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Human Rights & Social Movements
Throughout history,
human beings have been subjected to a litany of affronts and abuses: slavery and
imprisonment, rape and torture, poverty and economic exploitation, hunger and disease,
war and genocide, racial and gender discrimination, segregation and lynching, homophobia
and xenophobia, religious persecution and hate crimes. Oftentimes, the victims of
these violations have transformed themselves
into agents of change through acts of protest and mass mobilization. These people-powered
movements, at once social and political, have had a profound influence on the way we interact
with one another by insisting that all people have certain fundamental rights that come from
being human. These movements also give us the best evidence we have of the resilience
and creativity of the human spirit in the wake of the pervasive inhumanity that continues to
threaten us.
The Human Rights and Social Movements Program examines the complex relationship
between human rights and social movements with a particular emphasis on how grassroots
mobilizations have shaped and contested modern conceptions and practices of human rights, both
in the United States and throughout the globe. This new program is guided by the faith that
social movements have played—and continue to play—a significant role in the conception,
development, evolution, and implementation of what Michael Ignatieff refers to as the “human
rights revolution.” The role of social movements in creating and challenging human
rights is often downplayed or ignored. We believe that it deserves broader attention and
deeper examination.
The Human Rights and Social Movements Program will explore three principal areas of convergence:
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the relationship between inspiration, aspiration,
and effect: Why do people become activists? What do they seek to
accomplish? Do they make a difference?
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the connection between history and the present: How
does the past inform the work we do today?
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the problem of coalition-building within and between movements: how,
when, and why do people and social movements work together effectively? What prevents them
from doing so?
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The Human Rights and Social Movements Program will focus its attention on a broad range of social
movements and human rights struggles in the United States and throughout the globe—including,
but not limited to, the crisis of modern-day slavery and human trafficking; the role of media
in social movements; the struggle to achieve educational equity; racially and religiously
motivated hate crimes in the American South; the modern LGBT movement; Burma activism; and the
role of human rights organizations in social movement work. Each year, the Human Rights
and Social Movements Program will host a cohort of fellows and interns whose research will help
to broaden and deepen the work of the program.
The work of the Human Rights and Social Movements Program will take place in four main
realms: research, teaching, programs, and publications. This
web site details what we’ve done, what we’re doing, and what we will do. We
hope that you will join us in this work. Welcome!
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Director's Introduction
What's Happening with HR & SM
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~ February 2010 ~
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Thursday,
Feb. 11
8:00 PM
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Harvard Thinks Big
more >
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Thursday,
Feb. 18
7:00 PM
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The Activist's Studio: The Art and Politics of Human Rights
more >
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Friday,
Feb. 19
3:00 PM
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HR&SM Study Group
more >
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~ March 2010 ~
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Thursday,
Mar. 4
6:30 PM
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The Activist's Studio: The Art and Politics of Human Rights
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~ April 2010 ~
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Thursday,
Apr. 1
6:30 PM
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The Activist's Studio: The Art and Politics of Human Rights
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View Full HR&SM Calendar >
This Week's Featured Document
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Harvey Milk, “Hope Speech” (1978)
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