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The virtual human rights library brings together resources from multiple libraries and information services, both internal and external, to create an online hub dedicated to the study of human rights. This curation is unique in its interdisciplinary concerns and focuses on writings and research from social sciences, humanities, and law.

The virtual library is continually updated with the latest academic research in issue areas, as well as with relevant films, recorded conversations, and other forms of media.

Searchable Database

Click into the dropdowns to select the disciplines, keywords, and media type for your search, and then hit "Apply."

Robert Darby, Steven Svoboda "A Rose by Any Other Name? Rethinking the Similarities and Differences between Male and Female Genital Cutting" Medical Anthropology Quarterly, New Series, Vol. 21, No. 3 (Sep., 2007), pp. 301-323

In this article, we offer a critical examination of the tendency to segregate discussion of surgical alterations to the male and female genitals into separate compartments- the first known as circumcision, the second as genital mutilation. We argue that this...

Gideon Sjoberg, Elizabeth A. Gill, Norma Williams "A Sociology of Human Rights" Social Problems 48, no. 1 (2001): 11-47.

This paper has two main objectives. One is to consider the central place of human rights in today's global order and the other is to articulate a theoretical framework that will make sociological sense out of current human rights discourse...

Agnes Ku "Beyond the Paradoxical Conception of 'Civil Society without Citizenship'." International Sociology 17, no. 4 (2002): 529-548.

Liberal and marxist theories of civil society contain a conceptual paradox of `civil society without citizenship'. This article shows how the paradox about civil society comes about through an under-theorization of the multivalent character of citizenship and rights, which in...

Jackie Smith "Bridging global divides? Strategic framing and solidarity in transnational social movement organizations."  International Sociology 17, no. 4 (2002): 505-528.

A growing body of research has revealed a rapid expansion in transnational organizing and activism, but we know relatively little about the qualitative changes these transnational ties represent. Using surveys of transnational social movement organizations (TSMOs) and additional case study...

Patricia Chorev "Changing Global Norms through Reactive Diffusion: The Case of Intellectual Property Protection of AIDS Drugs." American Sociological Review 77, no. 5 (2012): 831-853.

This article explores conditions under which global norms change. I use a case study in which the original interpretation of an international agreement on intellectual property rights was modified to address demands for improved access to affordable AIDS drugs. Conventional...

David Van Reybrouk Congo: The Epic History of a People (Ecco, 2015)

From the beginnings of the slave trade through colonization, the struggle for independence, Mobutu's brutal three decades of rule, and the civil war that has raged from 1996 to the present day, Congo: The Epic History of a People traces the history...

John Boli "Contemporary Developments in World Culture." International Journal of Comparative Sociology 46, no. 5-6 (2005): 383-404.

World culture in the post-war era of rapid globalization is increasingly organized, rationalized, and ubiquitous. The core of world culture - rationalized science, technology, organization, professionalization, etc. - has been thoroughly institutionalized. For all kinds of actors, global principles and...

Marina Svensson Debating Human Rights in China: A Conceptual and Political History (Rowman & Littlefield, 2002)

Tracing the concept of human rights in Chinese political discourse since the late Qing dynasty, this comprehensive history convincingly demonstrates that-contrary to conventional wisdom-there has been a vibrant debate on human rights throughout the twentieth century. Drawing on little-known sources...

Nitza Berkovitch, Neve Gordon "Differentiated decoupling and human rights." Social Problems 63, no. 4 (2016): 499-512.

One of the major issues attracting the attention of scholars studying global norm regimes, especially the human rights regime, is their impact on domestic settings. Borrowing from organizational studies, some of these scholars have used the term decoupling to conceptualize...

Charles Ess Digital Media Ethics (Cambridge: Polity Press, 2009)

This is the first textbook on the central ethical issues of digital media, ranging from computers and the Internet to mobile phones. It is also the first book of its kind to consider these issues from a global perspective, introducing ethical theories...

Please Note:

While the Virtual Library is now live for use, we are still working to update its contents and improve its functionality.  

It is usable by all visitors, but the hyperlinks to materials listed are for UChicago community members with a CNet ID and password.  

Please direct feedback and suggestions to Kathleen Cavanaugh

For technical assistance, email pozenhumanrights @ uchicago.edu.

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