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Human Rights in Processes of Democratisation*

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  05 February 2009

Manuel Antonio Garreton M.
Manuel Antonio Garreton M.
Affiliation:
Professor and Senior Researcher at FLACSO, Chile.
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Extract

This paper will explore the problématique of human rights in processes of political democratisation, specifically in the case of transitions from military to democratic regimes, and mostly in the Southern Cone of Latin America. It is, therefore, a historically-bounded analysis, rather than a more general enquiry into issues of human rights in the contemporary era. The construction of a general theory cannot be undertaken without consideration of the diversity of human rights experiences; democratisation in these countries is but one such experience.

Type
Commentary
Information
Journal of Latin American Studies , Volume 26 , Issue 1 , February 1994 , pp. 221 - 234
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 1994

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References

1. For a conceptualisation of this point, see ‘En torno a la problemática actual de los derechos humanos: Derechos humanos y crisis social’, Estudios, No. 1, Vicaría de la Solidaridad, Santiago, May 1978.

2. I have written on this issue in several places. See for example. ‘La democratización política en América Latina y la crisis de paradigmas’, Leviatán, vol. 43/44 (Spring–Summer 1991).

3. The concept of authoritarian enclave has been developed in ‘La posibilidad democrática en Chile’, FLACSO, 1989.

4. Concertación de partidos por la Democracia, ‘Programa de Gobierno’, Santiago, 1989.

5. For a discussion of this subject see Gallo, J. A. Viera and Sánchez, D., ‘Reconciliatión y violatión a los derechos humanos’, Estudios Sociahs no. 56 (1988)Google Scholar. Important use of this term can be found in the Bishops' documents and in the Rettig Commission report (below, n. 9).

6. This issue is explicitly discussed in the Programa de Gobierno de la Concertación de Partidos por la Democracia (above, n. 4).

7. This debate is documented in volume III, by Bravo, Germán, of the ‘Informe del proyecto Evolutión de demandas y polfticas sociales en un contexto de democratizatión’ (FLASCO, Santiago, 1992)Google Scholar, research directed by the author at FLACSO.

8. This point is developed in my article ‘La redemocratización política en Chile. Transitión, inauguratión y evolutión’, Estudios Públicos, no. 42.

9. ‘Informe de la Comisión Nacional de Verdad y Reconciliatión’, Secretaría de Comunicación y Cultura, Secretariá General de Gobierno, Santiago, February, 1991. 3 vols. The proposal for a response from the country to the Report was made in the President's presentation speech on 4 March 1991.

10. Garretón, M. A., Lagos, M. and Méndez, R., ‘Orientaciones y evaluaciones de la democracia en la sociedad chilena, 1991–1992’, Participa (Santiago, 1992)Google Scholar. The figures for 1992 are in the Press Report (Informe de Prensa) by the same authors in 1992.

11. These data were collected in a survey carried out by the author together with T. Moulian and I. Agurto, as part of the project ‘Evolution de demandas y políticas sociales en un contexto de democratizatión’ and can be found in volumes VI and VII of the final report of this project.

12. On human rights organisations see H. Fruhling and Patricio Orellana, ‘Organizaciones no gubernamentales de Derechos humanos bajo régimenes autoritarios y en la transitión democrática. El caso chileno desde una perspectiva comparada’, in Fruhling, H. (ed.), Derechos Humanosy democracia (IIDH, Santiago, 1991)Google Scholar. This discussion is also documented in volume III of the project ‘Evolución…’ (above, n. 11), in that there is supporting data from the study of focus groups used in this project and reported on in volume V.

13. ECLAC, ‘Equidad y transformatión productiva. Un enfoque integrado’ (UN, Santiago), 1992.

14. Touraine, A., Critique de la modernité (Fayard, 1992)Google Scholar; Garretón, M. A., ‘América Latina: Cultuta y sociedad en el fin de siglo’, Tablero (Bogotá, 08, 1992)Google Scholar.

15. See the discussion in Humanos, Comisión Chilena de Derechos, Derechos Humanos: Desafíos para un nuevo contexto, Aylwin, José, editor (Santiago, 1992)Google Scholar.

16. I have argued this point in ‘Nuevos derechos o viejas discriminaciones’, in Comisión Chilena de Derechos Humanos (above, n. 15).