Racial and Ethnic Minorities

“A Problem of Humanity”: The Human Rights Framework and the Struggle for Racial Justice

“…As Thomas and Brunsma (2015:37) argue, the sociological study of the struggle for racial justice must be conceptualized “not simply as a struggle for civil rights and social recognition but fundamentally as a struggle for human rights.” Understanding how social movements have not only used the HRF but pushed for racial justice beyond the political and civil sphere is a crucial task for sociologists. And as demonstrated in this article, theoretical engagement and empirical inquiry into the history and politics of rights can reveal further insights about their social dimensions.…”

“…The enduring problem of racial injustice can logically be articulated as a human rights violation of African Americans, and thus the well-developed framework of human rights is relevant (cf. Armaline et al 2011, 2015; Falcón 2009; Thomas and Brunsma 2015). 5 Yet, there exist both limitations and benefits to the HRF in addressing the operations and effects of racism and racial inequality in the United States.…”

“…A burgeoning scholarly literature in history, sociology, and legal studies has focused on the alignment of the HRF and the attainment of racial justice. Works within this corpus have predominantly centered on specific historical and contemporary cases (e.g., Anderson 2003; Armaline, Glasberg, and Purkayastha 2011, 2015; Falcón 2009; Lewis 2009) or broader theoretical development, conceptual refinement, and agenda setting (e.g., Elias 2009; Somers and Roberts 2008; Stokes 2009; Thomas and Brunsma 2015). Investigation and synthesis of both theoretical matters and actual cases in practice are needed, in concert and in conversation, to reveal the potential and constraints of the HRF for enabling social and institutional transformations toward racial justice.…”

“…(Stokes 2009:xix)We demand as scholars and advocates of social justice that sociologists attend to the substantive questions of concern in this twenty-first century—questions of how human rights can be attained for racial and ethnic minorities. (Thomas and Brunsma 2015:46)…”

“… 1. In part, this article attempts to address, extend, and complicate Thomas and Brunsma’s (2015:46) clarion call for sociological studies of racial justice movements to “examine the ways in which rhetoric that advocated for these various groups’ rights was actually a product of a larger human rights paradigm shift in international political movements and legal actions.” …”