Dancing for Human Rights: Engaging Labor Rights and Social Remembrance in Poor Mouth

2016 ◽  
Vol 34 (2) ◽  
pp. 220-242 ◽  
Author(s):  
Eric C. Mullis
Keyword(s):  
Human Rights ◽  
Labor Rights ◽  
Human Rights Abuses ◽  
The Great Depression ◽  
Human Rights Abuse ◽  
The American South ◽  
The Public Sphere ◽  
Secular Rituals ◽  
The Many ◽  
Rights Issues

There is a tradition of dance artists developing work for the concert stage in order to engage pressing social justice issues and, more specifically, the abuse of human rights. Anna Sokolow's Strange American Funeral (1935), Pearl Primus' Strange Fruit (1945), Katherine Dunham's Southland (1951), Alvin Ailey's Masekela Langage (1969), Jawole Willa Jo Zollar's Womb Wars (1992), William Forsythe's Human Writes (2005), and Douglas Wright's Black Milk (2006) are examples of acclaimed dances that address the manner in which marginalized individuals and social groups have not been granted equal ethical or political consideration. 1 In this essay I consider how dance enacts secular rituals of remembrance for victims of human rights abuses characteristic of a particular community's or nation's historical legacy. This entails discussion of aesthetic strategies used to portray human rights abuse, a consideration of the ethics of memory, and analysis of specific dance work. I discuss my site-adaptive work Poor Mouth (2013) which centers on labor rights issues in the American South during the Great Depression and I argue that dance which presents such issues performs a valuable social function as it encourages audiences to remember the past in a manner that facilitates a historically informed understanding of communal identity. Further, since historical instances of human rights abuse often have contemporary correlates and since remembrance affects the significance of places associated with the history in question, the implications of such work temporally and spatially extend beyond the performance venue and thereby contribute to political discourse in the public sphere. Dance intersects with human rights issues in many ways, but here I focus on dances intended for performance on the concert stage. For the purposes of this essay, the terms ‘dance activism’ and ‘political dance’ refer to dances that intentionally grapple with explicit human rights abuses and that are intended to be performed for a theatre-going audience. Along the way I note what bearing my points have for other forms such as popular dance, dance used in acts of public political protest, site-specific dance, and dance therapy, but I should emphasize that it is beyond the scope of this essay to consider the many ways that dance intersects with human rights and with political activism more generally. Lastly, I should say that my approach to this topic is informed by the personal experience of collaboratively creating and performing dance work in a particular community and that it is interdisciplinary in nature since its draw on aspects of philosophical ethics in order to reflect on that experience.

scholarly journals Media Framing of President Muhammadu Buhari’s Human Rights Abuses: a Study of The Punch, Vanguard, The Nation and Daily Trust Newspapers

2021 ◽  
Vol 3 (1) ◽  
pp. 79-102
Author(s):  
Silas Udenze ◽  
Barth Oshionebo ◽  
Stanislaus O. Iyorza
Keyword(s):  
Human Rights ◽  
Media Framing ◽  
Human Rights Abuses ◽  
Political Situation ◽  
Political Influences ◽  
Frame Indifference ◽  
Human Rights Abuse ◽  
News Outlet ◽  
Rights Issues ◽  
Newspaper Editorials

This study explores how four Nigerian newspapers framed President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration and its human rights campaign. Using newspaper editorials published in The Punch, The Nation, Daily Trust, and Vanguard newspapers of December 2019 as the object of analysis, the paper draws on the methodological context of such framing to investigate how the selected newspapers framed the human rights situation in Nigeria. This study asserts that those newspapers’ editorials used varieties of framing methods, namely: “unrepentant dictator frame”, “resistance frame”, “indifference frame”, “warning frame”, and “sympathetic” frame to portray the government’s disposition to human rights issues. Furthermore, the paper reveals that the Nigerian media is partisan when it comes to the struggle against human rights while their positions on national issues like the fight against human rights abuse are subject to ethnic and political influences, as evident in the Daily Trust editorial. The study also revealed that editorials can be used as essential tools to curtail the excess of government, precisely, to fight against the abuse of human rights. Finally, the paper recommends that newspaper publishers should limit their editorial influences in day-to-day administration of news outlet to engender objectivity, news balance and accuracy in order not to exacerbate the socio-political situation in a multi-ethnic society such as Nigeria.

