Prisoners of freedom : human rights and the African poor
Author(s)
Bibliographic Information
Prisoners of freedom : human rights and the African poor
（California series in public anthropology, 14）
University of California Press, c2006
- : pbk
- : cloth
Available at / 12 libraries
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Graduate School of Asian and African Area Studies, Kyoto Universityグローバル専攻
: pbkGCOE||316.1||Eng200009295710
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Library, Institute of Developing Economies, Japan External Trade Organization図
: pbkFSMW||342.7||P116596967
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Note
Includes bibliographical references (p. 225-242) and index
Description and Table of Contents
Description
In this vivid ethnography, Harri Englund investigates how ideas of freedom impede struggles against poverty and injustice in emerging democracies. Reaching beyond a narrow focus on the national elite, "Prisoners of Freedom" shows how foreign aid and human rights activism hamper the pursuit of democratic citizenship in Africa. The book explores how activists' aspirations of self-improvement, pursued under harsh economic conditions, find in the human rights discourse a new means to distinguish oneself from the poor masses. Among expatriates, the emphasis on abstract human rights avoids confrontations with the political and business elites. Drawing on long-term research among the Malawian poor, Englund brings to life the personal circumstances of Malawian human rights activists, their expatriate benefactors, and the urban and rural poor as he develops a fresh perspective on freedom - one that recognizes the significance of debt, obligation, and civil virtues.
Table of Contents
Acknowledgments List of Abbreviations Introduction 1. The Situation of Human Rights: Debating Governance and Freedom 2. Rights as Freedoms: Translating Human Rights 3. The Hidden Lessons of Civic Education: Training the Torchbearers 4. Watchdogs Unleashed? Encountering "the Grassroots" 5. Legal Aid for Abused Labor: Individualizing Grievances 6. Crimes of Exploitation: Dehumanizing a Lorry Boy 7. Human Rights and Moral Panics: Listening to Popular Grievances 8. Redeeming Freedom Notes References Index
by "Nielsen BookData"