What We Are to ‘Marginalized Groups’: Advocacy CSOs’ Constructions of Their Legitimacy in Jharkhand, India

This study explores the way Indian civil society organizations (CSOs) in the state of Jharkhand that work from rights-based approaches construct the legitimacy of their advocacy roles regarding marginalized groups. Finding that they typically do so from a stance of solidarity, the article shows that solidarity in this context supports access to rights and entitlements, but can be delimited in terms of its emancipatory quality. The article identifies these limits, discussing the position of superiority that is often taken, the limited engagement with constituency perspectives and leadership that can be found, and a negotiated positioning that seeks to harmonize organizational, constituency and state interests. The implication is that CSOs’ solidarity through rights-based approaches needs close examination rather than flat-out embracement as the mainstay of legitimate CSO advocacy.