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Science, Engineering and Human Rights: A Select Annotated Bibliography
This select annotated bibliography provides a guide to the literature on the relationships
between science, engineering and human rights. The following citations are grouped under a
variety of headings that encompass disciplinary fields of science and engineering and topics
where science, technology and human rights intersect. Whenever an article listed is available
online without restrictions, the URL link is provided. The bibliography is meant as a starting
point for scientists, engineers, human rights practitioners, educators, and interested
students to begin to explore the larger literature. The last section in this bibliography
provides links to online databases and other resources containing further human rights
documents and literature.
Contents
Science and Human Rights: General
By subject area:
Anthropology
Biological Sciences
Chemistry
Economics
Engineering
Forensic Anthropology
Forensic Sciences
Geography
Geology
Information Science and Technology
Medical Sciences
Medicine
Physics
Political Science
Psychiatry/Orthopsychiatry
Psychology
Social Sciences
Social Science Methodology
Sociology
Statistics
Right to: Benefits of Science (Article 15)
Food
Health
Housing
Water
Rights of Scientists
Ethics
Education
Environment
Intellectual Property
Further Resources (online)
Science and Human Rights: General
Claude, Richard Pierre. (2002). Science in the Service of Human Rights. Philadelphia:
University of Philadelphia Press.
An exceptional analysis of the relations between science and human rights. The book
is divided into 3 sections: international standards and the role of science in these
standards; issues (ethics and technology); and politics (scientists as human rights
activists; NGOs, grassroots and transnational governance.
The Annals of
the American Academy of Political and Social Science 506(1): 129-140.
Corillon examines four issues: the scientist as human rights activist, the scientist as
human rights victim, the scientist as human rights abuser, and the application of
science to human rights work.
Murphy, Therese. (2009). New Technologies and Human Rights. New York: Oxford University
Press.
Drawing on an international team of legal scholars, the book reviews and develops
the role of human rights in the regulation of new technologies. Particular attention is
given to three controversies at the intersection between human rights. First, are
human rights contributing to a brave new world of choice, where human dignity is
fundamentally compromised? Second, are new technologies a threat to human rights?
Finally, can human rights contribute to better regulation of these technologies?
Science 322: 1303.
The authors reflect on the role of scientists in ensuring a gov
human rights. They note the contributions scientists have made in making human
rights a reality for people everywhere including defending the freedom of scientific
inquiry and applying their knowledge and skills in helping to reveal the truths about
violations of human rights.
Chemical & Engineering News 74(22): 36.
Scientists have long wrestled with the issues of what they can and should do to
help colleagues around the world whose human rights are being violated. This article
discusses the efforts of the Committee on Human Rights (CHR) sponsored jointly by
the National Academy of Sciences, the National Academy of Engineering, and the
Institute of Medicine.
Bioscience 34(9): 544-545.
Scientists have long been singled out for harassment by repressive governments
around the world, and have a special responsibility to help their colleagues in trouble.
In recent years more and more scientific societies have become involved. At the 1984
AAAS meeting, 50 activist scientists met to discuss their experiences and new
strategies.
Anthropology
American Anthropological Association. (1999). Declaration on Anthropology and Human
Rights.
Anthropological Association 1947- Human Rights Quarterly 23(3):536-559.
Engle explores the debate among anthropologists, ever since the AAAS submitted its
Statement on Human Rights to the United Nations in 1947, over the tensions between
the limits of tolerance and cultural relativism with the pursuit of more universal norms
of social justice.
Goodale, Mark. (2008). Human Rights: An Anthropological Reader. Malden, MA: Wiley-
Blackwell.
A well-organized volume that includes a variety of methodologies and intellectual
approaches within anthropology.
Annual Review of Anthropology 22:
221-249.
Reviews the engagement of anthropologists with human rights and controversies in
anthropology over cultural relativism and their bearing on research and theory.
Biological Sciences
Zygon:
Journal of Religion & Science 42(2): 289-300.
and the related human rights inequalities and the spread of diseases in
underprivileged areas, The author provides examples of where the scientist can
interface with human rights organizations, medical doctors, political and civic leaders,
and the science-religion dialogue. He argues that the emerging role of the biomedical
scientist is one of public service in addition to and beyond the realm of the
experimental investigator.
rights. Identifying the families of kidnapped children
and Pathology 5:339-47.
Between 1975 and 1983 in Argentina, at least 145 children were kidnapped with their
parents or born in captivity to imprisoned women and then separated from their
mothers. The parents of these children generally remain among the missing persons.
However, laboratory analysis of genetic markers in human blood enables the
successfully in Argentina, with an index of grandpaternity for one family of 99.9%,
based on HLA typing only.
