Right Against Rights

Understanding the Rise of Anti-Rights Movements in Latin America

RagR explores the growth of right-wing movements that challenge democratic norms and threaten human rights in the region. With an interdisciplinary lens, the project investigates the ideologies and dynamics behind these trends to inform strategies for protecting democratic resilience and civil liberties.
What Drives This Project

Our Approach to Understanding Disorder

The Right Against Rights project investigates the global backlash against hard-won rights for marginalized communities—including women, BIPOC groups, LGBT+ individuals, immigrants, and victims of historical injustices. As these groups have achieved legal recognition and protection, right-wing actors have mobilized to undermine these gains, threatening democratic institutions and social stability. Our project explores how these “right-against-rights” movements create disorder, deepen polarization, and escalate violence, especially across Latin America. We aim to generate knowledge and strategies to counteract these threats and help protect inclusive democratic progress.
Our Approach to Understanding Disorder

Crossing disciplines and borders to understand global disorder

We take an interdisciplinary, cross-regional approach to understand the rise and impact of right-against-rights movements. By combining history, law, sociology, gender, and area studies, we move beyond narrow, Global North views to uncover the complex roots of democratic erosion. Our collaborations generate insights and strategies to counter these threats.
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A Cross-Disciplinary Lens

We integrate history, law, sociology, gender, and area studies to understand how anti-rights movements emerge and take hold.
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Beyond Traditional Frameworks

Our approach challenges narrow, Global North political models by bridging the social sciences and humanities.
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Research for Action

We work with scholars, institutions, and communities to generate insights and tools that help protect democratic systems.

Publications

Key Publications and Research Outputs

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The Right Against Rights
ESRC Policy – Reducing Extremists’ Threats to Democracy in Latin America: Chile Pilot Project
Report sets foundation for research and policies against hate speech, using AI + expert coding for accurate, adaptable, and resilient democratic tools.
The Right Against Rights
Fifty Years of Human Rights in Chile
This chapter examines Chilean right-wing movements that undermine rights and democracy, using framejacking, violence, and social media, and stresses addressing their root causes.
The Right Against Rights
The Oxford Handbook of Latin American Social Movements
The Oxford Handbook of Latin American Social Movements surveys theories, dynamics, and key movements, offering a comprehensive reference on protest and politics in the region.
The Right Against Rights
Uncivil Movements: The Armed Right Wing and Democracy in Latin America
Leigh Payne shows how armed right-wing groups in Latin America use social movement tactics, threats, and myths to destabilize democracies and expand their political power.
The Right Against Rights
The Right against Rights in Latin America
Anti-rights movements in Latin America are rising, blocking gender, peace, and justice advances. A new wave, unlike past ones, demands urgent study for its power and global impact.
Where Accountability Takes Root

A Latin American lens on a global phenomenon

While the right-against-rights backlash is global, our core research focuses on Latin America—a region where recent rights gains have been both profound and precarious. Countries across the continent have seen sharp polarization and conflict linked to anti-rights mobilizations. By focusing on Latin America, we gain insights into how these movements evolve in fragile democracies and what strategies can help sustain inclusive political orders. These findings are applicable to other regions facing similar challenges, making our work both regionally grounded and globally relevant.

The People Behind the Project

A collaborative network of scholars across Latin America

The project is a partnership between leading researchers committed to defending democratic values and rights-based systems. It is conducted in collaboration with:
Universidad del rosario

Dr. Sandra Botero

Colombia
Pontificia universidad catolica de chile

Dr. Simón Escoffier

Chile
universidad nacional de tucuman

Dr. Gabriel Pereira

Argentina
Our team

Meet the Team Behind the Work for Justice

Different researchers, practitioners, and advocates from across the globe have contributed to the research projects, united by a shared commitment to human rights and accountability. With expertise spanning law, sociology, political science, and community engagement, we work collaboratively to support victims, produce impactful research, and drive systemic change.
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© 2026 Leigh A. Payne. All rights reserved.

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