Mobility, empowerment and the rights revolution1

Abstract

For many years, Leftists have been sceptical of the emancipatory potential of rights, arguing that their individualism and liberal grounding are, if anything, counter-progressive. More recently, this argument has been criticized by a number of progressive authors, who point to the potential of rights as mobilizers and subversive weapons. I explore the relevance of this debate in relation to mobility rights, arguing that rights can indeed be empowering, yet—drawing on the Canadian experience—can also be either irrelevant for many social movements, or even antithetical to their aims. The difference, I suggest, lies in the social location within which rights are put to work: rights discourse can be empowering in community settings, whilst judicial arenas can prove unfriendly.