Social Philosophy Today 22: 43-57.
In the past decade several international declarations have called for banning
reproductive non-therapeutic and germ-line engineering. For example, Article 11 of
ration on the Human Genome and Human Rights states that
practices that are contrary to human dignity such as cloning of human beings should
not be permitted. Article 13 of the Convention on Human Rights and Biomedicine
simply forbids germ-line engineering except for diagnostic or therapeutic purposes.
The author argues that there are forms of germ-line and non-therapeutic engineering
that are compatible with human rights.
King, Mary-
Mol Genet Med 1:117-31.
Chicago Journal of International Law 3(1): 115-136.
Marks discusses the assumptions underlying the specific instruments of international
law that address genetic manipulation, and focuses on the human rights implications
of these technologies. While international law cannot resolve the tension between
hope for and fear of advances in biotechnology and genetics, it is already deeply
engaged in the issue through international trade and property law.
Owens, Kelly N., Michelle Harvey-Blankenship, and Mary- Genomic
sequencing in the service of human rights International Journal of Epidemiology 31(1): 53-
58.
Tools of genomic analysis have been used to assist the identification of victims of
human rights violations. The authors describe two applications, the identification of a
young adult Argentinian born in captivity 22 years ago when his mother was abducted
and disappeared in Buenos Aires in 1978, and the identification of remains found in
mass graves in the Balkans in the 1990s.
Chemistry
(ACS) support for these rights and describe protocols and criteria for addressing violations of
such rights. Although few scholarly publications have appeared on science and human rights
issues in the chemical-related sciences, we have included the primer and those entries
reflective of the issues involved. In addition, a link is provided to the ongoing ACS webinar
program that informs the public on how to identify appropriate and practical solutions to
human rights problems facing the scientific community.
American Chemical Society. AAAS Welfare of Scientists Working Group Primer on Scientific
Freedom and Human Rights.
http://portal.acs.org/portal/PublicWebSite/global/international/scifreedom/CNBP_029821
This primer focuses on equipping scientific and engineering societies, as well as other
scientifically oriented organizations, with the tools to effectively develop processes
and procedures to address human rights issues, particularly responding to
allegations of human rights violations.
Greer, Alexander. 2011. "Chemistry Students and Human Rights." Chemistry & Biodiversity:
2158-2161.
This letter to the Editor describes how human rights and chemical education are
intricately wound together. Very few chemistry majors in the U.S. are involved in
human rights activities. The 1970s was a high point of the human rights movement.
Even among scientists, there used to be a great deal of activism, but this activism
declined in recent years. To reverse the trend, the author describes the need of
involving students without necessarily introducing material to the curriculum.
Tarver, Edward E. 2004. "External Second Gate, Fourier Transform Ion Mobility Spectrometry:
Parametric Optimization for Detection of Weapons of Mass Destruction." Sensors 4(1): 1-13.
Ion mobility spectrometry (IMS) is recognized as one of the most sensitive and robust
techniques for the detection of narcotics, explosives and chemical warfare agents.
Increasing threat of terrorist attacks, the proliferation of narcotics, Chemical Weapons
Convention treaty verification, and humanitarian de-mining efforts have mandated
that equal importance be placed on the analysis time, as well as the quality of the
analytical data. IMS unrivaled when both speed of response and sensitivity have to
be considered.
Viesti, G; Lunardon, M; Nebbia, G; et al. 2006.
Applied Radiation and Isotopes 64(6):
706-716.
Neutron backscattering (NB) sensors have been proposed for humanitarian de-mining
applications. Recently, a prototype hand-held system integrating a NB sensor in a
metal detector has been developed within the EU-funded DIAMINE Project. The
results obtained in terms of performance of the NB systems and limitations in its use
are presented in this work. It is found that the performance of NB sensors is strongly
limited by the presence of the soil moisture and by its small-scale variations. The use
of the neutron hit distribution to reduce false alarms is explored.
American Chemical Society Science and Human Rights Webinar series:
http://portal.acs.org/portal/acs/corg/content?_nfpb=true&_pageLabel=PP_ARTICLE
MAIN&node_id=476&content_id=CNBP_029110&use_sec=true&sec_url_var=region
1&__uuid=ff933f9d-4e3e-4fb7-9b5c-56dd0471658e
Suggestions regarding the listings for chemistry and human rights may be sent to Larry
Krannich at [email protected] or to Brad Miller at [email protected].
Economics
Development Policy Review 26: 387-406.
