General introduction: Urban politics of human rights

Abstract

Human rights and the urban – two concepts that both seem to quiver with hope, promise and potential. Songs, selfies and cinematography praising city life conjure images of growth, freedom and emancipation. The slums behind the shiny facades, the people begging next to high rise banks, the divergent life-worlds and opportunities of children in a single city. The different contributions highlight the involvement of a myriad of actors who use human rights, for instance, to respond to urbanisation processes. At the same time, this volume is mindful of critics who argue, for instance, that human rights city initiatives may preserve the state-centric human rights framework, by emphasising local ‘state actors’ and by only indirectly recognising the role of other local actors, such as community-based groups and social movements. The urban condition is often argued to define future life on the planet.