1st Edition
Activating Human Rights and Peace Theories, Practices and Contexts
Human rights and peace issues and concerns have come about at a critical time. The world has recently witnessed a plethora of turning points that speak of the hopes and vulnerabilities which are inherent in being human and demonstrate that change in the service of human rights and peace is possible. At the same time, however, other events indicate that wherever there is life, there is vulnerability in a world characterized by instability and endemic human suffering. On top of all this, the collapse of the global financial system and the serious, rapid destruction of the environment have brought the world to a precarious state of vulnerability. Activating human rights and peace is, therefore, a project that is always in progress, and is never finally achieved. This enlightening collection of well thought through cases is aimed at academics and students of human rights, political science, law and justice, peace and conflict studies and sociology.
Biography
GOH Bee Chen is Professor of Law at the School of Law & Justice, Southern Cross University, Australia, Baden Offord is Associate Professor of Cultural Studies at the School of Arts & Social Sciences, Southern Cross University, Australia and Rob Garbutt, is a Lecturer at the School of Arts & Social Sciences, Southern Cross University, Australia
'Contributors to this book give vibrant life and meaning to its title: activism and scholarship, theory and practice rub shoulders as mutually reinforcing partners. On issues from tourism to the Olympics, in settings from classroom to detention centre, and domains from the political to the metaphysical, the sense that human rights and peace are animating concepts in all our lives gains appreciably in substance and salience.' Jake Lynch, The University of Sydney, Australia '... provides us with a unique insight into the use of human rights in activating peace by drawing on a range of case studies from Australia and elsewhere. You will find the solid evidence of what works and what does not as well as the unusual tactics that some authors have adopted as "peace builders".' Monica McWilliams, University of Ulster, UK 'Activating Human Rights and Peace is an enlightening collection of well thought through cases aimed at academics and students of human rights, political science, law and justice, peace and conflict studies and sociology. It argues that we need to appreciate that cultivating a human rights and peace consciousness is choice-less: there is a moral imperative to engender and sustain an ethical praxis that is motivated by a concern and commitment for how we live with each other... The collection of essays found in Activating Human Rights and Peace balances itself well in the existing literature, linking human rights with concepts that have been widely discussed - such as law, immigration, and conflict - and adding innovative perspectives from education, tourism and storytelling. The brevity of the essays included allows for creative ideas to be introduced but not overdone, leaving the collection as less of an in-depth study and more of a jumping-off point to further inquiry... Due to the scope of issues tackled in this volume and the brevity with which they are tackled, it is likely that the reader will find that some chapters resonate particularly well...