THE ROLE OF THE UNITED NATIONS IN PREVENTING HUMAN RIGHTS AND SEXUAL ABUSE IN JAMMU-KASHMIR CONFLICT

2021 ◽  
pp. 1-15
Author(s):  
Foday Yarbou
Keyword(s):  
Human Rights ◽  
International Community ◽  
Theoretical Explanation ◽  
Territorial Disputes ◽  
Jammu And Kashmir ◽  
Human Rights Abuses ◽  
The People ◽  
Human Rights Abuse ◽  
United Nation

AbstractThe conflict between Jammu and Kashmir has acquired a multifaceted character. On one hand, the conflict involves national and territorial contestations between India and Pakistan, and on the other, it entails different kinds of human rights abuses and various political demands by religious, linguistic, regional, and ethnic groups in both parts. This article aims to portrait the images and human rights abuses meted on the people of Jammu and Kashmir. It also urges and pleads to India and Pakistan and all those countries who are taking part directly or indirectly in the territorial disputes or conflict in the region of Jammu and Kashmir to end the conflict. Human rights abuse such as torture, rape, sexual harassment, murder, and unnecessary killings of the people of this region were all condemned by the author of this article. He further requests the international community such as the United Nation to take a bold step in settling the conflict in that region by passing an effective resolution at the international level that will put an end to the conflict. In this article, the author uses a qualitative research method to explore different journals and write up of scholars in finding tangible solutions to the conflict in Jammu and Kashmir. The author also uses a theoretical explanation in the article. The result of this article intends to see that all the main concerning points raised in this write-up are fully considered and implemented by the United Nation in bringing peace and stability in the region of Jammu and Kashmir. Conflict in this region has become a worrying issue in the international community and the necessary steps should be taken to bring it to halt.

Decline and Fall

Idi Amin ◽  
2021 ◽  
pp. 276-309
Author(s):  
Mark Leopold
Keyword(s):  
Human Rights ◽  
Social Solidarity ◽  
Human Rights Abuses ◽  
The Social ◽  
Key Factor ◽  
The Face ◽  
The Many

This chapter studies Idi Amin's downfall. It begins by detailing how the death of Anglican Archbishop Janani Luwum led to wide international condemnation and galvanised the many competing opposition groups among the exiles. Between February 28 and March 3, 1978, a closed session of the UN Commission on Human Rights finally agreed to launch a formal investigation of human rights abuses in Uganda. By the end of 1978, the Tanzanian army, with a considerably smaller number of Ugandan refugee fighters, had massed in force near the border. In January of 1979, they crossed into Uganda. The key factor in the Tanzanians' victory was the overall weakness of the Ugandan troops. The chapter then explains how Amin's regime had destroyed much of the social solidarity and national feeling which had just about held the country together in the face of ethnic rivalries under the first Obote administration. This became evident in the chaos that followed the Tanzanian invasion, and especially under Milton Obote's second regime. Finally, the chapter describes Amin's retirement and analyses how he survived in power for so long.

The adaptability of international arbitration: Reforming the arbitration mechanism to provide effective remedy for business-related human rights abuses

2018 ◽  
Vol 36 (3) ◽  
pp. 214-231
Author(s):  
Katerina Yiannibas
Keyword(s):  
Human Rights ◽  
Direct Access ◽  
International Arbitration ◽  
Holding Companies ◽  
Human Rights Abuses ◽  
Cross Border ◽  
The Subject ◽  
Effective Remedy ◽  
Human Rights Standards ◽  
Rights Issues