Human rights theory can help provide a normative framework that avoids some of the
pitfalls of welfare theory, and can help economists deal with issues of exploitation
and power relations. These complementarities have increased in importance as the
development discourse incorporates legal and political issues previously considered
beyond the scope of economists and development practitioners.
Engineering
American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics. (1983) n Paper on Human
Viewpoint: Human Rights in the Engineering Curriculum
International Journal of Engineering Education 18(6):618-626.
Hoole argues that it is important to teach human rights to all engineering students.
But teaching human rights in countries where it is most needed, such as war torn Sri
Lanka, is difficult due to the sensitivity of the subject.
Luegenbiehl, Heinz C. (2003)
Paper presented at the 2003 ASEE/WFEO International Colloquium.
A Human Rights Challenge to the Engineering Profession Ethical
Dimensions and Leadership Opportunities in Professional Formation
Paper presented at the American Society for Engineering Education Annual
Conference and Exhibition.
Forensic Anthropology
The entries in forensic anthropology focus on its history and the multiple dimensions of its
recent application to human rights investigations; especially those involving location,
recovery and identification of decedents. These entries also reveal the complexity and
cultural nuance inherent in global human rights investigations.
Hard Evidence: Case Studies in
Forensic Anthropology. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall. Pp. 303-320.
Doretti and Snow chronicle the evolution of human rights investigations in Argentina,
from the incipient and at times partisan efforts of the National Commission on
Disappeared People (CONADEP) to later AAAS support for the creation of the EAAF
(Argentine Forensic Anthropology Team), an organization still in global operation
today.
Ubelaker (Eds.) Handbook of Forensic Archaeology and Anthropology. Walnut Creek, CA: Left
Coast Press. Pp. 67-75.
Focusing on the nuances of investigations of political violence, particularly distrust of
the state and the strong emotional response of surviving family members,
Fondebrider also emphasizes the unique role of Latin American forensic
organizations, born out of necessity rather than academia (p.70), and the value this
experience can have for novice investigators worldwide.
Kimmerle, Erin H. (2013
MariaTeresa A. Tersigni-Tarrant and Natalie R. Shirley (Eds.) Forensic Anthropology: An
Introduction. Boca Raton, FL: CRC Press, Pp. 421-438.
Kimmerle provides a comprehensive overview of various human rights organizations
and forensic groups, as well as the key philosophies underlying human rights
investigations and the forensic methods used in recovery of remains.
onse to
Crimes against Humanity, Forensic Recovery, Identification and Repatriation in the Former
Handbook of Forensic Archaeology
and Anthropology. Walnut Creek, CA: Left Coast Press. Pp. 416-425.
Based specifically on the recovery efforts in Bosnia and Herzegovina following conflicts
of the former Yugoslavia, Sterenberg stresses the necessity of a consistent, controlled
and impartial investigation.
Tidball- ience and the search for the dead and missing
Douglas H. Ubelaker (Ed.) Forensic Science: Current Issues, Future Directions. Hoboken, NJ:
John Wiley and Sons, Ltd. Pp. 337-365.
From the perspective of the ICRC, Tidball-Binz explores the principles behind
international humanitarian law and forensic investigations, relying on case studies
and experience to establish recommendations and best practices.
Suggestions regarding the listings for forensic anthropology and human rights may be sent
to Doug Ubelaker at [email protected].
Forensic Sciences
Investigating
Most- JAMA 268(5): 579.
Although plagued by death squads and political killings, Guatemala was the site of a
training course, held in the summer of 1992, in the use of forensic science for the
investigation of human rights abuses. The course established a team of forensic
anthropologists in Guatemala who worked to identify victims of death squads.
JAMA 274(15): 1181.
The AAAS Science and Human Rights Program created a team of forensic scientists to
assist the Haitian Truth and Justice Commission to investigate atrocities that occurred
the exhumation of human remains along the Roboteau beach.
Skolnick, A. A. (2001).
Medhunters winter 2001: 14-17.
Describes the human rights work of Dr. Robert Kirschner.
Technology Review 92(2): 42.
Forensic scientists such as pathologists, archaeologists and geneticists helped to
1976 and 1983.
Tedeschi, Luke G. (1984)
American Journal of Forensic Medicine and Pathology 5(4):301-303.
