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Browsing by Subject "http://www.yso.fi/onto/yso/p2402"

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  • Indigenous Empowerment and the Localized Educational Plan in Oaxaca : Indigenous Grassroots’ Views in Conflict with the State in Southwestern Mexico 
    Mononen-Matias, Meri (2023)
    I study the conflict between the state and the social movement in Oaxaca, Mexico since 2006. The recent phase is the resistance to the national educational reform. My research question is: what are the main issues to advance and views of the Indigenous teachers and citizens on the grassroot level in the Oaxacan social movement and in its conflict with the Mexican state? My method is an Indigenous collaborative method, which is holistic and relational and includes dialogue. My research results consist of three thematic findings. I conducted semi-structured collaborative ethnographic interviews in 2013 and 2016 with fourteen people, 8 men and 6 women, 9 of whom were teachers, all from one of the following Indigenous cultures: Zapotec, Mazatec, Mixe, Afro Mexican and Mixtec. Within the Indigenous discourse emphasis is on the non-fragmented, holistic nature, the metaphysical and pragmatic, language, place, values, and relationships. Indigenous pedagogies are intergenerational, relational and land based. Schools should offer differentiated educational plans in the bioregions and should care for the interdependence between language, culture, and territory, and consider multispecies thinking. The first thematic finding was that the Oaxacan teachers have the special knowledge needed: concerning environmental issues, Indigenous epistemology, pedagogies, and learning systems, all in the Sección 22 proposed land-based PTEO -educational reform plan. The second important theme was the cultural changes in Oaxaca connected to the Guelaguetza Popular making it an Indigenous celebration and the Indigenous women’s empowerment in the context of taking over the Canal 9 TV station. The third finding is that the teachers and other actors in the social movement have a strong social commitment, which is the optimal goal for a teacher to have. But there cannot be reciprocal cooperation if the governments of Oaxaca and Mexico do not start respecting the national and international law, especially concerning the human rights.
  • It's the Economy Stupid! : The Failure of the European Union’s Human Rights Dialogue with China 1995-2004 and the Economic Causes Behind It 
    Vuorensola, Ville (2020)
    This thesis presents and analyses the effectiveness of the EU-China human rights dialogue between 1995 and 2004. The thesis has three research questions. 1) What were the objectives of the European Union for the dialogue? 2) Using the objectives identified in question 1, was the dialogue effective, i.e. were there concrete developments on the ground concerning the human rights situation in China? 3) What were the economic reasons behind the failure of the human rights dialogue? The research is conducted using ordinary qualitative techniques of historical inquiry, mainly source criticism and critical examination of the source material. Source pluralism is also used by using documents and source material from many different sources. The thesis begins with a short introduction to the history and importance of human rights in the context of the Western World and especially the EU. The first research question is addressed by using documents of the European Commission and the Council of the European Union. Consequently, eight “special areas” or benchmarks that the EU identified for its own assessment of the dialogue are presented. The situation on the ground is analysed by using material from three different sources. First, annual human rights reports written by two Western NGOs, Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch. Second, for the point of view of the Chinese state, Chinese governmental White Papers on human rights are used. Third, the viewpoint of the EU is assessed by using a partially declassified Council assessment report on the dialogue from 2004. The final research question focuses on the growth of the Chinese economy and the trade between China and EU Member States in the years 1995 to 2004. This is done by using data from the World Bank Group, the International Monetary Fund and Eurostat. To showcase the growing trade between EU Member States and China, two specific products, “saddles for cycles” and “microwave ovens” are analysed. Moreover, imports from Japan, the main regional rival for China, are used as a point of comparison. The thesis concludes, on the basis of the reports of Western NGOs and the EU, that by 2004 the dialogue had not achieved desired progress on the “special areas” set by the EU, i.e. the dialogue was a failure. The Chinese viewpoint, however, presents China as a champion of human rights. Economic reasons were the major cause behind the failure. Individual EU Member States did not want to endanger their economic ties with China due to human rights concerns. Between 1995 and 2004, the growth of the Chinese economy was phenomenal, especially compared to other major global economies at the time. At the same time China became one of the main trade partners for EU Member States. This was especially true in the case of goods imported to the EU from China.

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