Citizens of the World: Readings in Human Rights

The concept of human rights is a revolutionary idea still in the making. In recent times it has become an urgent idea as well, especially in an age of global terrorism and the attendant debates about national security, detention, interrogation methods, and differing national and international concepts of justice.

Citizens of the World is a comprehensive anthology for readers interested in how the concept of human rights has developed throughout history, and it vividly portrays some of the specific conflicts and flash points that have shaped the dialogue about human rights that we carry on today. Thirty-four different selections, ranging from memoir and fiction to legal and historical documents, help readers understand how abstract concepts such as the rule of law, freedom, and human dignity have evolved. These selections can also point the way to how such legal concepts might guide democratic decision-making now and in the future. The discussion questions accompanying each selection will stimulate vibrant and meaningful dialogue.

Highlights include the Magna Carta, the English Bill of Rights (selection), The Social Contract (selection) by Jean-Jacques Rousseau, the Declaration of Independence, the Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen, the Emancipation Proclamation by Abraham Lincoln, Independence v. Swaraj by Mahatma Ghandi, Letter from Birminham Jail by Martin Luther King Jr., Red Scarf Girl (selection) by Ji-li Jiang, and much more.