Cambridge Studies in Law and Society: The Contentious History of the International Bill of Human Rights

Today, the idea of human rights enjoys near-universal support; yet, there is deep disagreement about what human rights actually are - their true source of origin, how to study them, and how best to address their deficits. In this sweeping historical exploration, Christopher N. J. Roberts traces these contemporary conflicts back to their moments of inception and shows how more than a half century ago a series of contradictions worked their way into the International Bill of Human Rights, the foundation of the modern system of human rights. By viewing human rights as representations of human relations that emerge from struggle, this book charts a new path into the subject of human rights and offers a novel theory and methodology for rigorous empirical study.

1. What are human rights and where do they come from?; 2. From war and politics to human rights: the Cold War and colonial recession; 3. Protecting state sovereignty from the 'dangers' of human rights; 4. Saving empire: the attempt to create (non)universal human rights; 5. A version of human rights that permits racial discrimination?; 6. The United States' unequivocal ambivalence towards socioeconomic rights.