Draws on theories and methods from the social sciences to develop a framework for the systematic study of human rights problems. This book includes: an outline of the scope of human rights; the factors that have an impact on human rights; and a summary of the social science theories. It is useful for scholars and practitioners of this area.

Human Rights is an introductory text that is both innovative and challenging. Its unique interdisciplinary approach invites students to think imaginatively and rigorously about one of the most important and influential political concepts of our time. Tracing the history of the concept, the book shows that there are fundamental tensions between legal, philosophical and social-scientific approaches to human rights. This analysis throws light on some of the most controversial issues in the field: Is the idea of the universality of human rights consistent with respect for cultural difference? Are there collective human rights? What are the underlying causes of human-rights violations? And why do some countries have much worse human-rights records than others? The third edition has been substantially revised and updated to take account of recent developments, including the ‘Arab Spring’, the civil war in Syria, the refugee crisis, ISIS and international terrorism, and climate change politics. Widely admired and assigned for its clarity and comprehensiveness, this book remains a ‘go-to’ text for students in the social sciences, as well as students of human-rights law who want an introduction to the non-legal aspects of their subject.

Imaginary and real strangers : constructing and reconstructing the human in human rights discourse and instruments / Mickaella Perina -- Rise of the global human rights regime : challenging power with humanity / Darren Kew, Malcolm Russell-Einhorn, and Adriana Rincon Villegas -- Between nothingness and infinity : settlement and anti-blackness as the overdetermination of human rights / Andrés Fabian Henao-Castro -- Human rights, Latin America, and left internationalism during the Cold War / Steve Striffler -- Women, gender, and human rights : the convention on the elimination of all forms of discrimination against women / Nada Mustafa Ali -- The US-Mexico border and human rights / Luis Jimenez -- Unintended consequences in the postcolonies : struggling South Africans experiencing rights discourse as disempowering / Sindiso Mnisi Weeks -- The mysterious disappearance of human rights in the 2030 development agenda / Gillian Macnaughton -- Addressing General Recommendation No. 35 from an intersectional perspective on violence, gender and disability in Mexico / Ana Maria Sanchez Rodríguez -- Global lgbtq politics and human rights / Jamie Hagen -- Refugee camps and the (educational) rights of the child / Rajini Srikanth -- Persistent voices : a history of indigenous people and human rights in Australia, 1950s-2000s / Maria John -- So you want to work in human rights? / Jean-Philippe Belleau -- Migrant workers in the Gulf : theoretical and human rights dilemmas / Amani El Jack -- Ethical reckoning : theorizing gender, vulnerability and agency in Bangladesh Muktijuddho film / Elora Halim Chowdhury -- Right now in no place with strangers : Eudora Welty's queer love / Avak Hasratian -- On the human right to peace in times of contemporary colonial power / Adriana Rincon -- Beyond dignity : a case study of the mis/use of human rights discourse in development campaigns / Chris Bobel -- Teaching health and human rights in a psychology capstone : cultivating connections between rights, personal wellness and social justice / Ester Shapiro, Fernando Andino Valdez, Yasmin Bailey, Grace Furtado, Diana Lamothe, Kosar Mohammad, Mardia Pierre and Nick Wood

Drawing on social-legal, cultural and media theory, this book is one of the first to examine the media politics of human rights. It examines how the media construct the story of human rights, investigating what lies behind the apparent media hostility to human rights and what has become of the original ambition to establish a human rights culture. The human rights regime has been high on the political agenda ever since the Human Rights Act 1998 was enacted. Often maligned in sections of the press, the legislation has entered popular folklore as shorthand for an overbearing government, an overzealous judiciary and exploitative claimants. This book examines a range of significant factors in the mediation of human rights, including: Euroscepticism, the war on terror, the digital reordering of the media landscape, , press concerns about an emerging privacy law and civil liberties. Mediating Human Rights is a timely exploration of the relationship between law, politics and media. It will be of immense interest to those studying and researching across Law, Media Studies, Human Rights, and Politics.

The history of human rights suggests that individuals should be empowered in their natural, political, political, social and economic vulnerabilities. States within the international arena hold each other responsible for doing just that and support or interfere where necessary. States are to protect these essential human vulnerabilities, even when this is not a matter of self-interest. This function of human rights is recognized in contexts of intervention, genocide, humanitarian aid and development. This book develops the idea of environmental obligations as long-term responsibilities in the context of human rights. It proposes that human rights require recognition that, in the face of unsustainable conduct, future human persons are exposed and vulnerable. It explores the obstacles for long-term responsibilities that human rights law provides at the level of international and national law and challenges the question of whether lifestyle restrictions are enforceable in view of liberties and levels of wellbeing typically seen as protected by human rights. The book will be of interest to postgraduates studying Human Rights, Sustainability, Law and Philosophy.

This book presents the findings of the first comprehensive study on the most recent and most unique and innovative method of monitoring international human rights law at the United Nations. Since its existence, there has yet to be a complete and comprehensive book solely dedicated to exploring the Universal Periodic Review (UPR) process. Women and International Human Rights Law provides a much-needed insight to what the process is, how it operates in practice, and whether it meets its fundamental aim of promoting the universality of all human rights. The book addresses the topics with regard to international human rights law and will be of interest to researchers, academics, and students interested in the monitoring and implementation of international human rights law at the United Nations. In addition, it will form supplementary reading for those students studying international human rights law on undergraduate programmes and will also appeal to academics and students with interests in political sciences and international relations.

All institutions have human rights responsibilities. Some have been set up with this function and others have had human rights principles thrust upon them. This book explores how different institutions, from state entities, national human rights commissions and the judiciary, to the United Nations agencies and international courts, have engaged in human rights protection. There is analysis of their evolution in this role and the methods that they use. Northern Ireland and Bosnia & Herzegovina are illustrative of what can happen to human rights when societies are in conflict. Other chapters consider the development of international criminal law, the trouble with treaties, and the increasing pressure on corporations to demonstrate social responsibility. There is plenty of evidence that human rights protection is as important as ever and this book looks at what is required to achieve this effectively. The British Institute of Human Rights aims to further the protection of human rights through education and research. It is a charity based at King's College London.