Human rights discourse and the development of democracy in a multi-ethnic state

Abstract

This study examines the effects of the global discourse of democracy and human rights, and specifically the western emphasis on individual civil and political rights, on the multi-ethnic movement in opposition to the military regime in Burma (Myanmar). The impact of rights discourse on refugees and ethnic minorities from Burma is detailed within the context of changes in international refugee policy and the development of Burmese opposition media. The study demonstrates how narrow interpretations of human rights can act to reinforce stereotypes that create or reify inequalities among the various groups in a multi-party coalition or multi-ethnic state, and calls on political communication researchers and practitioners to attend to the varying and highly contextualized effects of such discourses on marginalized peoples whose perspectives are not normally represented in media.