Author: Joseph R. Slaughter Publisher: Fordham Univ Press ISBN: 0823228193 Category : Literary Criticism Languages : en Pages : 436
Book Description
In this timely study of the historical, ideological, and formal interdependencies of the novel and human rights, Joseph Slaughter demonstrates that the twentieth-century rise of “world literature” and international human rights law are related phenomena. Slaughter argues that international law shares with the modern novel a particular conception of the human individual. The Bildungsroman, the novel of coming of age, fills out this image, offering a conceptual vocabulary, a humanist social vision, and a narrative grammar for what the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and early literary theorists both call “the free and full development of the human personality.” Revising our received understanding of the relationship between law and literature, Slaughter suggests that this narrative form has acted as a cultural surrogate for the weak executive authority of international law, naturalizing the assumptions and conditions that make human rights appear commonsensical. As a kind of novelistic correlative to human rights law, the Bildungsroman has thus been doing some of the sociocultural work of enforcement that the law cannot do for itself. This analysis of the cultural work of law and of the social work of literature challenges traditional Eurocentric histories of both international law and the dissemination of the novel. Taking his point of departure in Goethe’s Wilhelm Meister, Slaughter focuses on recent postcolonial versions of the coming-of-age story to show how the promise of human rights becomes legible in narrative and how the novel and the law are complicit in contemporary projects of globalization: in colonialism, neoimperalism, humanitarianism, and the spread of multinational consumer capitalism. Slaughter raises important practical and ethical questions that we must confront in advocating for human rights and reading world literature—imperatives that, today more than ever, are intertwined.
Author: Joseph R. Slaughter Publisher: ISBN: 9780823291762 Category : LITERARY CRITICISM Languages : en Pages : 436
Book Description
In this timely study of the historical, ideological, and formal interdependencies of the novel and human rights, Joseph Slaughter demonstrates that the twentieth-century rise of "world literature" and international human rights law are related phenomena. Slaughter argues that international law shares with the modern novel a particular conception of the human individual. The Bildungsroman, the novel of coming of age, fills out this image, offering a conceptual vocabulary, a humanist social vision, and a narrative grammar for what the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and early literary theorists both call "the free and full development of the human personality." Revising our received understanding of the relationship between law and literature, Slaughter suggests that this narrative form has acted as a cultural surrogate for the weak executive authority of international law, naturalizing the assumptions and conditions that make human rights appear commonsensical. As a kind of novelistic correlative to human rights law, the Bildungsroman has thus been doing some of the sociocultural work of enforcement that the law cannot do for itself. This analysis of the cultural work of law and of the social work of literature challenges traditional Eurocentric histories of both international law and the dissemination of the novel. Taking his point of departure in Goethe's Wilhelm Meister, Slaughter focuses on recent postcolonial versions of the coming-of-age story to show how the promise of human rights becomes legible in narrative and how the novel and the law are complicit in contemporary projects of globalization: in colonialism, neoimperalism, humanitarianism, and the spread of multinational consumer capitalism. Slaughter raises important practical and ethical questions that we must confront in advocating for human rights and reading world literature--imperatives that, today more than ever, are intertwined.
Author: Lynn Hunt Publisher: W. W. Norton & Company ISBN: 0393069729 Category : Political Science Languages : en Pages : 272
Book Description
“A tour de force.”—Gordon S. Wood, New York Times Book Review How were human rights invented, and how does their tumultuous history influence their perception and our ability to protect them today? From Professor Lynn Hunt comes this extraordinary cultural and intellectual history, which traces the roots of human rights to the rejection of torture as a means for finding the truth. She demonstrates how ideas of human relationships portrayed in novels and art helped spread these new ideals and how human rights continue to be contested today.
Author: Emilie M. Hafner-Burton Publisher: Princeton University Press ISBN: 1400846285 Category : Law Languages : en Pages : 295
Book Description
In the last six decades, one of the most striking developments in international law is the emergence of a massive body of legal norms and procedures aimed at protecting human rights. In many countries, though, there is little relationship between international law and the actual protection of human rights on the ground. Making Human Rights a Reality takes a fresh look at why it's been so hard for international law to have much impact in parts of the world where human rights are most at risk. Emilie Hafner-Burton argues that more progress is possible if human rights promoters work strategically with the group of states that have dedicated resources to human rights protection. These human rights "stewards" can focus their resources on places where the tangible benefits to human rights are greatest. Success will require setting priorities as well as engaging local stakeholders such as nongovernmental organizations and national human rights institutions. To date, promoters of international human rights law have relied too heavily on setting universal goals and procedures and not enough on assessing what actually works and setting priorities. Hafner-Burton illustrates how, with a different strategy, human rights stewards can make international law more effective and also safeguard human rights for more of the world population.
