Defining democracy
Subtitle: women and human rights organizations in Argentine democratization.
Published: 2004
Language: eng
Number of pages: 280
Description: Initially, scholars and activists were optimistic that the return of electoral democracy in Latin America would lead to the protection of human rights. Unfortunately, the abuse of human rights continues. A major obstacle to the protection of human rights during the democratization process is the establishment of a minimal agreement between the state and society regarding the definition of human rights. In Argentina there is little agreement among various state and society political actors regarding the rights that must be protected. However, this dissertation argues that by focusing on the need to protect the family, women participants in human rights organizations (HROs) are facilitating debates with the state and society in favour of a broad definition of rights (civil, political and social) and their enforcement. Argentine HROs have drawn on the nation's historical experience with women's political participation in order to successfully frame these debates.I adapt the collective action frame literature to include the concept of "historical frames", defined in the following manner. In countries with irreconcilable differences between various state and society political actors, state leaders have very forcefully interpreted and "framed" historical, political and cultural experiences. These leaders have been able to capture the common, although often vague, vision of the world held by most political actors. Some of these frames endure and become integrated into political culture. These frames are what I call "historical frames". Historical frames are often reused and transformed by the state, society and social movements. Women have used these frames to facilitate their political integration into the process of democratization and to broaden the debated definition human rights.The dissertation introduces and presents the development of the historical frames of "women's political participation" and "differential and un-enforced rights" in Argentina. The dissertation proposes that the use and misuse of the historical frame of "women's political participation" by the last military regime contributed to the adoption of the vocabulary of this historical frame by women in HROs. In order to examine the persuasiveness of this strategy, the dissertation analyses the response of the Argentine state and society.
Notes: Adviser: Judith Teichman.

Thesis (Ph.D.)--University of Toronto, 2004.

Electronic version licensed for access by U. of T. users.

Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 65-05, Section: A, page: 1940.