Geography
associations came together to launch the Science
and Human Rights Coalition in a three-day series of workshops, presentations, and strategic
meetings in Washington, DC. As one of the founding members of the Coalition, the
Association of American Geographers contributed greatly to the formation of the Coalition
during the months preceding its formal launch, and AAG representatives participated
American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS), by fostering scholarly
discourse on how geography and geographers can contribute to the protection of human
rights and by helping to disseminate information and resources critical to this effort, among
Excerpted From:
http://www.aag.org/cs/projects_and_programs/geography_and_human_rights/the_role_of
_geography_and_the_aag_in_the_aaas_science_and_human_rights_coalition
Association of American Geographers Geography & Human Rights Clearinghouse and Forum:
http://www.aag.org/cs/geographyandhumanrights
Geography & Human Rights Bibliography:
The AAG bibliography is a searchable compilation of over 700 publications of geographical
research, studies and perspective on human rights issues. Author abstracts and links to the
full text have been included where available. This database has been compiled as a
representative sample of the body of geography/human rights literature. Readers are
encouraged to submit additional sources.
Search the entire bibliography: http://www.aag.org/galleries/default-file/Bibliography.pdf
The following is a brief sample of works available in the Association of American
Geographers Geography & Human Rights Bibliography.
Annotated Journal Articles:
Richardson, Tim; Ole B. Jensen. 2008. How Mobility Systems Produce Inequality: Making
Mobile Subject Types on the Bangkok Sky Train. Built Environment. 34(2): 218‐231.
This paper studies the relationship between urban transportation systems and social
inequality, discusses sustainable mobility, and offers a case study of challenges
presented by transit infrastructure.
http://www.sortclearinghouse.info/research/167/
Li Yimin; Haihong Yin; Suhong Liu. 2011. Relocation selection for poverty alleviation: Factor
analysis and GIS modeling. Journal of Mountain Science. 8(3): 466‐475.
This article uses GIS and factor analysis of land resources to explore the success of
resettlement programs for economically disadvantaged mountain dwelling
populations in China, including the selection of suitable resettlement sites.
http://www.springerlink.com/content/l575094310206h44/
Johnson, Pamela Jo, MPH, PhD; Kathleen Thiede Call, PhD; Lynn A. Blewett, PhD 2010. The
Importance of Geographic Data Aggregation in Assessing Disparities in American Indian
Prenatal Care. American Journal of Public Health. 100(1): 122‐128.
Presents data analysis techniques to better identify and address inequalities in
access to and use of pre-natal care for Native American populations.
http://ajph.aphapublications.org/cgi/content/abstract/100/1/122
Timár, Judit; Éva G. Fekete. 2010. Fighting for recognition: feminist geography in East‐Central
Europe. Gender, Place & Culture: A Journal of Feminist Geography. 17(6): 775‐790.
Discusses the development of Feminist Geography in post-socialist East Central
Europe, and the resistance practitioners have faced from traditional fields.
http://www.informaworld.com/smpp/content~db=all~content=a929159980
Farbotko, Carol. 2010. Wishful sinking: Disappearing islands, climate refugees and
cosmopolitan experimentation. Asia Pacific Viewpoint. 51(1): 47‐60.
effects on island nations, and the resulting predicament of climate refugees.
http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1467‐8373.2010.001413.x/full
Gill, Nick.
Geographers. Geography Compass. 4(7): 861‐871.
This article synthesizes geographical research on environmental refugees, and
emphasizes current and potential contributions of geography to the discussion of the
relationship between environmental change and human response.
http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1749‐8198.2010.00336.x/full
Annotated Books
Soja, Edward W. 2010. Seeking Spatial Justice. University of Minnesota Press.
This book explores Spatial Justice as a form of Social Justice, for example, ensuring a
world where all citizens have a basic right to the services of a city.
http://books.google.com/books?id=NkfEeomy-
IUC&printsec=frontcover&dq=Soja,+Edward+W.+2010.+Seeking+Spatial+Justice.+Uni
versity+of+Minnesota+Press&hl=en&sa=X&ei=F31qUsflHZGl2AWIyIDwCQ&ved=0CD
8Q6AEwAA#v=onepage&q=Soja%2C%20Edward%20W.%202010.%20Seeking%20S
patial%20Justice.%20University%20of%20Minnesota%20Press&f=false
Shelley, Louise. 2010. Human Trafficking: A Global Perspective. Cambridge University Press.
The book presents a global overview of all forms of human trafficking, its impacts, and
its effect on the future, and proposed solutions. Case studies are included.
http://books.google.com/books?id=XY8uJoYkNBsC&dq=geography+and+trafficking
&lr=&source=gbs_navlinks_s
Afifi, Tamer; Jill Jäger, eds. 2010. Environment, Forced Migration and Social Vulnerability.
Springer.