Author: Dorothée Baumann-Pauly Publisher: Routledge ISBN: 1317563921 Category : Law Languages : en Pages : 261
Book Description
In a global economy, multinational companies often operate in jurisdictions where governments are either unable or unwilling to uphold even the basic human rights of their citizens. The expectation that companies respect human rights in their own operations and in their business relationships is now a business reality that corporations need to respond to. Business and Human Rights: From Principles to Practice is the first comprehensive and interdisciplinary textbook that addresses these issues. It examines the regulatory framework that grounds the business and human rights debate and highlights the business and legal challenges faced by companies and stakeholders in improving respect for human rights, exploring such topics as: the regulatory framework that grounds the business and human rights debate, challenges faced by companies and stakeholders in improving human rights, industry-specific human rights standards, current mechanisms to hold corporations to account, future challenges for business and human rights. With supporting case studies throughout, this text provides an overview of current themes in the field and guidance on practical implementation, demonstrating that a thorough understanding of the human rights challenges faced by business is now vital in any business context.
Author: Charles R. Beitz Publisher: Oxford University Press ISBN: 0199604371 Category : Law Languages : en Pages : 250
Book Description
Human rights have become one of the most important moral concepts in global political life over the last 60 years. Charles Beitz, one of the world's leading philosophers, offers a compelling new examination of the idea of a human right.
Author: Akira Iriye Publisher: Oxford University Press ISBN: 0195333144 Category : History Languages : en Pages : 368
Book Description
This volume explores the place of human rights in history, providing an alternative framework for understanding the political and legal dilemmas that these conflicts presented, with case studies focusing on the 1940s through the present.
Author: John Gerard Ruggie Publisher: W. W. Norton & Company ISBN: 0393089762 Category : Business & Economics Languages : en Pages : 305
Book Description
"A true master class in the art of making the impossible possible." —Paul Polman One of the most vexing human rights issues of our time has been how to protect the rights of individuals and communities worldwide in an age of globalization and multinational business. Indeed, from Indonesian sweatshops to oil-based violence in Nigeria, the challenges of regulating harmful corporate practices in some of the world’s most difficult regions long seemed insurmountable. Human rights groups and businesses were locked in a stalemate, unable to find common ground. In 2005, the United Nations appointed John Gerard Ruggie to the modest task of clarifying the main issues. Six years later, he had accomplished much more than that. Ruggie had developed his now-famous "Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights," which provided a road map for ensuring responsible global corporate practices. The principles were unanimously endorsed by the UN and embraced and implemented by other international bodies, businesses, governments, workers’ organizations, and human rights groups, keying a revolution in corporate social responsibility. Just Business tells the powerful story of how these landmark “Ruggie Rules” came to exist. Ruggie demonstrates how, to solve a seemingly unsolvable problem, he had to abandon many widespread and long-held understandings about the relationships between businesses, governments, rights, and law, and develop fresh ways of viewing the issues. He also takes us through the journey of assembling the right type of team, of witnessing the severity of the problem firsthand, and of pressing through the many obstacles such a daunting endeavor faced. Just Business is an illuminating inside look at one of the most important human rights developments of recent times. It is also an invaluable book for anyone wanting to learn how to navigate the tricky processes of global problem-solving and consensus-building and how to tackle big issues with ambition, pragmatism, perseverance, and creativity.
Author: Sam G. McFarland Publisher: ISBN: 9781793550200 Category : Languages : en Pages : 496
Book Description
Heroes of Human Rights: Stories of Women and Men who Created Human Rights describes the historical development of human rights, modern human rights declarations and conventions, historical and modern human rights abuses, and current mechanisms for protecting and advancing human rights. Through engaging, emotional, and inspiring stories of heroes from the sixteenth century to the present, the book underscores the importance of human rights for all peoples around the globe. The text is organized chronologically and divided into three sections according to discrete time periods: pre-1900, 1900 - 1950, and 1950 to present day. Readers learn about Granville Sharp's and Kevin Bales's struggles to abolish slavery; Azucena Villaflor's efforts to end disappearances and abuses by the government in Argentina; and Franz Uri Boas's crusade against "scientific" racism. Additional chapters explore how Olympe de Gouges, Mary Wollstonecraft, Beate Sirota, and Shirin Ebadi championed women's rights; Robert Owen fought against abusive child labor during the Industrial Revolution; Raphael Lemkin pushed to make genocide an international crime; Eleanor Roosevelt led the drafting of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights; W.E.B. Du Bois advocated for an end to colonialism; and much more. Designed to help readers achieve greater levels of understanding and empathy, Heroes of Human Rights is an ideal resource for courses on human rights, world history, and international affairs.
Author: Joseph R. Slaughter
Author: Joseph R. Slaughter
Author: Lynn Hunt
Author: Emilie M. Hafner-Burton
Author: Dorothée Baumann-Pauly
Author: Hurst Hannum
Author: Charles R. Beitz
Author: Akira Iriye
Author: John Gerard Ruggie
Author: Sam G. McFarland