Toward the "rights of the poor" - Human rights in liberation theology

In this article, the author traces the response of liberation theologians t o human rights initiatives through three distinct stages over the past thir ty years: from an initial avoidance of the concept, to an early critique, a nd then to a nuanced theological appropriation. He contends that liberation theology brings a thoroughgoing concern for the poor and an innovative met hodology of historicization to the discussion of human rights. In clarifyin g the treatment of human rights within a specific religious movement, the a uthor also addresses larger questions about the specific role of human righ ts language. To this end, the article shows how liberation theologians have grappled concretely with the divisions among different "generations" of ri ghts, various rights discourses, and diverse options for rights advocacy.