally tolerant towards queer culture, which supports queer normalisation and multicultural inclusivity when it aligns with mainstream whiteness or heterosexual dominance of masculinity. This thesis contributes to broader academic and societal understandings of intersectional oppression and belonging by focusing on an underrepresented ethnic group in both queer migration and diaspora studies. It argues that true inclusivity within LGBTQIA+ spaces requires a critical interrogation of whiteness, commercialisation, and structural inequality. Recommendations are offered to promote more culturally responsive and racially inclusive practices in Pride events and LGBTQIA+ advocacy in this multicultural society
Navigating Brand Identity on Instagram
No full textIn today's crowded digital marketplace, brand identity is increasingly built and shared via social media, with Instagram leading the way in visual storytelling. This thesis investigates how SKIMS, the
shape wear and lifestyle brand co-founded by Kim Kardashian, strategically constructs and reinforces its brand identity through Instagram campaigns. Drawing on Kapferer's Brand Identity Prism (2008) as the primary theoretical framework, the study critically analyzes 24 Instagram campaigns posted between 2019 and 2024. Each campaign was selected to represent key developments in SKIMS' evolution, including the foundational Debut Campaign (2019), collaborative efforts like SKIMS for Team USA (2021), new product lines such as SKIMS Swim (2022) and the SKIMS Men's Launch (2023), and purpose-driven initiatives like the SKIMS x Olivia Munn Breast Cancer Awareness Campaign (2024). The analysis explores how the six facets of the Brand Identity Prism (Physique, Personality, Culture, Relationship, Reflection, and Self-Image) are visually and thematically constructed across SKIMS' curated Instagram content. In addition, the thesis incorporates concepts from celebrity branding, influencer marketing, and authenticity literature to examine how Kim Kardashian's persona, as both founder and brand icon, shapes and reinforces the SKIMS brand narrative. Particular attention is paid to visual codes (e.g., lighting, colour palette, diversity of models) and thematic patterns (e.g., empowerment, inclusivity, aspirational aesthetics, and body positivity). A reflexive thematic analysis of the Instagram content shows the recurring strategies SKIMS employs to position itself as both culturally relevant and emotionally resonant. These include the use of visual vignettes to convey lifestyle and mood, the integration of celebrity and influencer figures to boost aspirational appeal, and a consistent emphasis on inclusivity and body confidence. The thesis argues that SKIMS transcends traditional product marketing by crafting a branded world in which consumers
are invited to see themselves reflected. This study advances social media branding scholarship through its comprehensive visual and narrative analysis of a highly successful celebrity-founded brand. It highlights how Instagram operates not merely as a promotional tool but as an essential storytelling platform where identity is continuously performed and negotiated. Furthermore, it demonstrates the applicability of Kapferer's model to contemporary social media marketing and underscores the role of authenticity in building emotional connections with audiences. By examining how SKIMS blends celebrity influence, community, and distinct aesthetics, this research offers insights into the evolving nature of brand communication in the digital age
Superstate Europe
No full textWithin current times, the importance of European cooperation has increased by a lot. With war returning to the continent and a decrease in US support, European cooperation has become more and more important as both an academic and a political topic. This paper will focus on the historical roots of European cooperation and look for elements of a European Superstate within its historical bounds in order to understand its place within the history of Europe. In order to do this, the paper will explore three events of European cooperation before the establishment of the European Union. The first chapter looks at the Congress of Europe, through the full transcripts of each of the committees and its resolutions, the idea of a European Superstate can be found. Within the resolutions, the option of a federal state or a Union as seen today is left open for future discussion. The second chapter looks at the Treaty of Brussels of 1948, within the treaty and the negotiations leading up to it different views on the future of Europe can be found. The Western Union was the proposed idea in order to form a united block but a federal form was not created. The final chapter looks into the treaty establishing the European Coal and Steel Community to explore superstate Europe within the establishment of deeper cooperation. Within this the plans laid by Shuman and Monnett suffered from undermining by different states which led to a change in how the Coal and Steel Community was established. These chapters combine to show how a European Superstate had its presence when looking at European cooperation but was ultimately not to be within this timeframe
Valuing pre-distribution film projects: praxis of the Polish audiovisual sector clarified through the conceptual lens of entrepreneurial finance.
