The Oxford Handbook of International Human Rights Law

Edited by Dinah Shelton

Oxford Handbooks

This Oxford Handbook gives the most comprehensive account yet available of the development, principles, and criticisms of international human rights law
Provides crucial insights into the most topical issues for international human rights law, including the obligations of non-state actors, transnational litigation, and extraterritoriality
Assesses the impact of over half a century of international human rights, attempting to determine whether and how it is possible to measure progress in the enjoyment of human rights
Contributions by over forty leading international and interdisciplinary experts

The Oxford Handbook of International Human Rights Law

Edited by Dinah Shelton

Description

The Oxford Handbook of International Human Rights Law provides a comprehensive and original overview of one of the fundamental topics within international law. It contains substantial new essays by more than forty leading experts in the field, giving students, scholars, and practitioners a complete overview of the issues that inform research, as well as a 'map' of the debates that animate the field. Each chapter features a critical and up-to-date analysis of the current state of debate and discussion, assessing recent work and advancing the understanding of all aspects of this developing area of international law.

The Handbook consists of 39 chapters, divided into seven parts. Parts I and II explore the foundational theories and the historical antecedents of human rights law from a diverse set of disciplines, including the philosophical, religious, biological, and psychological origins of moral development and altruism, and sociological findings about cooperation and conflict. Part III focuses on the law-making process and categories of rights. Parts IV and V examine the normative and institutional evolution of human rights, and discuss this impact on various doctrines of general international law. The final two parts are more speculative, examining whether there is an advantage to considering major social problems from a human rights perspective and, if so, how that might be done: Part VI analyses current problems that are being addressed by governments, both domestically and through international organizations, and issues that have been placed on the human rights agenda of the United Nations, such as state responsibility for human rights violations and economic sanctions to enforce human rights; Part VII then evaluates the impact of international human rights law over the past six decades from a variety of perspectives.

The Handbook is an invaluable resource for scholars, students, and practitioners of international human rights law. It provides the reader with new perspectives on international human rights law that are both multidisciplinary and geographically and culturally diverse.

The Oxford Handbook of International Human Rights Law

Edited by Dinah Shelton

Oxford Handbooks

I. Theoretical Foundations
1:Religion, M. Christian Green and John Witte, Jr.
2:Moral Philosophy, Siegfried Van Duffel
3:Biological Foundations of Human Rights, Christopher A. Robinson
4:Sociology of Human Rights, Brian S. Turner
5:The Psychology Foundations of Human Rights, Robin Bradley Kar
6:Anthropology and the Grounds of Human Rights, Mark Goodale
II. Historical and Legal Sources
7:The Foundations of Justice and Human Rights in Early Legal Texts and Thought, Paul Gordon Lauren
8:General Principles and Constitutions as Sources of Human Rights Law, Michael O'Boyle and Michelle Lafferty
9:The Anti-Slavery Movement and the Rise of International Non-Governmental Organizations, Jenny Martinez
10:Diplomatic Protection as a Source of Human Rights Law, Annemarieke Vermeer-Künzli
11:Humanitarian Law as a Source of Human Rights Law, Gerd Oberleitner
12:Social Justice, Rights, and Labour, Janelle M. Diller
13:The Protection of Minorities under the Auspices of the League of Nations, Péter Kovács
III. Structural Principles
14:Human Dignity, Paolo G. Carozza
15:Subsidiarity, Gerald L. Neuman
16:Sovereignty, Johan D. van der Vyver
17:Solidarity, Rüdiger Wolfrum
18:Equality, Jarlath Clifford
19:Proportionality, Yutaka Arai-Takahashi
20:Democracy and the Rule of Law, Christian Tomuschat
IV. Normative Evolution
21:The Law-Making Process: From Declaration to Treaty to Custom to Prevention, Bertrand G. Ramcharan
22:Core Rights and Obligations, Martin Scheinin
23:'Jus Cogens' and Obligations 'Erga Omnes', Erika de Wet
24:Positive and Negative Obligations, Dinah Shelton and Ariel Gould
V. Institutions and Actors
25:From Commission to the Council: Evolution of UN Charter Bodies, Miloon Kothari
26:The Role and Impact of Treaty Bodies, Nigel S. Rodley
27:The Role of International Tribunals: Law-Making or Creative Interpretation?, Cecilia Medina
28:Universality and the Growth of Regional Systems, Christof Heyns and Magnus Killander
29:National Implementation and Interpretation, Nisuke Ando
30:Roles and Responsibilities of Non-State Actors, David Weissbrodt
VI. Human Rights and General International Law
31:Interpretation of Human Rights Treaties, Malgosia Fitzmaurice
32:Enforcing Human Rights through Economic Sanctions, George A. Lopez
33:Transnational Litigation: Jurisdiction and Immunities, Chimène I. Keitner
34:The Use of International Force to Prevent or Halt Atrocities: From Humanitarian Intervention to the Responsibility to Protect, Ramesh Thakur
35:Trade Law and Investment Law, Sarah Joseph
VII. Assessments
36:Creating and Applying Human Rights Indicators, Francisco López-Bermúdez
37:Compliance, Gisella Gori
38:What Outcomes for Victims?, Fiona McKay
39:Human Rights Make a Difference: Lessons from Latin America, Juan E. Méndez and Catherine Cone

