Human Rights Education in Post-Dictatorship Contexts: A Case Study of Chile

Barbara Santibanez, University of North Carolina

Abstract

The purpose of this vertical case study is to explore and understand from a multi-layered perspective what factors enabled human rights education to develop in Chile since the transition to democracy in 1990. The theoretical framework guiding this research identifies human rights education as a change-oriented and transformative practice, in particular in contexts with a conflicted past such as post-dictatorship societies. Furthermore, critical theory provides the basis to build a research design that seeks to bring forward the voices of practitioners in human rights education.

In terms of research design, this case study was built using qualitative data collection methods such as in-depth interviews, document and archival review, and field notes. Data collected from official documents, archives, and field notes served to situate the experiences of HRE practitioners and experts in the historical and political context. Semi-structured, in-depth interviews provided multi-layered perspectives from practitioners, experts, and public officials whose work is related to this field.

A purposive sample was drawn from the researcher’s professional network in Chile.

As for the main findings, three key interconnected themes appear as fundamental to understand the emergence and development of a human rights education practice in Chile since the transition to democracy:

  1. the generational divergences around the concept of human rights;
  2. a reinvigorated social protest, powered by the younger generations; and
  3. the emergence of a human rights “institutionality” from below and above.

 
Nov 8th, 3:30 PM

Human Rights Education in Post-Dictatorship Contexts: A Case Study of Chile

The purpose of this vertical case study is to explore and understand from a multi-layered perspective what factors enabled human rights education to develop in Chile since the transition to democracy in 1990. The theoretical framework guiding this research identifies human rights education as a change-oriented and transformative practice, in particular in contexts with a conflicted past such as post-dictatorship societies. Furthermore, critical theory provides the basis to build a research design that seeks to bring forward the voices of practitioners in human rights education.

In terms of research design, this case study was built using qualitative data collection methods such as in-depth interviews, document and archival review, and field notes. Data collected from official documents, archives, and field notes served to situate the experiences of HRE practitioners and experts in the historical and political context. Semi-structured, in-depth interviews provided multi-layered perspectives from practitioners, experts, and public officials whose work is related to this field.

A purposive sample was drawn from the researcher’s professional network in Chile.

As for the main findings, three key interconnected themes appear as fundamental to understand the emergence and development of a human rights education practice in Chile since the transition to democracy:

  1. the generational divergences around the concept of human rights;
  2. a reinvigorated social protest, powered by the younger generations; and
  3. the emergence of a human rights “institutionality” from below and above.