Legal Mobilization and the Potential for Transformative Change Through the South African Judiciary

Description

Human rights advocacy, including the pursuit of justice through strategic, legal mobilization, is a highly political act. Using civil and/or criminal law as a form of ‘politics by other means’ by way of litigation through the courts forces, or otherwise enables, the translation of global human rights norms into a locally relevant context. However, the act of legal mobilization is not boundless in this context; it is heavily conditioned by the ‘structural bias’ of governance institutions, including the South African courts.   Drawing on various, recent efforts to promote social transformation via the South African courts, this paper will critically evaluate the possibilities and challenges of advocating for accountability through legal mobilization.

Period	28 Jan 2015
Event title	30 Years SAJHR Conference: Transformation and the Courts
Event type	Other
Location	School of Law, University of the Witwatersrand, South AfricaShow on map