Human Rights Education Review

Human Rights Education in Latin America

Human Rights Education Review invites submissions for a Special Issue on Human Rights Education (HRE) in Latin America. We welcome conceptual and empirical studies and expect this Special Issue to illuminate the specificities of HRE in the region and to contribute to a dialogue within and beyond Latin American countries. Our aspiration is to enhance human rights education research globally through such dialogue.

An overarching goal of human rights education is to enable a culture of human rights and support freedom, justice and peace in the world (United Nations, 1948; preamble) through pedagogies and approaches that meet the needs of diverse learners, and which resonate with the needs and experiences of their communities (Osler, 2016).

The Guest Editors of this Special Issue welcome papers that address HRE across all phases of formal education, to include primary, secondary and higher education, and which help identify the curricula spaces in which HRE can occur, such as those within the language curriculum. Moreover, they recognise that HRE takes place in community settings and through engagement in activism and social movements, and therefore they also encourage contributions that examine human rights learning in these contexts.

Latin America, in common with other regions, is frequently characterized by scenarios of poverty and inequality (Lustig, 2020), violence (Briceño-León, 2008), authoritarianism, and corruption (Pastrana Valls, 2019), as well as being impacted severely by climate change (Uribe Botero, 2015). These challenges create significant obstacles to the realization of greater equality and the consolidation of democracy, key elements in building societies that respect and promote human rights. However, Latin America can be considered a beacon of hope for democratic alternatives displayed in a range of vibrant social movements, progressive governments, new forms of participatory politics, and innovative responses to social challenges. This sociopolitical dynamic echoes the development of theoretical frameworks such as critical pedagogy, decolonization, emancipatory education, and intercultural education (Freire, 2002 [1970]; Walsh, 2010), which may illuminate local, regional and international thinking in the field of education for rights and greater societal justice.

Human rights education is a tool that can make a significant contribution in tackling societal challenges. Each society must necessarily address its specific history in responding to the HRE imperative. Thus, veteran Chilean human rights educator, Abraham Magendzo (2011), writes powerfully of how his personal and professional journey was shaped by his experiences of growing up Jewish under Pinochet’s military dictatorship and his awareness of concurrent human rights violations in other Latin American countries. These histories have helped shape HRE in the region.

HRE is critical to human development and societal transformation in Latin America but, as in other regions, it still faces relevant challenges and has not yet fulfilled its full potential (Magendzo & Pavéz, 2015). A wider holistic application is needed, so learning becomes a transformative force which empowers youth and develops solidarity, tolerance, and respect for social justice (Lakshminarayanan & Thomas, 2022). For example, creative pedagogies that draw on art and activism (see, for instance, Bittar, 2020 for a case study in Brazil) may support human rights education more widely as would a focus on the knowledge, experiences and rights of indigenous and marginalized populations. The exploration of these dimensions, and others such as the link between HRE and environmental concerns, contributes to providing HRE with a sensitive and historically responsive foundation as historical and other injustices in the region are addressed, as well as supporting an analysis of their ongoing impacts.

Accordingly, the Guest Editors invite contributions that address, but are not limited to, the following subjects:
Human rights education through the curriculum.

• Human rights learning in informal settings
• Analysis of public policies in human rights education: possibilities, challenges and hindrances.
• The conceptualization of human rights and human rights education in the Latin American context, addressing inter alia, decoloniality and interculturalism.
• The intersection of human rights education and environmental protection.
• Human rights education and the rights of indigenous and other marginalized groups.
• History, contextualizing rights and building democracy.
• Peace and human rights education as elements in transitional justice.

This Special Issue aims to illustrate the particularities and commonalities in HRE across the Latin American region, highlighting various lenses and pedagogical strategies in place. It aims to create a space in which human rights educators may reflect on the past, consider the present and imagine a future in which HRE contributes to a more just and peaceful region and planet.