In the Wake of Neoliberalism - (Stanford Studies in Human Rights) by Karen Ann Faulk

About the Book

Examining the ways in which "rights talk" is used and adapted locally by groups in Argentina, this book explores the relationship between ideas of human rights, rights of citizenship, and the concrete and envisioned social relationships that form the basis for social activism in the wake of neoliberal restructuring.

Book Synopsis

Understanding the various meanings given to human and citizenship rights in Argentina is an important task, particularly so given the nation's prominence in global discussions. An "exporter" of tactics, ideas, and experts, Argentina has become a site of innovation in the field of human rights. This book investigates two prominent Buenos Aires protest organizations-Memoria Activa and the BAUEN workers' cooperative-to consider how each has framed its demands within a language of rights.

Fundamentally, this book is concerned with the complex interrelationship between the discourse of human rights and the neoliberal project. In exploring the way in which "rights talk" is used and adapted locally by various activist groups, the book looks at the mutually formative and contentious interactions between ideas of human rights, rights of citizenship, and the concrete and envisioned social relationships that form the basis for social activism in the wake of neoliberalism.

Review Quotes

"In the Wake of Neoliberalism is a powerful and moving ethnographic work that fixes transnational conceptions of human rights in the context of a global neoliberalism, grounded firmly in the history and society of Argentina. The book makes a valuable contribution to the interdisciplinary literature on human rights. An important book of the contemporary moment."--Daniel Goldstein, Rutgers University, author of The Spectacular City

"Argentina has been at the forefront of changes in human rights discourse at the legal, international, political levels, and has seen some of the most globally prominent social movements based on human rights. Karen Faulk has risen to the challenge of tackling such complex themes and produced an engaging, vibrant, and thought-provoking account of contemporary struggles against neoliberal erosions of rights. A superb ethnography."--Sian Lazar, University of Cambridge

"Faulk provides valuable insights for assessing the contributions of movements that actualize conceptions of social citizenship in contemporary Argentina."--Silvio Waisbord, Latin American Studies

About the Author

Karen Ann Faulk is an anthropologist, who teaches in the Department of History and Global Studies at Carnegie Mellon University.