Nuancing Human Rights Discourse and Practice: Perspectives from Myanmar

<p>Through a participatory action research project with human rights activists in Myanmar, this study builds on discourse around inherent power imbalances in international human rights work by highlighting voices often left out of the human rights discourse. Using postcolonial and third world feminist frameworks, this research offers analysis of ten research participants’ narratives on their relationship with human rights discourse and a discussion of their practice. By looking at questions of how community activists from Myanmar engaged in a human rights discourse, the study offers nuanced understandings and critical analysis of how and why certain activists will embrace or reject the use of human rights standards and practice. Based on these findings, the study offers suggestions for how foreign born human rights activists can engage in solidarity with local community agents in ways that do not reinforce narratives of victimization and salvation. It offers the reader thoughts on how to build solidarity across borders by highlighting specific recommendations from local activists in Myanmar that offer insights on how one can engage in human rights work across borders in a way that focuses on building local relationships based on trust and collaboration that make room for a constant examination on power dynamics.</p>

Name thesis:degree_name

Doctor of Education (Ed.D.)

Level thesis:degree_level

Dissertation

Discipline thesis:degree_discipline

International and Multicultural Education

Year dc:date.available

2016

Author dc:creator

• Argenal, Amy Marie

Contributors dc:contributor

• Shabnam Koirala-Azad
• Monisha Bajaj
• Chris Thomas

• Human Rights
• Myanmar
• Postcolonial
• Solidarity
• Third World Feminism
• Transnational Activism
• Bilingual, Multilingual, and Multicultural Education

Repository record dc:identifier

https://repository.usfca.edu/diss/309

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:repository.usfca.edu:diss-1306