Humanrightization of Migration Discourses
A Conceptual Framework
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 12930451 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Susanne Buckley-Zistel (0000-0001-8671-4204, corresponding author), Jürgen Bast (0000-0002-9795-2352), Laura Holderied (0000-0002-0053-530X) |
| Year | 2025 |
| Volume | 18 |
| Issue | 1 |
| Publication date | 2025-12-11 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Journal of Human Rights Practice (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 1757-9619 • E-ISSN: 1757-9627 |
| Publisher | Oxford University Press (OUP) (PUBLISHER) |
| DOI | 10.1093/jhuman/huaf044 |
| OpenAlex | W7130564151 |
| Language | EN |
| References cited | 20 |
This article explores the humanrightization of migration discourses, with particular attention to the concepts of legal (human rights) consciousness, ‘doing human rights’, and speech acts. We argue that over the past three decades, migration issues have increasingly been framed, discussed, and negotiated through the language of human rights. Politically and socially, this is reflected in frequent references to human rights within advocacy, justification, and the struggles of migrants and their allies. Legally, it is evident in courts and legal actors acknowledging human rights claims made by migrants, irrespective of their status. Human rights are also widely invoked in the everyday experiences of migration societies. The article conceptualizes humanrightization as a transformative process by which human rights norms become embedded in legal, political, and social discourses. This shapes the way migration-related conflicts are addressed across contexts. In contrast to earlier patterns of discretionary inclusion or exclusion, this trend marks a significant expansion of human rights frameworks. It reflects a broader development since the 1990s, where human rights have become central to justice, governance, and policymaking. The authors’ framework captures both the promise and the complexity of humanrightization. While it opens possibilities to challenge discriminatory laws, restrictive policies, and exclusionary practices, it does not assume a linear or inevitable progression. Rather, outcomes are shaped by shifting power relations and specific political conditions. By focusing on the humanrightization of migration, this article contributes to a deeper understanding of contemporary human rights practice in societies shaped by migration and transnational interconnection
Conceptual framework · Human rights · Inclusion (mineral · Politics · Power (physics · Process (computing · Transformative learning · Diaspora, migration, transnational identity · Gender and Women's Rights · Migration, Refugees, and Integration
The Populist Challenge to Human Rights
Closing Space for International Democracy and Human Rights Support
Framing the migration
Democratising Migration from the Bottom Up
A global social contract
Assessing the evolution of the Inter-American Court of Human Rights in the protection of migrants’ rights
Where does human rights consciousness come from? Counterinsurgency, traumatisation and political subjectivity in Argentina
The Contribution of the Inter-American Court of Human Rights to the Protection of Irregular Immigrants’ Rights
After Hegemony
Attitudes toward immigrants in European societies
Imaging welcome culture
Variation in policy success
Pushbacks as Technology of Domination
Political elite discourses polarize attitudes toward immigration along ideological lines. A comparative longitudinal analysis of Europe in the twenty-first century
Beyond black and white
Introduction
After Legal Consciousness
Promising victimhood
Politicising immigration in times of crisis
Spectacles of migrant 'illegality
| Citation velocity | historical |
|---|---|
| Highly cited | No |