This paper analyses the potential for international arbitration to provide effective remedy for business-related human rights abuses. Since the proliferation of international arbitration, the default arbitration mechanism as it stands has been contemplated by and large for the resolution of cross-border commercial disputes where the primary interests are efficiency and finality. However, there is evidence that human rights issues have emerged in international arbitration. Accordingly, if arbitration is to be used in such cases, the mechanism must be adapted in light of the particular issues that arise in the adjudication of human rights; the balance between transparency and confidentiality, reprisals against victims and human rights defenders, collective redress, financial assistance, the applicability of human rights standards. If proper procedures are in place to contemplate the particular interests involved in cases where the substantive claims involve human rights, the advantage of international arbitration is that it can provide direct access in a neutral forum for holding companies accountable where national jurisdictions are unavailable or difficult to access. This article begins by analysing the historical development of international arbitration so as to demonstrate a pattern of adaptability and flexibility vis-à-vis the subject matter of cross-border disputes. The article will then contemplate the potential of and concerns for international arbitration, putting forward specific recommendations for reforms of the international arbitration mechanism in cases where the substantive claims involve business-related human rights abuses.

Join the Chorus, Avoid the Spotlight: The Effect of Neighborhood and Social Dynamics on Human Rights Organization Shaming

2017 ◽  
Vol 63 (1) ◽  
pp. 167-193 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sam R. Bell ◽  
K. Chad Clay ◽  
Amanda Murdie
Keyword(s):  
Time Series ◽  
Human Rights ◽  
Research Design ◽  
Social Dynamics ◽  
Human Rights Abuses ◽  
Human Rights Organizations ◽  
Human Rights Abuse ◽  
Human Rights Treaties ◽  
Cross National

Which countries are likely to be ignored for their human rights abuses? This article focuses on one particular way that cases of human rights abuse might be overlooked by human rights organizations (HROs): the relative visibility of the state’s abusiveness vis-à-vis its geographic and social peers. HROs are more likely to target abusive states that are located in regions with more HRO resources and/or are surrounded by states that demonstrate higher respect for human rights, as these abuses will stand out much more clearly. Further, human rights treaties can be used by abusive states as a form of strategic “social camouflage,” with states trying to minimize the risk of HRO attention by ratifying human rights treaties to look more like their rights-respecting peers. Using a cross-national time-series research design, this article finds much support for the argument: abusive states that “join the chorus” avoid HRO attention.

Contemporary Sources of Human Rights Violations

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mahmood Monshipouri
Keyword(s):  
Human Rights ◽  
Necessary Condition ◽  
Human Rights Violations ◽  
Political Rights ◽  
Human Rights Abuses ◽  
Human Rights Abuse ◽  
New Thinking ◽  
Women And Children ◽  
Prevalent Form

Given the systematic threats facing humanity, there is an urgent need for new thinking about the human rights project. The most prevalent form of global abuse exists in the form of violence against women and children. Sexual violence has been considered the most pervasive, yet least recognized human rights, abuse in the world. Equally prevalent among the modern sources of threats to physical integrity rights are the pervasive practice of torture and the issue of poverty and the threats it poses to human dignity and human rights. Individual civil-political rights and the rights of minorities, including women, ethnic and religious minorities, and indigenous people have been protected at times and violated at other times by states. Moreover, some observers argue that group rights should be properly understood as an extension of the already recognized collective rights to self-determination of people. But this broad spectrum of human rights violations can be organized into two categories: domestic and international. The domestic sources include both local and national sources of human rights abuses, and international sources entail international and global dimensions. These analyses are interconnected and reinforcing, but they can be contradictory at times. Understanding such complex interrelations is a necessary condition for describing factors and processes leading to abuses. In an applied sense, this understanding is essential for suggesting how we should proceed with the protection of basic human rights. Although there is agreement on the most pressing problems of human suffering, there is no consensus over the answers.

scholarly journals Protecting the rights of LGBTIQ people around the world: Beyond marriage equality and the decriminalisation of homosexuality

2021 ◽  
pp. 1037969X2098665
Author(s):  
Paula Gerber ◽  
Senthorun Raj ◽  
Cai Wilkinson ◽  
Anthony Langlois
Keyword(s):  
Human Rights ◽  
Marriage Equality ◽  
Same Sex ◽  
High Profile ◽  
The World ◽  
Sexual Conduct ◽  
The Many ◽  
Rights Issues

