A Critique of Social Approaches to Human Rights

Stammers, Neil

doi:10.1353/hrq.1995.0033

Cited by 24 publications

(7 citation statements)

References 1 publication

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…the bearer of the children's rights debate. Since children's rights, as we argue, is a social phenomenon, arising from constitutive human action (Cotterrell, 2005;Stammers, 1995Stammers, , 1999Tarulli and Skott-Myhre, 2006), the goal of this article is to critically explore academic work on social constructions of children's rights found in the UNCRC, by means of a discourse analysis (Atkinson and Delamont, 2005). By discourse we refer to the systematic and related field of meanings constituting and regulating social action (Evans, 2005).…”

Section: A Review Of Children's Rights Literature Since the Adoption mentioning

confidence: 99%

A Review of Children’s Rights Literature Since the Adoption of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child

2009

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Children’s rights have become a significant field of study during the past decades, largely due to the adoption of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC) in 1989. Today, scholarly work on children’s rights is almost inconceivable without considering the Convention as the bearer of the children’s rights debate. The goal of this article is to critically explore academic work on the UNCRC. By means of a discourse analysis of international literature, the article maps the academic discourse on children’s rights. Three themes are identified that predominate in the academic work on the UNCRC: (1) autonomy and participation rights as the new norm in children’s rights practice and policy, (2) children’s rights vs parental rights and (3) the global children’s rights industry. That these three themes distinguish contemporary scholarly work on the UNCRC might not be a coincidence, analysed from the process of ‘educationalization ’ that has characterized childhood in western societies since the 19th century. The perspective of educationalization presents a contemporary research agenda for children’s rights for the coming decades.

show abstract

Section: A Review Of Children's Rights Literature Since the Adoption mentioning

confidence: 99%

A Review of Children’s Rights Literature Since the Adoption of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child

2009

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…While there exist different interpretations on the origins of human rights (Stammers, 1995), we contend that human rights -and indeed other rights -are socially constructed in the context of social movement challenges to existing relations and structures of power. At the same time, these existing relations and structures of power determine the framework within which social movements operate, and determine the challenges they set (Stammers, 1995(Stammers, , 1999.…”

Section: Social Movements and The Assertion Of Rightsmentioning

confidence: 82%

“…At the same time, these existing relations and structures of power determine the framework within which social movements operate, and determine the challenges they set (Stammers, 1995(Stammers, , 1999. The construction and use of rights discourses by social movements plays an important and positive role in challenging relations and structures of power -seeking to legitimate alternative values, norms and lifestyles and validate the perspectives and identities of those oppressed by existing relations and structures of power.…”

Section: Social Movements and The Assertion Of Rightsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Shell, Nigeria and the Ogoni. A study in unsustainable development: II. Corporate social responsibility and ‘stakeholder management’ versus a rights‐based approach to sustainable development

Boele

Fabig

Wheeler

2001

Sustainable Development

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

In the first paper in this trilogy (Boele et al., 2001) we described the history of the Royal Dutch/Shell Group from its inception in 1890 through to the year 2000, discussed briefly the importance of corporate reputation to the group and described the significant impacts on Shell of the events of 1995 in Nigeria. We traced the relationship of the Shell Petroleum Development Corporation in Nigeria to impacts on the natural and social environments of the Niger Delta and more specifically on the Ogoni. Finally we discussed the emergence of political resistance and significant conflict between Shell and the Movement for the Survival of the Ogoni People (MOSOP) and concluded that, despite significant apparent changes in attitude at the group level, distrust and antipathy towards Shell remained entrenched in Ogoni. In this second paper, we explore in more detail issues raised by economic globalization for the practice of corporate social responsibility and stakeholder management, and contrast these concepts with an alternative ‘rights‐based’ approach to sustainable development. We relate our observations to Shell's current approach and conclude that the Shell group and specifically the Shell Petroleum Development Corporation in Nigeria may require an alternative approach to sustainable development if they wish to merit the full confidence of communities in areas of the world as complex and distressed as Ogoni. Copyright © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd and ERP Environment

show abstract

“…This dual nature of RTF advocacy is noticeable in the significant tension between a structural approach to the RTF (embodied in demands such as the redistribution of resources, access to land and agrarian reform, an alternative trade framework, etc.) and a social-democratic approach (Stammers, 1995) to the RTF (embodied in demands such as social security, improved focus on nutrition, safety nets).…”

Section: Key Challenges Facing the Right To Foodmentioning

confidence: 99%