The Oxford Handbook of International Human Rights Law

Edited by Dinah Shelton

Oxford Handbooks

Author Information

Edited by Dinah Shelton, Emeritus Manatt/Ahn Professor in International Law, George Washington University Law School

Professor Dinah Shelton was the inaugural holder of the Manatt/Ahn Professorship in International Law at the George Washington University Law School, where she has taught since 2004. She previously taught international law and was director of the doctoral program in international human rights law at the University of Notre Dame Law School (1996-2004). She has also lectured at universities throughout the world. Professor Shelton is the author of three prize-winning books, Protecting Human Rights in the Americas (co-authored with Thomas Buergenthal), Remedies in International Human Rights Law, and the three-volume Encyclopedia of Genocide and Crimes against Humanity. She has also authored many other articles and books on international law, human rights law, and international environmental law. Professor Shelton is a member of the board of editors of the American Journal of International Law.

Contributors:

Nisuke Ando - Kyoto Human Rights Research Institute
Yutaka Arai-Takahashi - University of Kent at Brussels (UKB)
Paolo G. Carozza - University of Notre Dame
Jarlath Clifford - Irwin Mitchell LLP, London
Catherine Cone - American University Washington College of Law
Janelle Diller - International Labour Organization
Siegfried van Duffel - Nazarbayev University, Astana
Malgosia Fitzmaurice - Queen Mary, University of London
Mark Goodale - George Mason University
Gisella Gori - Delegation of the European Union to the United States
Arielle Gould - George Washington University Law School
M. Christian Green - Center for the Study of Law and Religion
Christof Heyns - University of Pretoria
Sarah Joseph - Monash University, Melbourne
Robin Bradley Kar - University of Illinois College of Law
Chimène I. Keitner - University of California Hastings College of the Law
Magnus Killander - University of Pretoria
Miloon Kothari - Working Group on Human Rights, United Nations
Péter Kovács - Péter Pázmány Catholic University of Budapest
Michelle Lafferty - Registry of the European Court of Human Rights
Paul Gordon Lauren - University of Montana
George A. Lopez - University of Notre Dame
Francisco López-Bermúdez - Auditoría Democrática Andina, Ecuador
Jenny S. Martinez - Stanford Law School
Fiona McKay - Registry of the International Criminal Court
Cecilia Medina - University of Chile
Juan E. Méndez - United Nations Special Rapporteur on Torture
Gerald L. Neuman - Harvard Law School
Gerd Oberleitner - University of Graz, Austria
Michael O'Boyle - European Court of Human Rights
Bertrand G. Ramcharan - United Nations Commission for Human Rights
Chris Robinson - City University of New York
Nigel S. Rodley - University of Essex
Martin Scheinin - European University Institute, Florence
Dinah Shelton - George Washington University Law School
Ramesh Thakur - Australian National University
Christian Tomuschat - Humbolt University Berlin
Brian S. Turner - City University of New York
Johan D. van der Vyver - Emory University School of Law
Annemarieke Vermeer-Künzli - University of Amsterdam
David Weissbrodt - University of Minnesota Law School
Erika de Wet - University of Pretoria
John Witte, Jr. - Emory University School of Law
Rüdiger Wolfrum - University of Heidelberg

The Oxford Handbook of International Human Rights Law

Edited by Dinah Shelton

Oxford Handbooks

Reviews and Awards

"The disposition of the authors and the choice of the contributors, many of them likewise experienced as academics and practitioners, are convincing. All chapters are well composed and focused, illustrating the relevant problems, discussing possible solutions and obstacles, and concluding with concise summarizing observations, and some, not too many, suggestions for Further Reading... Indeed Reading each chapter was a joy that I hope will be shared by many readers." - Eckart Klein, German Yearbook of International Law

The Oxford Handbook of International Human Rights Law

Edited by Dinah Shelton

Oxford Handbooks

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