Discussions about the human rights of LGBTIQ people tend to centre around two vastly different issues, namely, marriage equality and the criminalisation of same-sex sexual conduct. However, looking only at these two high-profile issues ignores the many pressing concerns facing LGBTIQ people around the world. This article identifies and analyses eight other human rights issues that urgently need addressing, in order to respect the rights of LGBTIQ people across the globe.

scholarly journals The Soldiers of Songbun: Militarization, Human Rights Abuse and Childhood Experiences of North Korean Youth

2020 ◽  
Vol 3 ◽  
pp. 8-21
Author(s):  
Peter Steele
Keyword(s):  
Human Rights ◽  
Civil Rights ◽  
International Organizations ◽  
North Korea ◽  
Childhood Experiences ◽  
Human Rights Abuses ◽  
Contemporary World ◽  
Second Nature ◽  
Marginalized Groups ◽  
Human Rights Abuse

North Korea is an enigma. The United Nations (UN) states that it is “…without parallel in the contemporary world …” in terms of abuse, exploitation and lack of civil rights. No other rogue state commands the attention and mystique as the isolated nation of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK). Despite an increasingly prevalent international front, including warming relations with South Korea and the threat of nuclear weapons, everyday citizens remain hidden. Public displays of Olympic cheerleaders or the admittance of “K-Pop” stars across the Korean Demilitarization Zone (DMZ) distract from the widespread human rights abuses and public indoctrination that is second nature in the country. But this is no surprise; In the DPRK, the leader is above all else. While marginalized groups in other countries may be granted a voice by international organizations, the vulnerable in North Korea are obscured in the shadow of the great leader’s actions.

Rationales

2013 ◽  
Author(s):  
Emilie M. Hafner-Burton
Keyword(s):  
Human Rights ◽  
Perceived Benefits ◽  
Large Role ◽  
Human Rights Abuses ◽  
Advantages And Disadvantages ◽  
Abusive Behavior ◽  
Mass Atrocity ◽  
The Many

This chapter considers the rationales used by individuals when committing and justifying human rights abuses—how they calculate, to the best of their knowledge, the advantages and disadvantages of abusive behavior. It challenges the view pervasive in some accounts of crime and mass atrocity that perpetrators are insane, irrational, or psychologically (or biologically) abnormal. The chapter first examines the many ways that perpetrators rationalize their actions since nearly every account of systemic, long-term abuse includes a large role for rationalization. In particular, it discusses three ways that perpetrators rationalize their crimes: exceptional circumstances, avoidance of responsibility, and routinization. It then describes some of the perceived benefits of criminal abuse such as psychological superiority, intelligence, and monetary benefits, as well as the possible penalties for human rights abuses. The chapter concludes by addressing the issue of the credibility and effectiveness of deterrence.

Terrorism, Human Rights Dilemma And Its Effects On Women In Swat, Pakistan

2018 ◽  
Vol 17 (1) ◽  
pp. 39-54
Author(s):  
Akhtar Baloch ◽  
Iram Tahir
Keyword(s):  
Human Rights ◽  
Feminist Theory ◽  
Cultural Context ◽  
War On Terror ◽  
Secondary Data ◽  
Global War On Terror ◽  
Human Rights Abuses ◽  
After Effects ◽  
Global War ◽  
Rights Issues

The global war on terror has created a human rights dilemma for the mostmarginalised groups in societies. In a highly patriarchal society like Pakistan, this dilemma is further magnified due to the lack of focus on human rights problems it creates for subsections of society that do not have equal access to mainstream resources, such as women. This paper seeks to identify the human rights issues created due to terrorism and counter-terrorism from a gendered perspective in the context of women in Swat, Pakistan. Secondary data analysis has been used as a research methodology, and the Feminist Theory has been applied as the theoretical framework. Findings reveal that women in Swat have suffered human rights abuses in the economic, social and cultural context far more than men, and continue to suffer from psychological problems. The militant activity in Swat altered the mindset of women towards terrorism, creating women militants. The paper concludes that women in Swat suffered severe human rights abuses to their economic, social and cultural freedoms, and were not beneficiary to adequate rehabilitation initiatives, leaving emotional and mental after-effects on these women.

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