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Journal article

Counter-hegemonic Human Rights Discourses and Migrant Rights Activism in the US and Canada

Date

2009

Authors

Tanya Basok

Abstract

Scholarship on the dissemination of human rights norms and principles has focused
predominantly on the socialization of nation-states into the values which have been
widely endorsed. I argue in this article that the socialization mechanisms, discussed by
such scholars as Meyer et al. (1997) and Risse and Sikkink (1999), do not capture the
complex processes of the negotiation of more controversial rights. Distinguishing between
hegemonic and counter-hegemonic human rights principles, I suggest that we need to
explore the ways in which human rights activists advance, interpret, and negotiate counterhegemonic
human rights. Focusing on migrants’ rights advocacy in the US and Canada,
I argue that pro-migrant activists draw on other human rights principles that do enjoy a
greater degree of recognition and/or on instrumental reasons to pressure nation-states to
grant more rights to migrants.

Journal title

Internatinal Journal of Comparative Sociology

Volume

50

Issue

2

Page numbers

183-205

Publisher

SAGE Publications

Place published

Los Angeles, London, New Delhi, Singapore and Washington DC

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    Economic sectors

    Agriculture and horticulture workers, Occupations in services - Domestic work, Sales and service occupations - general, Trades, transport and equipment operators and related occupations - general, Natural resources, agriculture and related production occupations - general, Labourers in food, beverage and associated products processing, Dancers, and Other

    Content types

    Policy analysis

    Target groups

    Researchers, Unions, and NGOs/community groups/solidarity networks

    Geographical focuses

    United States, Ontario, and National relevance

    Spheres of activity

    Law, Political science, and Sociology

    Languages

    English