In this richly detailed history, Felix Jimenez Botta traces West German mobilization against human rights abuses in Latin America in the late twentieth century. Initially in the ascendant was a market-critical vision adopted by a loose, left-leaning coalition fighting against right-wing regimes seeking to destroy incipient welfare states and implant market fundamentalism. However, during the later 1970s-80s a market-friendly interpretation gained ground, emphasising negative civil and political rights at the expense of positive economic and social rights. Within these debates, the vocabulary of human rights was a malleable political language that served as a multidirectional point of reference for various actors from civil society, politics, and the churches. By analysing these opposing views of human rights, Jimenez Botta questions the revisionist interpretation of post-1970s human rights as an inherently conservative political and intellectual project. Instead, the triumph of market-friendly human rights in West Germany was contested, contingent and ultimately unfinished.
Rezensionen / Stimmen
'Jimenez Botta has revealed a vital alternative history to the presumed triumph of neoliberalism in our modern era. This book is a must read for those interested in how a human rights movement for social justice and economic redistribution survived in the late Cold War and beyond.' Ned Richardson-Little, ZZF Potsdam 'Felix Jimenez Botta carefully charts how grassroots organizations sought to pierce West German foreign policymakers' indifference to rights rhetoric-to ultimately quite diverse results in how human rights became deployed. Extensively researched, the book links groups' work on South and Central America, making a critical contribution to understanding how human rights emerged and evolved in rhetoric, definition, and practice during a crucial period in West German and global history.' Debbie Sharnak, Rowan University 'This book puts human rights visions into their political context. Latin American exiles and West Germans crafted human rights visions against a backdrop of rapid domestic and international change. Jimenez Botta's vital distinction between 'market-critical' and 'market-friendly' human rights strategies and deep research show us how the latter prevailed-for now.' Lora Wildenthal, Rice University
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Sprache
Verlagsort
Illustrationen
Worked examples or Exercises; 12 Halftones, black and white
ISBN-13
978-1-009-47382-8 (9781009473828)
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Schweitzer Klassifikation
Felix A. Jimenez Botta is Associate Professor of History at Miyazaki International University, Japan. He is the editor of a special issue entitled 'The Multiple Meanings of Human Rights in Germany' in the Journal of Contemporary History (2025).
Autor*in
George Mason University Korea
List of figures; Acknowledgements; Note on the text; Introduction; 1. Antifascism: the Chile solidarity movement in West Germany and the politics of emergency, 1973- 1976; 2. The politics of emergency in action: West Germany and the Latin American refugee crisis, 1973-1977; 3. Christian democratic solidarity: West German conservatives and the Chilean military regime, 1973-1980; 4. Quiet diplomacy: Argentina, Chile, and West Germany's technocratic response to grassroots human rights advocacy, 1975-1979; 5 . Politics of revolution: Nicaragua, El Salvador, and the rise of market-critical human rights in West Germany, 1977-1986; 6. Market-Friendly human rights: the neoconservative offensive on Central America, 1979-1986; 7. The politics of market-friendly democratization: West Germany and the end of military rule in the Southern Cone, 1980-1990; Epilogue; Bibliography; Index.
