Prisoners of Freedom Human Rights and the African Poor By: Harri Englund Publisher: University of California Press Print ISBN: 9780520249240, 0520249240 eText ISBN: 9780520940093, 0520940091 Edition: 1st Pages: 260 Copyright year: 2006 Format: PDF Available from $ 34.95 USD SKU: 9780520940093 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. Additional ISBNs 9780520249233, 0520249232 SKU: 9780520249240 Download now: https://ebookscoffee.sellpass.io/products/Prisoners-of-Freedom
