* Eagerly awaited second edition of this highly respected introduction to the theory and practice of human rights. * Innovative and challenging, this book invites students to think conceptually about one of the most important and influential political concepts of our time.

Preface to the Second Edition. Acknowledgments. 1. Introduction: Thinking about Human Rights. 2. Origins: the Rise and Fall of Natural Rights. 3. After 1945: the New Age of Rights. 4. Theories of Human Rights. 5. Putting Law in its Place: the Role of the Social Sciences. 6. Universality, Diversity and Difference: Culture and Human Rights. 7. Idealism, Realism and Repression: the Politics of Human Rights. 8. Globalization, Development and Poverty: Economics and Human Rights. 9. Conclusion: Human Rights in the Twenty-First Century. References.

"A comprehensive, well-informed and intelligent discussion of the contemporary theoretical and philosophical debates in human rights. Crucially, Human Rights contextualizes its subject, deftly illustrating the lasting contribution of humanities and social science analyses of the non-legal aspects of human rights. Freeman manages to be both even-handed and incisive in his commentary and this textbook will appeal to novices and experts alike." Richard A. Wilson, University of Connecticut "Michael Freeman's second edition of Human Rights is, like the first, very well written. In addition, it is very well grounded in history and normative political theory. Moreover, it accurately summarizes much literature in the social sciences dealing with both empirical theory and factual evidence." Professor D. Forsythe, University of Nebraska "When Polity published Human Rights in 2002, it filled a void. Finally, there was a book that introduced the concept with all its complexities but in a clear style. Freeman's systematic approach and passionate prose guided readers through a labyrinth of history, disciplines, and issues and allowed them to develop an understanding of the history of human rights, along with a range of debates and conflicts surrounding them. The layered analysis made the book equally attractive to the experts. Now, nearly a decade later, we have more books on human rights, but none to replace Freeman's. The second edition, still maintaining the original structure and broad scope, points to the elements of progress amidst ever increasing human rights violations, albeit in a rapidly changing world." Zehra F. Kabaskal Arat, Purchase College