No full textCommercial valuation has an important role in guiding resource allocation in high-risk and early-stage start-up projects.
The rationale of assessment is under-examined in the context of the audiovisual sector. In the European context, in
which cultural policy support coexists with market-driven decision-making - in particular the Polish audiovisual sector
- understanding how commercial value is assessed at the distribution stage is crucial for guiding decision-making and
addressing the sector's issues of undercapitalisation restraining its sustainability. This study contributes to the
underdeveloped literature on valuation in cultural and creative industries and offers insights into how commercial reasoning
is integrated into a publicly subsidised film economy. By drawing on entrepreneurial finance and strategic management
literature, this thesis bridges the rationale of valuation in the audiovisual sector with financial and strategic perspectives,
addressing the gap in existing literature that tends to emphasise marketing-oriented approaches. This thesis inquires how
are independent film projects valued in the Polish audiovisual sector. The focus is on valuation at the distribution stage as
this corresponds to the project selection and investment stage emphasised in the entrepreneurial finance literature on venture
capital decision-making. I also include two sub-questions that address the risk-taking aspect of valuations. Firstly, how
do valuation approaches reflect the strategic positioning of stakeholders within the audiovisual sector? Secondly, how do
these strategies consider risk-taking at a portfolio-level? Namely, do stakeholders consider valuing projects with portfolio
diversification in mind? A qualitative research approach was adopted, based on semi-structured elite interviews with key
stakeholders of valuation at distribution: producers, sales agents, distributors, financiers. The findings show that valuation
is derived both from project-level attributes (e.g. script quality) and strategic positioning considerations. Under conditions
of high uncertainty the heuristic method of valuation employs both qualitative and quantitative approaches, but the focus
is on the former, as numeric metrics are treated with reserve. The adopted from entrepreneurial finance literature
dimensions of valuation (i) the resorce-based view, (ii) industry organization economics, and (iii) network theory proved
right for conceptualising these dynamics. It seems that the line between valuation and pricing in the audiovisual sector is
blurred as the primary tool of assessment is the method of comparison titles - past performance and prices of
distribution rights of arguably similar projects
Curated Cinema: MUBI as a Patron of the Arts
No full textThe contemporary streaming economy is characterized by increased fragmentation and competition, enabled by demarcated access to content. Media branding is essential for streaming platforms to differentiate themselves and strengthen their brand identities. Yet, research on the branding of streaming platforms has mainly focused on dominant algorithm-driven platforms such as Netflix. MUBI is presented as an alternative to algorithmic platforms, as it operates under a curation-based model, in an effort to promote arthouse and quality films. To investigate MUBI's branding and strategic positioning in the industry, the study was guided by the following research questions : "How does MUBI use strategic branding to position itself as a cultural tastemaker in the streaming industry?", and "How is MUBI positioned as a cultural tastemaker within industry discourse?". To answer these research questions, qualitative thematic analysis of MUBI's curated collections, promotional materials (including Instagram posts and newsletters), and industry trade press publications was conducted. In addition, this thesis was grounded in the media industry studies approach. This allowed inquiry into how MUBI's institutional practices are shaped by the broader industry and how this affects the platform's industry positioning. Open, axial, and selective coding, revealed three main patterns of findings. Firstly, by promoting auteur, regionally and thematically diverse films, and foregrounding its editorial voice, MUBI cultivates symbolic capital, signalling how curation is both an aesthetic choice and a strategic branding tool for the platform to gain cultural authority. Second, MUBI strengthens its brand identity by deliberately employing scarcity, emotional tone, and aligning with traditional cinephile practices. Through these practices, the platform cultivates trust and loyalty, which reaffirms its tastemaker status. Lastly, in the examined trade press articles, MUBI's institutional practices are positioned as both artistically and commercially viable, signifying how the company is able to expand its operations whilst maintaining its core brand values. This helps the platform differentiate from other streamers and gain a competitive advantage in the market. Overall, this thesis offers evidence for an analytical framework to understand how niche streaming platforms position themselves in the streaming economy, and how this is perceived and influenced by the wider industry. It also contributes to media industry studies by illustrating the nuanced interaction between modern-day niche media companies' institutional practices and the production of symbolic capital. By providing a detailed case study on MUBI, this thesis demonstrates the dual function of branding as being both a symbolic and strategic tool for differentiation and growth in the digital streaming economy