This book explores the relationship between environmental change and forced
migration, resulting in environmental or climate refugees.
http://books.google.com/books?id=m1vjtrmLpu4C&dq=Environment,+Forced+Migra
tion+and+Social+Vulnerability&source=gbs_navlinks_s
Further Reading- Journal Articles
Lemon, Anthony; Jane Battersby‐Lennard. 2011. Studying together, living apart: Emerging
geographies of school attendance in post‐apartheid Cape Town. African Affairs 110 (438): 97‐120. http://afraf.oxfordjournals.org/content/110/438/97.short
First Law of Geography: Spatial Regression
Models for Assessing Environmental Justice and Health Risk Disparities. Geospatial Analysis
of Environmental Health. 4(3): 337‐356.
http://www.springerlink.com/content/xnt066451073k264/
Pope, Cynthia K.; Gerald Shoultz. 2012. An interdisciplinary approach to HIV/AIDS stigma and
discrimination in Belize: the roles of geography and ethnicity. GeoJournal. 77(4):489-503.
http://www.springerlink.com/content/d010m23064477g75/
Morgan, Kevin. 2010. Local and green, global and fair: the ethical foodscape and the politics
of care. Environment and Planning A. 42(8): 1852‐1867.
http://www.envplan.com/abstract.cgi?id=a42364
Hunter, Mark. 2010. Beyond the male‐migrant: South Africa's long history of health
geography and the contemporary AIDS pandemic. Health & Place. 16(1): 25‐33.
http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1353829209000793
Rey, Sergio J.; Myrna L. Sastre‐Gutierrez. 2010. Interregional Inequality Dynamics in Mexico.
Spatial Economic Analysis. 5(3): 277‐298.
http://www.informaworld.com/smpp/content~db=all~content=a925131359
Suggested listings for geography and human rights may be sent to Sheryl Luzzadder-Beach
Geology
Oil & Gas Journal,
November 01, 1999, Vol. 97, Issue 44, pp. 65-69.
This article analyzes the sources of pressure for change on the relationship between
the petroleum industry and human rights; discusses how companies can meet the
new challenges; and identifies the most sensitive issues in the current international
debate and the likely way forward.
Exploration and Mining Geology, October, 2003, Vol.
12, Issue 1-4, pp. 5-20.
This paper examines the types of conflict concerning human rights that are
encountered by geoscientists involved in mineral exploration and development and
suggests approaches for positive engagement.
Handelsman, S. D.; Veiga, M.;
Association of Canada], 2007, Vol. 32, pp. 36.
This paper summarizes four Canadian National Roundtables on Corporate Social
Responsibility and the Canadian Extractive Sector in Developing Countries held in
Canada to ensure that Canadian companies and residents are held accountable when
there is evidence of environmental and/or human rights violations associated with
the activities of Canadian mining companies."
Suggestions regarding the listings for geology and human rights may be sent to Kasey White
Information Science and Technology
The topic of Information Science and Technology (IST) and Human Rights is enormous and
covers all ethical and human rights issues related to the life cycle of all types of information,
from its creation and instantiation through its organization, management, preservation, to its
dissemination (in any form, including oral communication), evaluation and use. Within IST
are two over-arching and inter-related areas: information ethics and information policy,
starting with the important distinction among types of information (e.g., personally
identifiable, classified or proprietary, public such as actions of governments, etc.). Under
these are more specific topics, such as protection of privacy of personally identifiable
information; balancing security, access and privacy; protection and use of intellectual
property; freedom of expression and censorship; and many others. Many IST associations
have codes of ethics and advocacy programs to ensure that human rights are protected.
Britz, Johannes J. (2008). Making the global information society good: A social justice
perspective on the ethical dimensions of the global information society. Journal of the
American Society for Information Science and Technology. 59(7), 1171-1183.
Britz discusses social justice as a moral norm for addressing ethical challenges in the
global information society, seen as a continuation of relationships altered by
information and communication technologies (ICT). It provides a brief overview of key
socio-ethical issues and discusses the application of social justice to address the
challenges. Three core principles of justice and seven categories of justice are
introduced.
Capurro, Rafael. (March 2005). Privacy: An intercultural perspective. Ethics and Information
Technology. 7(1), 37-47.
Capurro explores intercultural aspects of privacy, particularly concerning differences
between Japanese and Western perspectives, including examining the concept of
denial of self" (Musi). He begins with Western subjectivity and human dignity as the
basic assumptions underlying Western views on privacy. Capurro then addresses
some Japanese concepts, including: " public and private spaces (including in
cyberspace and mass media), guilt, dignity, and freedom of speech from both
perspectives
Carbo, Toni & Smith, Martha M. (2008). Global information ethics: Intercultural perspectives
on past and future Research. Journal of the American Society for Information Science and
Technology. 59(7), 1111-1183.
