Latest papers

Kennedy Center Coup d'état: Trump, The Celebrate Freedom Concert and the state of the arts

- or - “Mama Said Knock You Out”

Working paper

Kevin Doyle

10/02/2020

Derision and ridicule have been key ingredients in the opposition to Donald Trump. If Americans can save the NEA and NEH, we need to evolve and employ different strategies, says Kevin Doyle, in this critical chronicle.

QAnon: a wild conspiracy theory with Donald Trump’s support?

Paper

Idhuna Pastoor

29/01/2020

23 minutes to read

The pro-Trump conspiracy theory QAnon has been infiltrating mainstream media at a fast pace. While the president has never publicly stated his support for the theory, many clues suggest that his stance towards its supporters is not unfavorable.

Challenging sexual objectification through 100 vulvas

Paper

Mijke Akkermans

20/01/2020

13 minutes to read

This paper addresses the phenomenon of women's sexual objectification in contemporary society, explored through Dodsworth's feminist artistic project and documentary 100 Vaginas (2019) and informed by Nussbaum's sexual objectification theory.

Backpackers and identity in the digital world

Paper

Linmin Zheng

10/01/2020

20 minutes to read

This paper analyzes backpackers as a micro-population. It demonstrates how I produce part of my identity on and offline as a member of this transnational micro-population in the digital world.

Ted Bundy as seen by Elizabeth Kloepfer

Paper

Amber van Esseveld

12/12/2019

11 minutes to read

This paper discusses a recent Netflix dramatization of the lifes of Ted Bundy and his girlfriend Elizabeth Kloepfer. How do you present a character that is Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil and Vile?

Is Zondag met Lubach saving democracy?

Paper

Rosalie Vaarten

09/12/2019

9 minutes to read

Is the Dutch television program Zondag met Lubach or infotainment in general a threat to democracy? Or should we see infotainment programs as saviors of democracy?

Borat: a Bi-cultural Mockumentary

Paper

Valentina Brkan

29/11/2019

12 minutes to read

As a bi-cultural mockumentary, Borat manages to parody, critique and deconstruct both American and Kazakh culture.

The development of Black Friday as a global sales phenomenon

Paper

Iris Dumoulin

25/11/2019

9 minutes to read

How the global sales phenomenon known as Black Friday is spreading faster on a global scale, and what these developments say about our current shopping behavior.

Deep fakes - an emerging risk to societies

Paper

Tunde Farago

18/11/2019

22 minutes to read

Deep fakes are a rapidly evolving technology that can easily fool not just our human senses, but also the software created to counter them. This paper explores their potential social, cultural and political implications.

Breaking News: the design of the MH17 crash story

Paper

Andreea-Diana Dobrescu

Laura Onate Madrazo

Seye Cadmus

Adeshina Adeoye

30/10/2019

11 minutes to read

An analysis of the first twenty-four hours of news reports on the MH17 tragedy presented as Breaking News on CNN. This article zooms in on the gradual design of the breaking news story

Facebook and the Rohingya genocide deniers

Paper

Tunde Farago

21/10/2019

17 minutes to read

How do the Rohingya genocide deniers use Facebook to spread their narratives and what kind of arguments do they use to support their claims?

De noordelijke renaissancekunst: een unieke schepping

Paper

Mariska van Schijndel

14/10/2019

18 minutes to read

De noordelijke renaissance wordt vaak gezien als een 'slaafse' navolging van de Italiaanse Renaissance. Dit 'digitale museum' verandert dat beeld door te laten zien dat de noordelijke Renaissance op zichzelf een unieke schepping is.

What is wrong with the Confucius Institute?

Paper

Linmin Zheng

09/10/2019

13 minutes to read

From the need to know about China to a crackdown on Confucius Institutes across the West. In this article, the relation between the Confucius institutes, China and power are analysed.