Televising Russia's Strategic Narrative: "Traditional Values" in RT's Broadcasting (2014-2024)
No full textThis thesis explores Russian strategic narrative-building within the English-language broadcasts of RT in the context of the Russo-Ukrainian War (2014-2024). Following the full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, scholars have focused on Russian hybrid warfare, disinformation campaigns, and soft power politics. Strategic narrative-building can be seen as a form of soft power, aimed at garnering foreign public support for Russian geopolitical efforts. While the problematic nature of these narratives is clear to Western policymakers, strategic narratives are often difficult to identify. This thesis explores the formation of strategic narratives within the English-language Russian state media outlet, RT. To this end, the thesis conducts a narrative analysis of RT broadcast transcripts, carefully selected from a GDELT Project database of over 100,000 transcripts. It examines how Russia has used RT to construct a strategic narrative of being the protector of "traditional values" and how these narratives align with broader Russian geopolitical goals. The analysis argues that strategic narrative-building within RT broadcasts emerged in the months leading up to Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022 and has remained evident since. Before this period, the narrative of Russia as the protector of "traditional values" has come forward, particularly during elections in Western countries. The established narrative largely focused on "othering" the West, portraying Russia as the protector of traditional values by critiquing liberal values and policies, such as those related to "woke" culture and LGBTQ+ rights, which were framed as evidence of the "decay" of Western values. This narrative has been identified to align with Western populist narrative. Influential thinkers and journalists were used within RT broadcasts to garner support from the Western conservative community. These elements are directly linked to the war in Ukraine and Russia's aspirations for a multipolar world order. Strategic geopolitical moments, such as foreign elections and key events in the war with Ukraine, were utilized to reinforce this narrative within RT broadcasts, highlighting the geopolitical connection between this strategic narrative and Russia's broader geopolitical objectives
The results are in you are suffering from gender stereotypes
No full textMedical tv drama's from have been a popular staple on US television since TV the 1960s. More than one hundred medical shows have been created since their inception. Despite their origin they have international viewership for entertainment, relaxation and education. Medical tv drama's shape our expectations of the medical field. In the past these doctors were ideal white males, but with time these portrayals have become more diverse. The advent of streaming has allowed even more medical shows to be produced and (re)-watched. Hence it was time to re-assess these portrayals and see how they contribute to gender representation. My research question was; How have gender portrayals of medical professionals in American medical drama tv shows changed between 1994 and 2024? This research employs a mixed qualitative and quantitative method to analyse gender differences among fictional doctors in medical tv drama's. This revealed historical trends, while maintaining context
Challenging the impossible
No full textIn recent years, many museums in the Netherlands have engaged with their colonial pasts and their collections, particularly through exhibitions that centre their own complicity in ongoing colonial systems of oppression. This has been driven by social movements like Black Lives Matter , which, amongst other things, demanded public institutions to decolonise. However, also within the museum sector , decolonisation has become a central topic, as the Decolonial Working Group by the International Council of Museums (ICOM) that was created in 2023 illustrates. Since this is still a work in progress, most museums are practising decolonisation without clear operational guidelines or policies. Therefore, this thesis explores the question: How do Dutch museums negotiate the calls to decolonise amidst external and internal institutional pressures? By building on postcolonial and decolonial theory - especially on the concepts of coloniality of power, of knowledge and of being - as well as existing literature on museum history and critique, the research examines how institutions navigate the complexity of decolonisation processes.
