Human rights policies, neoliberal discourse, and the neutralization of human rights issues in Canadian harassment and discrimination policies

article

2010

International Journal of Diversity in Organisations, Communities & Nations

10

1

409

418

This paper contemplates changes in the content of harassment and discrimination policies at Canadian universities. I argue that changes in discourse surrounding harassment and discrimination issues within institutions are more than simple adjustments to changes in case law: these changes represent a potentially problematic backgrounding of human rights issues within institutions that is fuelled by the neoliberal social and political context in which policies are developed. The changes represent a re-inscription of hegemonic discourses on anti-harassment issues because they downplay the demands of marginalized groups based on their historical oppression in favour of reprivatized and neutralized approaches to issues of ‘personal security’ and ‘respectful workplaces’. These changes are influenced by a social context that favours individual responsibility and the rejection of demands of so-called ‘special interest groups’. I argue that this represents an example of the effect of the neo- liberal turn in the Canadian social and political context. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&AuthType=ip,sso&db=s...

10.18848/1447-9532/CGP/v10i01/39825

1447-9532

final article published

Human Rights
Canada
Neoliberalism
Organisational Policy
Discrimination

English

Common Ground Research Networks

Peer reviewed

http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC-EDU/1.0/
©2010. International Journal of Diversity in Organisations, Communities & Nations. Common Ground Research Networks.