| Prisoners of Freedom: Human Rights and the African Poor Volume 14 Contributor(s): Englund, Harri (Author) |
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ISBN: 0520249240 ISBN-13: 9780520249240 Publisher: University of California Press OUR PRICE: $34.60 Product Type: Paperback - Other Formats Published: September 2006 Annotation: "This is an exceptionally interesting and well researched book on a topic of enormous importance. It brings careful ethnographic fieldwork to bear on the new 'culture of rights' that has developed in democratized post-colonial African states such as Malawi, and by doing so develops a powerful and consequential critique."--James Ferguson, Stanford University "In this exceptionally rich and thought-provoking study of human rights fundamentalism in Malawi, Harri Englund makes an original contribution to debates on democracy, freedom, civil society, and poverty in Africa. His vivid ethnographic prose brings to life Malawian human rights activists, their expatriate benefactors as well as the urban and rural poor. This is a major contribution on a major topic."--Francis B. Nyamnjoh, Council for the Development of Social Science Research in Africa |
| Additional Information |
| BISAC Categories: - Political Science | Political Process - Political Advocacy - Political Science | Human Rights - Political Science | International Relations - Diplomacy |
| Dewey: 323.096 |
| LCCN: 2005032837 |
| Series: California Series in Public Anthropology (Paperback) |
| Physical Information: 0.63" H x 6.02" W x 8.94" (0.80 lbs) 260 pages |
| Themes: - Cultural Region - African |
| Descriptions, Reviews, Etc. |
| Publisher Description: In this vivid ethnography, Harri Englund investigates how ideas of freedom impede struggles against poverty and injustice in emerging democracies. Reaching beyond a narrow focus on the national elite, Prisoners of Freedom shows how foreign aid and human rights activism hamper the pursuit of democratic citizenship in Africa. The book explores how activists' aspirations of self-improvement, pursued under harsh economic conditions, find in the human rights discourse a new means to distinguish oneself from the poor masses. Among expatriates, the emphasis on abstract human rights avoids confrontations with the political and business elites. Drawing on long-term research among the Malawian poor, Englund brings to life the personal circumstances of Malawian human rights activists, their expatriate benefactors, and the urban and rural poor as he develops a fresh perspective on freedom-one that recognizes the significance of debt, obligation, and civil virtues. |