The doctoral dissertation examines the process of constructing a community in a vulnerable
situation as a subject of international relations within the context of international human rights
protection. This construction unfolds through the inclusion of such communities and their
representatives in the issue-area of international human rights protection. The dissertation aims
to show how the youth’s inclusion in human rights co-operation programmes and recognition
of their vulnerability by international organizations contribute to their transformation into
internationally recognised subjects. The dissertation focuses on the role of power mechanisms
and knowledge production. The methodological approach is based on the critical
poststructuralist thought, operationalised through a combination of critical(political) conceptual,
archaeological and genealogical tools. The critical (political) conceptual method enables the
identification of grey areas in the study of human rights, the archaeological analysis of discourse
examines the construction of unambiguous assumptions about the subject of international
relations. Meanwhile, through genealogical analysis, these »truths« are problematized and their
entanglement with power structures in both the past and present of international relations is
revealed. The dissertation thus offers an in-depth insight into the process of construction of
youth as political actors, which takes place through discourses and practices in the field of
international human rights protection. Key findings show that the inclusion of vulnerable
communities in this field is not a mere formality, but a historically grounded process. In this
process, youth have been shaped into international subjects with a distinct identity and agency.
This transformation also reflects broader political and economic interests of powerful actors,
raising questions about the true autonomy of vulnerable communities in international relations.
By highlighting the role of technologies of power and knowledge production in the process of
subject formation, this dissertation contributes to a deeper understanding of how such
communities are constructed as subjects of international relations and underscores the need for
critical reflection on current approaches.
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