The Evolution of International Human Rights: Visions Seen (Pennsylvania Studies in Human Rights) [Paperback]

Paul Gordon Lauren (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 081221854X | ISBN-13: 978-0812218541 | Publication Date: July 22, 2003 | Edition: 2nd

This widely acclaimed and highly regarded book, embraced by students, scholars, policymakers, and activists, now appears in a new edition. Using the theme of visions seen by those who dreamed of what might be, Lauren explores the dramatic transformation of a world patterned by centuries of traditional structures of authority, gender abuse, racial prejudice, class divisions and slavery, colonial empires, and claims of national sovereignty into a global community that now boldly proclaims that the way governments treat their own people is a matter of international concern—and sets the goal of human rights "for all peoples and all nations."

Lauren makes clear the truly universal nature of this movement by drawing into his discussion people and cultures in every part of the globe. In this regard, the book offers particularly remarkable revelations and insights when analyzing the impact of wars and revolutions, non-Western nations, struggles against sexism and racism, liberation movements and decolonization, nongovernmental organizations, and the courage and determination of countless numbers of common men and women who have contributed to the evolution of international human rights.

This new edition incorporates the most recent developments of the International Criminal Court, the arrest of Augusto Pinochet and the trial of Slobodan Milosevic, technology and the Internet, the impact of NGOs like Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch, globalization, terrorism, and the aftermath of the September 11 terrorist attacks.

Editorial Reviews

Review

Praise for the first edition:

"A beautifully written and meticulously researched history of the idea of human rights."—American Journal of International Law

"It is difficult to imagine a finer gift on the fiftieth anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights than this study of the Declaration's complex and far-reaching impact. Paul Gordon Lauren has skillfully combined a detailed history of the legal documents with the political, philosophical, and social context in which they developed."—American Historical Review

"An indispensable reference source for scholars and students of human rights."—Political Science Quarterly

About the Author

Paul Gordon Lauren is Regents Professor at the University of Montana. He is the author of a number of books, including Power and Prejudice. He has lectured widely and delivered invited addresses, at the Smithsonian Institution and the United Nations, on the subject of human rights.

Product Details

• Paperback: 416 pages
• Publisher: University of Pennsylvania Press; 2nd edition (July 22, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 081221854X
• ISBN-13: 978-0812218541
• Product Dimensions: 10 x 6.9 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.8 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #494,018 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #86 in Books > Law > Constitutional Law > Human Rights

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

17 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Truly International History of Human rRights, October 9, 2001

By 

Lady Murasaki (Washington, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Evolution of International Human Rights: Visions Seen (Pennsylvania Studies in Human Rights) (Paperback)

One of the major things that striked me about this book is Lauren's acknowledgement that the concept of human rights is not a completely Western creation. Traditions around the world, political, cultural, and religious, have stressed justice and equality.
Lauren's treatment of Human Rights is quite thorough. I have to commend him for the fact that he does not value judgements on any of the events he described. He acknowledges the mistakes made but does not dwell on them.
I also learned a lot of things about history that wasn't touched about in my history classes. I can say that I actually felt smarter reading this book. :)

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars a great book, September 14, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: The Evolution of International Human Rights: Visions Seen (Pennsylvania Studies in Human Rights) (Paperback)

"The 50th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights has loosed a spate of books on the academic world. Lauren's volume will count among the very best, with its thorough detail, wide range, and fascinating insights. This volume is a model of scholarship. It shows how visionaries and diplomats, NGOs and governments, moved from the almost totally unquestioned pre-WWII doctrine of domestic sovereignty to the current reality of global awareness of and obligations to internal human rights practices.....Belongs in the library of every college, citizen activist, or scholar interested in how one of humanity's transforming documents came into being." -- Choice

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars indispensable, January 25, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: The Evolution of International Human Rights: Visions Seen (Pennsylvania Studies in Human Rights) (Paperback)

"It seems fitting that Paul Lauren's book should have been published on the fiftieth anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. In it, he provides the most comprehensive and exhaustively researched history of human rights ideas and the institutions to implement those ideas that has been written to date. I expect it will become an indispensable reference source for scholars and students of human rights" -- Political Science Quarterly