ABSTRACT
Indigenous peoples, Roma, people of African descent and Dalits have all used transnational social mobilisation to pursue norm entrepreneurship for group-specific rights. In doing so, they have departed from the mainstream international minority rights protection system. The experiences of these groups point to a clear pattern of norm entrepreneurship that is different to that pursued by other minorities and that is also distinguishable in some important ways from norm entrepreneurship by other non-state actors. This chapter will situate the case studies in the wider analytical frameworks of norm entrepreneurship and transnational social mobilisation, such as framing, political opportunity structures and organisational platforms. The processes of norm emergence and norm adherence will be introduced. The landscape of the international minority rights protection system will be evaluated, with a view to highlighting its normative and practical weaknesses and the limitations of the minority identity frame. Historical trends in transnational social mobilisation by minority groups will be presented. The chapter will also provide an overview of the important event of the 2001 World Conference Against Racism, which impacted significantly on each group.