This special Perspectives section includes an introductory overview by the editors,
Global information ethics: Intercultural perspectives on past and future research and
seven articles, two of which (Britz and Capurro) are included in this bibliography. The
other five articles address: information naïveté (Robert Brody), archival ethics: the
truth of the matter (Richard J. Cox), the principle of distribution (G.M. Reed and J.W.
Sanders), and the justification of intellectual property (Kenneth Einar Himma). An
extensive bibliography by the authors and David Perrotta and Jeffrey Neher is also
included.
Cox, Richard J. (2007). Ethics, accountability, and recordkeeping in a dangerous world.
London: Facet.
This collection of essays addresses several issues and challenges for archivists and
records managers, including some practical ones and more difficult ones related to
recordkeeping and public policy. Cox raises key questions related to information
ethics and policies as well as societal priorities, including: intellectual freedom and
censorship; protection and use of intellectual property; truth and recordkeeping; and
government control of records and information. He also challenges archivists and
records managers to think more deeply about their own integrity, including adequacy
of codes of ethics, and to reflect on the notion of whistle-blowing and the implications
of these issues and challenges for each individual.
Harris, Verne. (2007). Archives and justice: A South African Perspective. Chicago, IL: The
Society of American Archivists.
Harris, a South African archivist who was project manager for the Nelson Mandela
Centre of Memory, compiled this collection of writings from his post-1994 articles,
conference presentations, and other works. The collection addresses the role of
archivists and the call of justice, arguing that archivists are record-makers and should
be "active participants in the dynamics of power relations." (p. 241). He argues for
the importance of record, which he describes as: ". . . the bearer of mystery. . . .
Unless archivists. . . cherish and tend this mystery, they risk reducing themselves to
arid (and dispensable) functionaries. Worse, they risk becoming arachons, hostile to
contestation and comfortable in the exercise of power." (p. 122).
Himma, Kenneth & Tavani, Herman T. (2008). The handbook of Information and computer
ethics. Hoboken, New Jersey: Wiley.
This handbook provides an overview of key issues in information and computer
ethics, including: foundational issues and methodological frameworks; intellectual
property, privacy, anonymity, and security; issues related to the information
professions; responsibility and regulatory challenges; access and equity issues. Each
chapter reviews the positions and arguments on the topic, and provides a
bibliography
Mathiesen, Kay. (2012). The human right to internet access: A philosophical defense.
International Review of Information Ethics. 18(December), 9-22.
Mathiesen defends the UN position that access to the Internet is a human right,
rejecting Cerf's rejection of this right and arguing that the Internet enables the right to
communicate. She contends that this right must be understood as part of a larger
system of human rights, and, even though the Internet can be used for oppression
and imperialism, it can be and is used for positive communication, freedom of
expression and access to information.
Woodbury, Marsha. (2012). Information integrity in Africa: Exploring information corruption
issues. International Review of Information Ethics. 18(December), 1-8.
Woodbury explores briefly information integrity, arguing that reliable information
enhances the values of a society. It touches on key information integrity issues of
concern to Africa, including: accurate translations, access to public information,
preservation, corruption and pollution of information, freedom of the press and
information integrity, and emphasizes the need "to be proactive in providing access
to and provision of public information to empower people to redress inequalities." (p.
7)
Other key resources:
International Center for Information Ethics (2013). What is ICIE? http://icie.zkm.de
This international organization, established in 1999 by Rafael Capurro and now
managed by the Center for Arts and Media Karlsruhe, provides an international
cultural and intercultural platform with more than 280 members) for exchanging
information about research and teaching in information ethics and news about IE
activities. It organizes symposia and publishes a book series with K. Fink Verlag. Since
2004, it has published the International Review of Information Ethics.
Librarians for Human Rights. (2013). http://hrlibs.blogspot.com
Librarians for Human Rights is a collaborative of librarians in North American
dedicated to the realization of the U.N. Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Its
focus is recognizing librarians and library services that "illuminate, sustain and
safeguard human rights." http://hrlibs.blogspot.com
Suggestions regarding the listings for information science and technology and human rights
may be sent to Toni Carbo at [email protected].
Medical Sciences
Bioethics 23(2): 97-111.
This article reviews the potential contributions and limitations of human rights to
achieving greater equity in shaping the social determinants of health.
Fink, Sheri L. (2000).
JAMA 283(9): 1200.
Promotion of human rights has become an intimate concern of many physician
groups, and conflicts may emerge between loyalty to human rights and loyalty to
medical principles. The efforts of Physicians for Human Rights in Kosovo are
examined.
JAMA 284(5): 618-619.
improve the total human condition and to promote the integrity of science. As a
evoted to the
subjects of human rights, violence and inhumanity.
