The Human Rights Culture2011

Lawrence M. Friedman's newest book explores the sheer phenomenon of a near-global arc favoring the idea, and sometimes even the practice, of human rights. Not the typical legal or philosophical examination of rights, this book instead asks: Why is it - as a social and historical matter - that rights discourse is so prevalent and compelling to the current world? "Reams of books and articles have been written about human rights, but THE HUMAN RIGHTS CULTURE is unique. It is the first comprehensive, sociological study of human rights in the contemporary period. With his characteristic erudition and graceful style, Lawrence Friedman addresses all the central topics: women's rights, minority rights, privacy, social rights, cultural rights, the role of courts, whether human rights are universal,...