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Re-Establishing Agency in the Narrative of International Norm Diffusion Theories: Bringing in the Local in the Exploration of Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights in the Philippines

par Dy, Catherine
Président du jury Frangville, Vanessa
Promoteur Nahavandy, Firouzeh ;Marchetti, Raffaele
Publication Non publié, 2017-04-28

Thèse de doctorat

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Résumé :

This research critically unpacks existing international norm diffusion and domestication theories and amends them, focusing on resistance, agency, and the pivotal role of domestic agents. It argues that domestic agency is marginalized by current theories of international norm diffusion and that current models place undue emphasis on the power of ‘critical States’, which are invariably Western. It is implied, though often explicitly stated, that international norms are created in and spread by Western States. This research argues that while this may be the case, the application of the same limited models create such a situation which hinders instead of helps the understanding of norm diffusion. Arguing that domestic agency is marginalized by current theories of international norm diffusion, this study investigated the SRHR norm in the Philippines as a case study to examine the limitations of current models and the benefits of introducing a local agency approach. This research is divided into two sections: the national and the sub-national, to provide a broad-lens perspective on the specific case of Sexual Health and Reproductive Rights (SRHR) in the Philippines using the framework of norm diffusion. Empiric research was conducted on two levels of analysis: first, a Critical Discourse Analysis (CDA) of the national-level Congressional deliberations and debates on SRHR from the period of the 8th Congress to the 15th Congress; and second, a micro-comparative analysis of three selected municipalities, namely Manila, Cebu, and Davao, involving a case-study based process-tracing methodology of the local diffusion of the SRHR norm(s).The theoretical critique and empirical case study proved that there are indeed limitations present within current diffusion conventions and furthermore, that local agency is a powerful and understudied tool in norm diffusion.