P. C. Chang and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights

Roth, Hans Ingvar

ISBN 10: 0812250567 / ISBN 13: 9780812250565

Published by Univ of Pennsylvania Pr, 2018

About this Item

298 pages. 9.00x6.25x1.25 inches. In Stock.

Seller Inventory # x-0812250567

Bibliographic Details

• Title: P. C. Chang and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights
• Publisher: Univ of Pennsylvania Pr
• Publication Date: 2018
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0812250567
• ISBN 13: 9780812250565
• Binding: Hardcover
• Condition: Brand New
• Weight: 0.65 kilograms

About this title

Synopsis

The Universal Declaration of Human Rights is one of the world's best-known and most translated documents. When it was presented to the United Nations General Assembly in December in 1948, Eleanor Roosevelt, chair of the writing group, called it a new "Magna Carta for all mankind." The passage of time has shown Roosevelt to have been largely correct in her prediction as to the declaration's importance. No other document in the world today can claim a comparable standing in the international community.

Roosevelt and French legal expert René Cassin have often been represented as the principal authors of the declaration. But in fact, it resulted from a collaborative effort involving a number of individuals in different capacities. One of the declaration's most important authors was the vice chairman of the Human Rights Commission, Peng Chun Chang (1892-1957), a Chinese diplomat and philosopher whose contribution has been the focus of growing attention in recent years. Indeed, it is Chang who deserves the credit for the universality and religious ecumenism that are now regarded as the declaration's defining features. Despite this, Chang's extraordinary contribution has been overlooked by historians.

Peng Chun Chang was a modern-day Renaissance man—teacher, scholar, university chancellor, playwright, diplomat, and politician. A true cosmopolitan, he was deeply involved in the cultural exchange between East and West, and the dramatic events of his life left a profound mark on his intellectual and political work. P. C. Chang and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights is the first biography of this extraordinary actor on the world stage, who belonged to the same generation as Mao Zedong and Chiang Kai-shek. Drawing on previously unknown sources, it casts new light on Chang's multifaceted life and involvement with one of modern history's most important documents.

About the Author

Hans Ingvar Roth is Professor of Human Rights at Stockholm University. He has previously worked as Human Rights Officer for OSCE in Bosnia and Herzegovina and as Senior Advisor at the Ministry of Justice in Stockholm.