The accepted proposals:

Henry Kalter (Institute for Logic, Language and Computation)

Reconstructing rigor: A historical and philosophical inquiry into the nature of rigor and its meta-methodological consequences for the human and social sciences
In the aftermath of the “replication crisis”, throughout the “science wars”, and in wider discussions on the rules of research and the responsibility of the researcher, the term “rigor” was often used, but hardly ever defined. This dissertation sets out to change this situation by providing a comprehensive reconstruction of rigor, in both its historical and philosophical dimensions. The contention is that rigor is a coherent meta-methodological concept, with philosophical roots and pluralist consequences for research methodology in the human and social sciences. As such, this project will demonstrate why methodological pluralism is valuable and vital to scientific progress.

Supervisor: Huub Dijstelbloem

Henry Kalter is finishing the Research Master Philosophy at the UvA, having previously obtained an MSc in Sociology and BAs in History and Philosophy at the UvA.
 

Hannah Poon (Amsterdam School for Cultural Analysis)

Surviving in Abeyance: Digital Networks and Resistance in Hong Kong after the Anti-Extradition Bill Movement
As Hong Kong’s 2019-20 Anti-Extradition Bill Movement ended under the pressure of the new National Security Law, activist networks find their ways of survival by shifting to other arenas that are less controlled by the regime: consumer marketplace, fan culture, and overseas diasporic communities. Taking these social networks as case studies, this project asks: what new forms of connection and resistance are enabled by digital technologies after the Anti-ELAB movement has ended, and how do these tactics impact political struggles in non-democratic societies like Hong Kong?

Supervisor: Jeroen de Kloet

Hannah Poon holds a Research Master in Media Studies from the UvA and previously completed a BA in Media & Film Studies at the University of Hong Kong.
 

Sinine Nakhle (Amsterdam School for Cultural Analysis)

Translating Protesting Bodies to Digital Space: Examining Activist Aesthetic
Since 2019, Beirut has witnessed massive waves of protests animated by the aesthetic, affective, and performative production of artists, activists, and cultural institutions. These practices involve crucial moments of translation, in which protesting bodies are “carried over” digital space. Although most contemporary social movements are driven by a stream of aesthetic practices, little is known about how this process of translation takes shape. This project examines the process through which protesting bodies in streets and squares are translated to digital space, functioning as a mobilizing prompt for further activism.

Supervisor: Thomas Poell

Sinine Nakhle is a PhD student at the Amsterdam School for Cultural Analysis and previously completed an MA in Media Studies at Leiden University and an MA and BA in Psychology at the American University of Beirut.