Drawing on seven semi-structured expert interviews with curators, educators, programmers and policy employees across varying Dutch museums, I conducted a thematic analysis to map decolonial practices in the areas of institutional structure, curatorial and research practices and participatory programmes. By not examining one department or museum type in isolation, the holistic approach revealed the intersection of hiring policies, the structural organisation, collection management and community engagement.
The research provides an understanding of the possibilities and limitations of institutional change by introducing common approaches. It also revealed that museum professionals are passionate about making a difference in the field by committing to more inclusive and self-reflective practices, yet they are often constrained by the fixed structures and hierarchies of their institutions. Furthermore, the lack of comprehensive frameworks for decolonial strategies that is still prevalent causes tensions between the mission or goal and the concrete actions.
By centring a holistic exploration of decolonial museum practice in the Netherlands, this thesis adds to the ongoing conversation about what it means to decolonise museums. It offers insight into how Dutch museum professionals are interpreting and operationalising decolonial goals in their daily work and how these efforts are shaped - and sometimes limited - by questions of institutional identity, legacy, and public accountability. It underscores the need for an ongoing and reflexive dialogue about decolonial theory and its adaptation to museum practice with diverse participants to further drive change
Curtain Call or Close Call? Exploring the Drama of Experimental and Mainstream Theater Audiences
No full textIn this paper, I explore the distinction between experimental and mainstream theatre performance using cultural economic concepts and perspective to answer my research question: What factors affect ticket sales, audience participation, and motivation in Theater Rotterdam's experimental and lesser-known productions, and how does it compare to mainstream performance? I started with a literature review where I explored various concepts needed to better understand the nature of performance art like theatre. For this research, I applied a survey method that contained quantitative and qualitative questions concerning preferences, motivation, experience, and impact, among others. I collected 144 responses in total from two types of theatre performances in Theater Rotterdam in April 2025. The first representing mainstream theatre was Hamlet directed by Erik Whien. The second group was from The Kitchen, which was a small-scale event in TR that contained three experimental performances. In total, I had 80 respondents for Hamlet and 66 for The Kitchen. In the analysis, I separated these answers into two datasets and then compared them to each other. Analysis of this thesis goes through all 19 questions of my survey, revealing trends and differences between these two groups. Later in the discussion, I recalled these recurring topics into six main themes that reveal specific characteristics of these two categories of performing arts. These themes are also compared to the literature review and concepts mentioned by other researchers. The main conclusion is that there are specific differences between visitor groups. They include their motivation, reasoning for attending the theatre, and goals for cultural and social capital
"Artificial Intelligence, Real-Life Consequences"
No full textWith the increased growth of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in modern workplaces across various
sectors, concerns about its psychological and organizational impacts have become more and more
relevant. Whilst existing research often emphasizes the effectiveness and acceptance of AI technologies,
there is limited empirical work exploring how AI-related competencies, such as AI literacy and AI self-
efficacy, influence broader aspects of employee well-being. This thesis addresses this gap by examining
the relationships between AI literacy, AI self-efficacy, work-life balance, and job satisfaction, with
particular focus on the mediating roles of stress, perceived job security and AI transparency. An online
survey was administered to gather data on these variables, resulting in 177 valid responses collected
through personal distribution and survey distribution platforms such as Surveyswap and SurveyCircle.
The data was analysed using IBM SPSS, applying multiple regression and mediation models to test
hypothesized relationships. The results demonstrate the intricate and indirect pathways through which AI
literacy influences employee outcomes. Although AI literacy and AI self-efficacy did not directly predict
job satisfaction or work-life balance, several significant mediating relationships were identified. Stress
and perceived job security emerged as key elements, mediating the relationship between AI literacy and
both job satisfaction and work-life balance. AI transparency also played an important mediating role,
though only in relation to job satisfaction. These results suggest that employees' perceptions of stress and
perceived job security are critical in shaping how experiences with AI are shaped in the workplace.
Notably, job satisfaction was found to negatively predict work-life balance, indicating that higher
engagement or commitment to work may come at the expense of personal time. Altogether, these findings
underscore the importance of organizational support structures that address stress, perceived job security,
and communicate clearly about AI systems in order to foster mental well-being in an increasingly digital
work environment