Amsterdam Research Interests / Preliminary Questions: Oh so many!!!

Although discussing preliminary interests for our research in Amsterdam was part of the “Environmental Behavior Assignment,” I felt like it warranted its own blog entry. Feelings catalyzed actions, and thus, here we are…
...and the concrete questions are delineated by bold, italicized font.

Idea 1:
The “environmental behavior” exercise accomplished more than allowing me to apply some of the theoretical concepts about which we have been learning in class; it allowed me to think of a specific research area of interest: the coffee shops in Amsterdam. Although they are not quite like the coffee shops in Seattle (!), they serve a similar purpose: a gathering place with features that are “neither here nor there.” By this, I mean that coffee shops (like restaurants and other similar spaces) are neither fully public nor truly private. But it is not only the public/private issue that is interesting. The other fascinating thing about such venues is that they become spaces in which a lot of discussion and discourse take place – in a manner more substantial than conversations on the streets, but more informal than academic discourses. Thus, I would be interested in investigating if, and how, coffee shops in Amsterdam serve as the intermediary spaces for important socio-political and cultural discourses and debates.

Idea 2:
Another area of interest for me in regards to a possible research project is the topic of multiculturalism in Amsterdam. Specifically, after watching Fitna and Submission, as well as reading Murder in Amsterdam, I have become very interested in the issue of Islam in the Netherlands. Now, I realize that this is a very broad interest (and one that probably many students on previous trips--as well as on this one--have possessed); thus, I would like to hone in on the subject of media, particularly the use of media in representing various minority groups. To phrase it in a question: how is Islam portrayed in Dutch media? How are Muslims and Middle Eastern immigrants* represented in the various modes of media in the Netherlands? To investigate this question, I would need to obtain visual and literary media (films, news articles, etc.) and perform close readings of them to see if any general trends seem to arise (particularly, I would be interested to see if the other films are similar to Fitna or Submission, or if there is a diverse representation of Islamic life in Dutch media.)
*This should go without mention, but I am fully aware that the two are not one and the same thing.

Idea 3:
Another interest of mine that was spawned by our discussions of Islamic society in Amsterdam lies in broader terms. As a city that is home to Jews, Christians, and Muslims (and a city that has very peculiar, unique histories of all three religious groups), I think it would be interesting to do engage in research that would allow me to do a comparative study of all three religious groups in the city. Specifically, and in an effort to incorporate the concept of "physical space" that has been so prevalent in our discussions, I think it would be interesting to look at religious buildings--namely, churches, mosques and synagogues--and to attend services held in the various structures, particularly paying attention to the sermons. This would all be done in an effort to answer: What kinds of dialogues and discourses do religious spaces foster or allow that are less prevalent in other spaces? How are religious spaces used by varying religious groups in Amsterdam to address issues of the respective communities?

Idea 4:
I realize that the questions presented in "idea 3" are not easy to answer, pose many hurdles, and necessitate a lot of sensitivity and respect, but I feel like the theme that lies at the core of them --how certain spaces allow for specific dialogues, or how certain spaces, especially cultural ones, negotiate identity and diversity--is quite worthy of exploration. With this theme in mind, I realize that one does not need to only look at religious spaces; one can investigate other spaces of multiculturalism that might be easier to access--like restaurants. Although this may initially seem "superficial", I think there is a lot that a person can learn about the topic of multiculturalism in an urban environment from investigating various ethnic restaurants.