Geiger, H. J. and R. M. Cook-
humanitarian crises: Case studies from the field missions of Physicians for Human Rights,
JAMA 270(5): 616-620.
The skills of physicians, medical and forensic scientists, and other health workers are
uniquely valuable in human rights investigations and documentation, producing
evidence of abuse more credible and less vulnerable to challenge than traditional
methods of case reporting. Only in recent decades, however, have physicians
organized specifically to meet this responsibility.
JAMA 276(20): 1682-1683.
The 50th anniversary of the Doctors Trial at Nuremberg Germany provides an
important opportunity to reflect on its legacy to both medical ethics and human
rights.
Leaning, Jennifer. (2001) British Medical Journal 322(7300):
1435-1436.
The British Medical Association considers it important to educate its constituency in
human rights issues. Ignorance of human rights permits physicians to be drawn into
unacceptable practices, such as participation in the death penalty or design of
inhumane weapons systems. Moreover, as millions of people suffer injury as a matter
of routine oppression, the medical profession cannot just sit by.
The
Hastings Center Report 27(3): 6-13.
New relationships have been forged among medicine, public health, ethics and
human rights, pressing the need for an ethics of public health and revealing the
rights-related responsibilities of physicians.
Medical Teacher 21(3): 294-298.
Human rights have been much neglected in medical education. An attempt to fill this
into the undergraduate programme at Dundee.
Orbinski, J., C. Beyrer, and S. Singh. (2007).
The Lancet 370(9588): 698-704.
For humanitarian health-care practitioners bearing witness to violations of human
dignity has become synonymous with denunciations, human rights advocacy, or
lobbying for political change. With examples from the HIV/AIDS epidemic in the USA,
the Rwandan genocide, and physician-led political activism in Nepal, the authors
describe cases in which health practitioners act of bearing witness have had imperfect
outcomes.
JAMA 276(20): 1679-1681.
The actions of health professionals in Nazi Germany are being extensively discussed
during this 50th anniversary year of the Doctors Trial at Nuremberg Germany.
ed Guidelines
The Hastings Center Report 33(4): 7.
Health professionals the world over encounter conflicts of dual loyalty, in which their
professional obligations to their patients are pitted against the interest of others, like
the state. In certain instances, these conflicts are severe enough that if health
professionals resolve them appropriately, they contribute directly to human rights
violations. Wasunna discusses proposed guidelines by a group of medical ethicists,
human rights experts, and health practitioners, to address these problem in the
medical profession.
Medicine
http://www.ama-assn.org/resources/doc/ethics/decofprofessional.pdf
Physicians for Human Rights: http://www.physiciansforhumanrights.org
Med Health Care and Philos (2011) 14:371 381
Nowadays, within a world that is increasingly turning to science and technology for
solutions to persistent socio-economic and development problems, the human
dimension of science also receives increased attention, including the human right to
enjoy the benefits of scientific progress and its applications. This contribution
analyses the possible legal obligations of States in relation to the right to enjoy the
benefits of scientific progress and its applications, in particular as regards health.
Budiani-Saberi D, Columb S A human rights approach to Human Trafficking for
Organ R Med Health Care Philos. 2013 Jun 7. [Epub ahead of print]
Human trafficking for organ removal (HTOR) should not be reduced to a problem of
supply and demand of organs for transplantation, a problem of organized crime and
criminal justice, or a problem of voiceless, abandoned victims. Rather, HTOR is at
once an egregious human rights abuse and a form of human trafficking. As such, it
demands a human-rights based approach in analysis and response to this problem,
placing the victim at the center of initiatives to combat this phenomenon. Such an
approach requires us to consider how various measures impact or disregard
victims/potential victims of HTOR and gives us tools to better advocate their
interests, rights and freedoms.
Kaye J The tension between data sharing and the protection of privacy in genomics
Annu Rev Genomics Hum Genet. 2012;13:415-31.
Next-generation sequencing and global data sharing challenge many of the
governance mechanisms currently in place to protect the privacy of research
participants. These challenges will make it more difficult to guarantee anonymity for
participants, provide information to satisfy the requirements of informed consent, and
ensure complete withdrawal from research when requested. To move forward, we
need to improve the current governance systems for research so that they are
responsive to individual privacy concerns but can also be effective at a global level.
We need to develop a system of e-governance that can complement existing
governance systems but that places greater reliance on the use of technology to
ensure compliance with ethical and legal requirements. These new governance
structures must be able to address the concerns of research participants while at the
same time ensuring effective data sharing that promotes public trust in genomics
research.
Suggestions regarding the listings for medicine and human rights may be sent to Liljana
Stevceva at [email protected].
