The History of Human Rights - by Micheline Ishay (Paperback)

About the Book

"This well-written book, chock-full of knowledge, presents a history of the idea, or ideas, of human rights through the prism of the author's thoughtful views on key controversies that bedevil human rights discourse to this day."--Professor Sir Nigel Rodley, Chair, University of Essex Human Rights Centre; Member, (UN) Human Rights Committee

Book Synopsis

Micheline Ishay recounts the dramatic struggle for human rights across the ages in a book that brilliantly synthesizes historical and intellectual developments from the Mesopotamian Codes of Hammurabi to today's era of globalization. As she chronicles the clash of social movements, ideas, and armies that have played a part in this struggle, Ishay illustrates how the history of human rights has evolved from one era to the next through texts, cultural traditions, and creative expression. Writing with verve and extraordinary range, she develops a framework for understanding contemporary issues from the debate over globalization to the intervention in Kosovo to the climate for human rights after September 11, 2001. The only comprehensive history of human rights available, the book will be essential reading for anyone concerned with humankind's quest for justice and dignity.

Ishay structures her chapters around six core questions that have shaped human rights debate and scholarship: What are the origins of human rights? Why did the European vision of human rights triumph over those of other civilizations? Has socialism made a lasting contribution to the legacy of human rights? Are human rights universal or culturally bound? Must human rights be sacrificed to the demands of national security? Is globalization eroding or advancing human rights? As she explores these questions, Ishay also incorporates notable documents-writings, speeches, and political statements-from activists, writers, and thinkers throughout history.

From the Back Cover

This well-written book, chock-full of knowledge, presents a history of the idea, or ideas, of human rights through the prism of the author's thoughtful views on key controversies that bedevil human rights discourse to this day.--Professor Sir Nigel Rodley, Chair, University of Essex Human Rights Centre; Member, (UN) Human Rights Committee

Review Quotes

"Ishay has undertaken the difficult task of abstracting the origins and development of modern human rights from recorded history. The result is a panoramic view that demands much of the reader but ultimately satisfies through imaginative scholarship and scrupulous detail."-- "Library Journal"

"An outstanding book. . . . A magisterial, well-documented, and convincing analysis."-- "CHOICE"

"Astute chronicle of its subject as an evolutionary historical idea. It should be required reading for international leaders - killers and reformers alike."-- "Bradenton Sunday Herald"

"For scholars of and activists in human rights, Ishay sympathetically furnishes historical contexts for specific causes and campaigns."-- "Booklist"

"Global histories of human rights development such as The History of Human Rights are crucial tools to provide U.S. legal thought with an intellectual map of its origins, its comparative international context, and its declining standing."-- "Tikkun"

"Insightful analysis of the differences between human rights universalists and cultural relativists." "Informative account of the way contemporary debates about human rights have been shaped by a long progressive struggle . . ."-- "Social Development Issues"

"This is an important book for those who focus on human rights in history."-- "Journal of World History"

"Timely and scholarly."-- "H-Net Reviews"

About the Author

Micheline R. Ishay is Professor and Director of the International Human Rights Program at the University of Denver, author of Internationalism and Its Betrayal, and editor of The Human Rights Reader.