*Originally recorded November 2, 2017*
Dr. Dominque Clément
Associate Professor, Department of Sociology
University of Alberta

Abstract: Clément debates a paradox in politics, law and social practice: Whereas human rights has become an effective strategy for framing grievances, the increasing appropriation of rights-talk to frame any and all grievances is undermining attempts to successfully address systemic social problems. Clément argue that issues such as poverty should be framed as social justice rather than human rights. In an attempt to further develop a sociology of human rights, he explores how framing a grievance as a human right shapes the way people understand both the problem and the solution, and the limits to framing social problems as rights violations. Canadians, in particular, typify a broader global experience of increasingly asserting rights-claims in everyday life, from the environment to bullying at school.