Counting the Dead: The Culture and Politics of Human Rights Activism in Colombia (California Series in Public Anthropology #18)
Description
At a time when a global consensus on human rights standards seems to be emerging, this rich study steps back to explore how the idea of human rights is actually employed by activists and human rights professionals. Winifred Tate, an anthropologist and activist with extensive experience in Colombia, finds that radically different ideas about human rights have shaped three groups of human rights professionals working there--nongovernmental activists, state representatives, and military officers. Drawing from the life stories of high-profile activists, pioneering interviews with military officials, and research at the United Nations Human Rights Commission in Geneva, Counting the Dead underscores the importance of analyzing and understanding human rights discourses, methodologies, and institutions within the context of broader cultural and political debates.
Praise for Counting the Dead: The Culture and Politics of Human Rights Activism in Colombia (California Series in Public Anthropology #18)
“Contributes significantly to our understanding of how activist institutional culture and identity evolves in a context where traditional labor and religious activists increasingly engage with and become more deeply enmeshed in the larger global activist community.”
— Stephen Ropp
“A fascinating study of how and why the idea of human rights has gained such currency in Colombian society.”
— William Avilés
