The past few decades have witnessed an increase in the number international human rights treaties, their incorporation into domestic jurisdictions as well as the proliferation of wider public discourse on human rights. 'Human rights' has taken centre stage as an international political goal, however much of this talk is actually about human rights law.
This book starts from a new and provocative premise: that the relationship between human rights and their legal expression is not a straightforward one, but needs to be examined more closely. The volume, therefore, scrutinises the extent to which legalisation shapes the human rights ideal, and surveys its ethical, political and practical repercussions. The expert contributors to the volume approach these issues from a variety of different perspectives: political theory/moral theory, anthropology, sociology, international law, international politics and political science and demonstrate a diversity of methodologies.
This book invites students and researchers of human rights to question the gap between human rights as a moral and political concept, and human rights law, provoking the reader to consider the possibilities of deliberation on human rights outside of their legal manifestations.

The past few decades have witnessed an increase in the number international human rights treaties, their incorporation into domestic jurisdictions as well as the proliferation of wider public discourse on human rights. 'Human rights' has taken centre stage as an international political goal, however much of this talk is actually about human rights law.
This book starts from a new and provocative premise: that the relationship between human rights and their legal expression is not a straightforward one, but needs to be examined more closely. The volume, therefore, scrutinises the extent to which legalisation shapes the human rights ideal, and surveys its ethical, political and practical repercussions. The expert contributors to the volume approach these issues from a variety of different perspectives: political theory/moral theory, anthropology, sociology, international law, international politics and political science and demonstrate a diversity of methodologies.
This book invites students and researchers of human rights to question the gap between human rights as a moral and political concept, and human rights law, provoking the reader to consider the possibilities of deliberation on human rights outside of their legal manifestations.