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Governing (through) rights: statistics as technologies of governmentality

journal contribution
posted on 2023-06-09, 04:00 authored by Bal Sokhi-BulleyBal Sokhi-Bulley
An increasing amount of attention is being given to the use of human rights measurement indicators in monitoring ‘progress’ in rights and there is consequently a growing focus on statistics and information. This article concentrates on the use of statistics in rights discourse, with reference to the new human rights institution for the European Union: the Fundamental Rights Agency. The article has two main objectives: first, to show that statistics operate as technologies of governmentality – by explaining that statistics both govern rights and govern through rights. Second, the article discusses the implications that this has for rights discourse – rights become a discourse of governmentality, that is a normalizing and regulating discourse. In doing so, the article stresses the importance of critique and questioning new socio-legal methodologies, which involve the collection and dissemination of information and data (statistics), in rights discourse.

History

Publication status

  • Published

Journal

Social & Legal Studies

ISSN

0964-6639

Publisher

SAGE Publications

Issue

2

Volume

20

Page range

139-156

Department affiliated with

  • Law Publications

Full text available

  • No

Peer reviewed?

  • Yes

Legacy Posted Date

2016-11-14

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