Human Rights Cities: Local Governance or a Way of Life? - A study of the historical conception of human rights cities and their progressive potential in promoting a more inclusive and participatory human rights paradigm today

Abstract: In a time where political populism and critiques against the international human rights paradigm has resulted in a global backlash against global governance systems, including human rights, the thesis sets out to explore the notion of human rights cities as a prospective mean to confront contemporary social challenges related to social inclusion and participation. The thesis relies on an emerging human rights-oriented sociological framework, emphasising a critical tradition, which view human rights as relevant for the study of welfare policies and management. The thesis makes distinctions between notions of human rights cities as a way of life and human rights cities as governance through a critical analysis of grey literature, secondary case study reviews, expert interviews and reflections from participation in meetings and conferences. Structured as a historical analysis, focusing on new actors and their appropriation of the human rights concept, the thesis ends up identifying a shift in the foundational mechanisms behind the human rights city from initially relying on human rights learning and education towards an increased emphasis on a human rights-based approach to local governance.