Who speaks for Human Rights?

Human Rights from a Discursive Perspective

What do you think when someone says
discourse?
Be suspicious of simple definitions of
discourse.
Critical Discourse Analysis
Meaning is polysemic.
Communication is dialogic.
Discourse must be mobilized.
 Decoding Discourse
A search for clues about discursive processes

Search for distinctive features.

Use of language
Non-linguistic polysemy
Social symbolism and effects
Audience cues
Etc, etc, etc
Discourse is the primary mode of action in the
field of human rights.

Let's practice on a few of these instances.

Amnesty International - Death to the Death
Penalty
How does this communication mobilize human
rights-compatible ideas?
Amnesty International - Imagine
Same question: Look for human rights
discourses contained here.
UN Bias Against Israel
How does this mobilize discourses about
human rights?
We can all begin to decode discourse with the
tools we have available.

The real work comes in doing research to

reveal the production and reception of
discourse.