Migrant and Refugee Shelters in Mexico: Towards an Alternative Human Rights Model
Author
Venturi, Michela
Term
4. term
Publication year
2020
Submitted on
2020-10-15
Pages
74
Abstract
Migration er et globalt fænomen, som ofte behandles af regeringer som en politisk og sikkerhedsmæssig krise. I Mexico, der ligger på ruten fra Centralamerika til USA, skubber denne krisefortælling og institutionel repression migranter ud i marginalisering. Under Covid-19-pandemien blev menneskerettighedskrænkelser forværret, mens shelters (herberger og støttesteder) over hele Mexico blev afgørende for at støtte migranter og asylansøgere. Specialet anvender Gramscis idé om hegemoni—hvordan magthavere former idéer, normer og institutioner—samt en kritisk forståelse af menneskerettigheder til at undersøge, hvad shelters fortæller og gør. Ved at analysere deres fortællinger sammensættes et større billede af græsrodsbaseret aktivisme med menneskerettigheder som omdrejningspunkt. Shelters skaber rum for modstand og modhegemonisk handling, dvs. de udfordrer den dominerende politik og fortælling. De forsvarer og fremmer migranters menneskerettigheder og styrker deres handlekraft som fuldgyldige samfundsaktører. Specialet argumenterer for, at denne aktivisme medvirker til at opbygge en modhegemonisk menneskerettighedsmodel, der gør menneskerettigheder til praktiske, frigørende redskaber for de berørte, i stedet for abstrakte principper som en repressiv stat krænker.
Migration affects many countries and is often treated by governments as a political and security crisis. In Mexico, which sits on the route from Central America to the United States, this crisis narrative and institutional repression push migrants to the margins. During the Covid-19 pandemic, human rights violations worsened, while shelters across Mexico became vital support for migrants and asylum seekers. This thesis uses the Gramscian idea of hegemony—how those in power shape ideas, norms, and institutions—and a critical view of human rights to study what shelters say and do. By examining their narratives, it pieces together a bigger picture of grassroots, human-rights-based activism. Shelters create spaces of resistance and counter-hegemonic action, meaning they challenge dominant policies and stories. They defend and promote migrants’ human rights and strengthen their agency as full participants in society. The thesis argues that this activism helps build a counter-hegemonic human rights model, turning human rights from abstract principles often violated by a repressive state into practical, empowering tools used by those affected.
[This abstract was generated with the help of AI]
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