REMEMBER TO NOT FORGET: Construction of the Serbian collective memory through media reportage of the commemorations of the Kosovo War

In 2019, Serbia marked the 20th anniversary of the end of the Kosovo War through numerous commemorations that received significant media coverage. Through qualitative, ideographical research, this article explores how the Serbian media constructs the collective memory of the 1999 NATO intervention. By using thematic analysis and coding, the article analyses a total of ten newspaper articles from two newspaper outlets. Three themes emerged from the analysis: 1. “Unjustified and premeditated bombing campaign”; 2. “Do not forget Milica!”; and 3. “No justice?”. The thread that unites all three themes is the element of victimhood that the media frames and positions at the centre of collective memory. The article concludes that this view of victimhood is not an anomaly in history, but is aligned with the existing collective memory through the continuous emphasis on the suffering of Serbs

WHAT WE DO WHEN WE SAY ‘MEISJE’: An essay on the relation between word, action and convention

This paper provides a philosophical reflection on a very common word in the Dutch language. Referring to Ludwig Wittgenstein’s book Philosophical Investigations, this paper explains how the meaning of every word is based on convention. Moreover, by argu-ing that language is an act, this paper shows how using the word meisje in contemporary Dutch perpetuates the convention on which the meaning of that word has been built. From a contemporary per-spective, this convention seems sexist. Despite the fact that this paper is written from a philosophical perspective, it does make an argument that is important for other academic fields, such as cul-tural studies, gender studies, history, and in fact any discipline that makes use of language: that the language one uses is not neutral. Understanding the conventions words are built upon allows one to gain insight into the historically created dynamics which influence societal and interpersonal relations

Becoming \u27damaged goods\u27: A qualitative study on sex education and its effects on sexuality

This study examines how sex education performed at a Christian private school in Oregon (USA) affects female students’ sexuality. The study collected data through the use of qualitative semi-structured interviews which were then analysed using a thematic data analysis. The results show a handful of detrimental effects on sexuality caused by abstinence-based sex education including sex guilt, shame and fear. Additionally, findings demonstrate evidence of homophobic feelings perpetuated by abstinence-based sex education. Although abstinence-based sex education propagated many of the aforementioned harmful effects, it was not the only instigator. Institutionalised religion and religious pressure play a large role in one’s perception of abstinence as well. For further research, it is suggested to continue research on one’s development of sexuality in a hyper-religious context

(De)Legitimizing Surveillance Revelations through the Media Lenses: Critical Discourse Analysis of the British Newspapers on the 2013 NSA Disclosures

This research interprets and explains how and why the British newspapers such as The Guardian, the Daily Mail, and The Independent, have (de)legitimized the NSA Snowden revelations of 2013. The study uses critical discourse analysis to understand what media framing techniques are used by the media sources and how can they be explained by looking at the core ideologies and news values of the newspapers. The corpus used for the analysis includes ninety articles in total, consisting of thirty per newspaper. The frames are identified using Entman’s (1993; 2005) definitions of media framing. They are then explained using the (de)legitimisation techniques by Van Leuuwen and Wodak (1999) in a comparative manner. The analysis reveals that The Guardian focuses on deligitimising surveillance and justifying their decision to cooperate with Edward Snowden on the basis of legality, public interest, morality, and power abuse. The Daily Mail legitimises surveillance using arguments concerning security, counterterrorism, and citizen protection while concentrating on Snowden’s personal life, love, lifestyle and character. The Independent follows an informative narrative to raise awareness about the scandal through a politically autonomous stance. It allows the readership to shape their opinion on the subject by presenting them with contra and pro surveillance arguments. &nbsp

Nudging people out of poverty: Using behavioral economics to improve welfare policies

New insights within the field of behavioural economics have led to the discovery of irrational behaviour of economic agents. The concept of ‘nudging’ is one approach to tackle this irrationality. Weillustrate that behavioural economics could be especially helpful for tackling poverty, as the lives of the poor make them very vulnerable to income shocks. Also, the poor constantly deplete their mentalresources. Moreover, we discuss ethical regulations for policies based on behavioural economics, centered around the idea of transparency. Finally, we present ideas scholars have put forward thatcould be used to tackle poverty by using behavioural economics and evaluate them from our own perspective

Who killed the TPP? An evaluation of societal influence upon the decision of the US’ withdraw from the Trans-Pacific Partnership Agreement

This paper investigates the conditions which led the United States to withdraw from the Trans-Pacific Partnership Trade agreement. The funnel of causality framework is used to determine whichcauses were mostly predominant in leading to this foreign policy decision. The paper will examine the impact of societal sources, specifically public opinion, media coverage, Congressional approvalprocesses, and interest groups. The role of each group is analysed within the context of the 2016 Presidential elections. The paper concludes that public opinion, amplified by media, is the source ofCongress’ opposition, and having trumped major interest groups, public opinion has evidently contributed to US’ withdraw from the Trans-Pacific Partnership

Left-wing populist discourse in Belgium: The effect of the rise of the Parti du Travail de Belgique on mainstream parties

Since 2009, the rise of the most important Belgian Francophone left-wing populist party, i.e. the Parti du Travail de Belgique (PTB), has been increasingly seen as a challenge for mainstream parties. Given the lack of research on Belgium within the field of political left-populist discourse, this paper analyses the effect of the growing popularity of the left-populist party on mainstream parties’ discourse. To investigate this issue, a discourse analysis has been conducted following the Modified Spatial Theory which argues that, when triggered, mainstream parties choose between three different strategies (accommodative, dismissive, or adversarial) to respond to the rise of populism. The findings show that, the rise of the PTB has had more effect on the Socialist Party’s discourse, which has accommodated and converged with the PTB on several typically populist issues, while the other two mainstream parties have rather dismissed and tried to discredit the political discourse of the PTB

Imaginary systems? Conceptualizing hippocampal function beyond memory

Viewing the hippocampus as a structure specifically dedicated to memory is no longer viable. However, functional characterization of its structure and its involvement in learning and memory is still necessary. This review argues that the hippocampus principally processes specific spatial contexts. It highlights the hippocampal involvement in thinking about the future, rather than the past by discussing its role in episodic prospection and navigational planning. Finally, it argues that the hippocampus might also process non-spatial information by representing its components in a pseudo-Euclidean memory space.

How is Privacy perceived in German Police Law? Rethinking Counterterrorist Policy in North-Rhine Westphalia

By December 2018, Germany’s biggest state, North-Rhine Westphalia (NRW) introduced its revised police law (PolG NRW). The PolG NRW enables previously forbidden surveillance practices to combat terrorism in Germany. Discussion surrounding the PolG NRW revolved around surveillance practices enabled through the law. By using a privacy taxonomy, developed by Daniel J. Solove (2010) this thesis has categorised, analysed and evaluated six sections of the PolG NRW with regards to infringements upon privacy. This thesis (1) identifies potentially harmful activities for personal privacy within the PolG NRW and (2) chases back shortcomings to an incomplete understanding of privacy. Thereby, this thesis suggests that future policy crafting must consider processes that follow the collection of information as potentially harmful activities. By limiting privacy risks to information gathering, activities that belong to information processing and distribution remain largely unregulated, putting the individual at serious risk