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7 - Civil Society Mobilization against Equal Citizenship in Latin America

from Part II - Civil Society, Social Media, and Political Messaging

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  01 May 2025

By
Lindsay Mayka
Edited by
Valerie J. Bunce ,
Thomas B. Pepinsky ,
Rachel Beatty Riedl  and
Kenneth M. Roberts
Valerie J. Bunce
Affiliation:
Cornell University, New York
Thomas B. Pepinsky
Affiliation:
Cornell University, New York
Rachel Beatty Riedl
Affiliation:
Cornell University, New York
Kenneth M. Roberts
Affiliation:
Cornell University, New York
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Summary

This chapter explores how civil society mobilization in Latin America can undercut a core component of liberal democracy: the experience of universal citizenship rights backed by rule of law. It examines civil society activism around two issue areas: opposition to inclusion on the lines of gender identity and sexuality, and support for militarized approaches to policing. Right-wing civil society groups repurpose rights ideas that are typically associated with the left to contract the citizenship rights of marginalized groups that they depict as existential threats to society, including poor and racialized adolescents, people experiencing homelessness, and sexual minorities. In the process, right-wing groups construct discourses about which kinds of individuals have the rights of citizenship, and which kinds of individuals imperil the rights of truly deserving citizens. The discursive foundations laid by civil society provide rich terrain for illiberal politicians to build on and mobilize political support.

Keywords

Citizenshipright-wing movementshuman rightspolicingLGBTQ+ rightsrule of law
Type
Chapter
Information
Global Challenges to Democracy
Comparative Perspectives on Backsliding, Autocracy, and Resilience
 , pp. 143 - 158
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 2025

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