Struggles for the Human

“Lara Montesinos Coleman’s arresting and beautiful ethnography of Colombian resistance movements doubles as an informed and sophisticated critical intervention into the controversy about the meanings of human rights in an age of neoliberalism. Bypassing the politics of struggle, the book proves, is a mistake for anyone rushing to bury—or praise—human rights today.” - Samuel Moyn, Yale University

“In Struggles for the Human, Lara Montesinos Coleman brings together a blistering critique of mainstream human rights practices and a nuanced account of neoliberalism with a defense of the continued use of human rights by radical social movements. Coleman shows how human rights retain a disruptive potential and can contribute to the dismantling of capitalist structures of impunity. Breaking new ground in our thinking about rights, capitalist power, and emancipation, this is an indispensable book for all those interested in the politics of human rights, radical social movements, and political philosophy.” - Jessica Whyte, author of The Morals of the Market: Human Rights and the Rise of Neoliberalism

"Part philosophy and part political analysis, this interdisciplinary study explores critical legal studies, intellectual history, and international political economy to provide an eloquent, if at times complex, argument in favour of valorising human rights in a new way." - Gavin O'Toole, Latin American Review of Books

"Coleman does the seemingly impossible: She has written a book that not only presents an astute critique of human rights, but also offers a fresh look at the potential of human rights. . . . Against the background of imperial wars, Coleman urgently reminds us that this collectivity is key. Overall, then, Struggles for the Human is a magnificent, and much-needed, reminder of collective struggles and radical hope." - Christine Schwöbel-Patel, Critical Legal Thinking

"In many ways, this book is a challenging read—for all the right reasons. It is a powerful critique of capitalist engagement with human rights. . . . Anyone interested in human rights and their position in the modern world would be well served by reading this book and engaging with the issues raised."
  - Mark Hurst, International Review of Social History

“This book needs to be read by every human rights student, by every human rights scholar, by every political theorist… every anthropologist, every sociologist. Whomever cares about the politics of rights, human rights, radical political movements and their vexed relation to legality and the discourse of rights must get their hands on this book as soon as possible.” - Ayça Çubukçu, author of For the Love of Humanity: the World Tribunal on Iraq

"[T]he book does everything you would hope for a good critical account of colonial capitalist modes of doing human rights. It grasps the ways in which rights are coextensive with the emergence of capitalism, it shows us the ways that capital can co-opt and deploy rights-talk to drive violence and expropriation, it explores the histories of how rights were deployed internationally to destroy national liberation movements. But it also gives us a vision – a radical hope – of how movements can deploy rights to go challenge capitalist coloniality." - Illan rua Wall, author of Human Rights and Constituent Power