Waubonsee Community College

Human rights in Latin America, a politics of terror and hope, Sonia Cardenas

eng

Includes bibliographical references and index

illustrations

index present

non fiction

Human rights in Latin America

dictionariesbibliography

1009104010

Sonia Cardenas

Pennsylvania studies in human rights

a politics of terror and hope

For the last half century, Latin America has been plagued by civil wars, dictatorships, torture, legacies of colonialism and racism, and other evils. The region has also experienced dramatic — if uneven — human rights improvements. The accounts of how Latin America's people have dealt with the persistent threats to their fundamental rights offer lessons for people around the world. Human Rights in Latin America: A Politics of Terror and Hope is the first textbook to provide a comprehensive introduction to the human rights issues facing an area that constitutes more than half of the Western Hemisphere. Leading human rights researcher and educator Sonia Cardenas brings together regional examples of both terror and hope, emphasizing the dualities inherent in human rights struggles. Organized by three pivotal topics — human rights violations, reform, and accountability — this book offers an authoritative synthesis of research on human rights on the continent. From historical accounts of abuse to successful transnational campaigns and legal battles, Human Rights in Latin America explores the tensions underlying a vast range of human rights initiatives. In addition to surveying the roles of the United States, relatives of the disappeared, and truth commissions, Cardenas covers newer ground in addressing the colonial and ideological underpinnings of human rights abuses, emerging campaigns for disability and sexuality rights, and regional dynamics relating to the International Criminal Court. Engagingly written and fully illustrated, Human Rights in Latin America creates an important niche among human rights and Latin American textbooks. Ample supplementary resources — including discussion questions, interdisciplinary reading lists, filmographies, online resources, internship opportunities, and instructor assignments — make this an especially valuable text for use in human rights courses. Sonia Cardenas is Associate Professor of Political Science and Director of the Human Rights Program at Trinity College, Hartford, Connecticut. She is the author of Conflict and Compliance: State Responses to International Human Rights Pressure, also available from the University of Pennsylvania Press

Introduction: Terror and Hope -- Part I. Violating Rights -- Chapter 1: A Regional Survey -- Chapter 2: Explaining Violations -- Part II. Promoting Reform -- Chapter 3: Global Governance -- Chapter 4: Transnational Networks -- Chapter 5: Human Rights Change -- Part III. Securing Justice -- Chapter 6: Accountability Versus Impunity -- Chapter 7: Never Again? -- Appendix 1: American Convention on Human Rights, Part I -- Appendix 2: Human Rights Treaties: Regional Ratifiers -- Appendix 3: Human Development Indicators -- Appendix 4: Select Internship Opportunities -- Appendix 5: Suggested Assignments for Instructors