Counting the Dead: The Culture and Politics of Human Rights Activism in Colombia (Volume 18) (California Series in Public Anthropology)

At a time when a global consensus on human rights standards seems to be emerging, this rich study steps back to explore how the idea of human rights is actually employed by activists and human rights professionals. Winifred Tate, an anthropologist and activist with extensive experience in Colombia, finds that radically different ideas about human rights have shaped three groups of human rights professionals working there--nongovernmental activists, state representatives, and military officers. Drawing from the life stories of high-profile activists, pioneering interviews with military officials, and research at the United Nations Human Rights Commission in Geneva, Counting the Dead underscores the importance of analyzing and understanding human rights discourses, methodologies, and institutions within the context of broader cultural and political debates. Explores How The Idea Of Human Rights Is Actually Employed By Activists And Human Rights Professionals. Tate, An Anthropologist And Activist With Extensive Experience In Colombia, Finds That Radically Different Ideas About Human Rights Have Shaped Three Groups Of Human Rights Professionals Working There--nongovernmental Activists, State Representatives, And Military Officers. From Publisher Description. Colombia : Mapping The Eternal Crisis -- Solidarity With Our Class Brothers : The First Wave Of Colombian Human Rights Activism -- The Production Of Human Rights Knowledge And The Practice Of Politics -- The Emotional Politics Of Activism In The 1990s -- The Global Imaginaries Of Colombian Activists At The United Nations And Beyond -- State Activism And The Production Of Impunity -- Human Rights And The Colombian Military's War Stories. Winifred Tate. Includes Bibliographical References (p. 345-369) And Index. Frontmatter Acknowledgments (page ix) Abbreviations (page xiii) Map of Colombia (page xvii) Introduction (page 1) 1. Colombia: Mapping the Eternal Crisis (page 31) 2. Solidarity with Our Class Brothers: The First Wave of Colombian Human Rights Activism (page 72) 3. The Production of Human Rights Knowledge and the Practice of Politics (page 107) 4. The Emotional Politics of Activism in the 1990s (page 146) 5. The Global Imaginaries of Colombian Activists at the United Nations and Beyond (page 175) 6. State Activism and the Production of Impunity (page 215) 7. Human Rights and the Colombian Military's War Stories (page 256) Conclusion: The Politics of Human Rights Knowledge (page 290) Notes (page 307) Selected Bibliography (page 345) Index (page 371) Colombia : mapping the eternal crisis Solidarity with our class brothers : the first wave of human rights activism in Colombia The production of human rights knowledge and the practice of politics The emotional politics of activism in the 1990s The global imaginaries of Colombian activists at the United Nations and beyond State activism and the production of impunity Human rights and the Colombian military's war stories. Drawing from the life stories of high-profile activists, interviews with military officials, and research at the United Nations Human Rights Commission in Geneva, this work underscores the importance of analyzing and understanding human rights discourses, methodologies, and institutions within the context of broader cultural and political debates.