Rhetoric in Human Rights Advocacy

In this work, Ghere examines the rhetoric of human rights advocates and those who attempt to obstruct rights causes and argues that examining advocacy adds to the 'understanding [of] the successes and failures of human rights efforts in particular cultural and national contexts.' The cases chosen focus on praxis and address the rhetorical character of argumentation, the effect of cultural and institutional factors on rhetoric, and whether advocates appear to follow ethical orientations. The author pays particular attention to new rhetoric and the role of audience and context in human rights advocacy. Cases include human rights champions such as Iqbal Masih, Pussy Riot, Julian Assange, and Daniel Barenboim. Human rights antagonists covered include Joe Arpaio and Geert Wilders, among others . . . Overall, the work allows readers to think more deeply about how human rights work is done in practice rather than as a theoretical construct. The author’s rhetorical analysis highlights the importance of communication in the (re)construction of ideas, values, and norms at the local level. Summing Up: Recommended. All readership levels. * CHOICE *
Richard K. Ghere has written an important new book that makes a significant theoretical contribution to the literature on human rights. Grounded in a rhetorical approach, the book discusses human rights advocacy as a practice. Case vignettes of human rights examplars yield a rich tapestry of the multiple approaches of human rights practitioners. Speaking in a world in which so many dimensions of human inequality have exacerbated the barriers to any robust regime of human rights, Ghere’s book offers multiple hopeful avenues around, over and through some of these barriers. -- Guy B. Adams, university of missouri
This is a deeply impressive book that draws on the author’s deep insight into the rhetoric and praxis of human rights advocacy. His expert mediation between the ‘thin’ conventions of formal human rights abstraction and the ‘thick’ ethical views arising from diverse cultural discourse allows both scholar and practitioner to discern how the boundaries between advocate and antagonist might be reconciled in order to reach a more enduring commitment to human rights. -- Tom Pegram, University College London
Is what we say less important than how we say it? Equipped with the evidence that carefully crafted phrases can shape societal change in ways mere descriptors cannot, Ghere presents a powerful new tool for human rights advocacy. His view of the world will transform yours. -- Carole L. Jurkiewicz, University of Massachusetts, Boston