Physics
Physicists have been actively involved in the defense of Human Rights of colleague
physicists, and scientists in general, around the world for a long time. What follows is a list of
talks, articles and informed remembrances on Physics and Human Rights by physicist-
activists that are available online. The selection is not exhaustive, on the contrary it just
reflects our personal knowledge of recent publications; nevertheless they are in our view
representative of the indefatigable work of a large number of scientists affirming Human
Rights and in defense of persecuted or at risk colleagues throughout the world.
Joel L. Lebowitz,
Physikalische Blatter, Vol 56, issue 7-8, pages 51-54, July/August 2000
http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/phbl.20000560712/abstract
Based loosely on the Max von Laue lecture given at the German Physical Society's
annual meeting in Dresden, 03/2000. This article focus on the moral and social
responsibilities of scientists then -Nazi period in Germany- and now. Max von Laue's
principled moral response at the time, distinguished him from many of his
contemporaries scientists.
"APS Involvement in the Defense of Human Rights" Edward Gerjuoy, Physics and Society,
vol. 34 No. 3, July 2005, pp. 3-6.
http://units.aps.org/units/fps/newsletters/2005/july/articles.html#gerjuoy
The objective of this paper is to describe the history of the American Physical
Society's (APS) involvement in the defense of human rights and to acquaint the
reader with some of the many actions taken by the Committee on International
Freedom of Scientists (CIFS) to alleviate the human rights violation scientists
worldwide.
Fang Li-Zhi Physics and Society, vol. 34 No. 3, July 2005, pp, 7-9
http://units.aps.org/units/fps/newsletters/2005/july/articles.html#fang
Einstein gained Chinese admiration not only because of his scientific achievements,
but also because of his constant concern about the cases of injustice, suppression,
and human rights abuses in China. The strong sense of social responsibility shown by
Einstein is an illustrious role model for Chinese intellectuals, especially for physicists,
who advocate the universal principle of human rights.
, Andrew M.
Sessler: The Symposium, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, March 15, 2003
http://mafurman.lbl.gov/sesslerevent/symposiumtalks/Lerch.pdf
Event timeline: history, human rights; issues in Science and human rights; APS
programs: letter campaigns. The role of Science in collecting and evaluating evidence
of human rights abuses. Truth and reconciliation commissions. Tracking the truth and
culprits with chemistry, molecular biology, physical anthropology, physics and
mathematics.
American Physical Society, Human Rights website
http://www.aps.org/programs/international/rights/
Juan Gallardo and Michele Irwin, Newsletter
of the APS Forum on International Physics, May 2013
http://www.aps.org/units/fip/newsletters/201302/aaas.cfm
An overview and history of the AAAS Science and Human Rights Coalition and the
American Physical
Herman Winick Newsletter of the APS Forum on
International Physics, February 2012
http://www.aps.org/units/fip/newsletters/201202/winick.cfm
APS News
May 2012: http://www.aps.org/publications/apsnews/201205/cifs.cfm
August/September 2012:
http://www.aps.org/publications/apsnews/201205/cifs.cfm
January 2013: http://www.aps.org/publications/apsnews/201301/cfis2013.cfm
June 2013: http://www.aps.org/publications/apsnews/201306/cifsbriefs.cfm
American Institute
of Physics (AIP) Center for History of Physics http://www.aip.org/history/sakharov/
Andrew M. Sessler, Herman Winick Celebration,
Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, October 2, 2012,
http://ssrl.slac.stanford.edu/conferences/workshops/herman-winick-
80/documents/andrewsessler.pdf
, Michael Ramsey-Musolf,
American Physical Society March Meeting, February 28, 2012,
http://home.physics.wisc.edu/~mjrm/PPT/APS%20Spring%2012v2.pdf
Presented by Kurt Gottfried & Sheila Jasanoff
December 12, 2011 http://techtv.mit.edu/videos/16003-science-policy-politics-and-human-
rights
Suggestions regarding the listings for physics and human rights may be sent to Michele Irwin
at [email protected] or to Juan Gallardo at [email protected].
Political Science
Landman, Todd. (2006). Studying Human Rights. New York: Routledge.
There is now a recognized need for systematic social scientific research and
analysis to expand knowledge about the promotion and protection of human
rights. Human rights practices provide evidentiary base upon which social
scientific analysis can take place. This book draws from the extant international
law of human rights.
Mitchell, Neil J and James M. McCormick. (1988). and Political Explanations of
Human Rights World Politics 40: 476-498.
In international comparisons of countries authors find that countries that are
economically better off are more likely to adhere to human rights standards.
Psychiatry/Orthopsychiatry
The entries in orthopsychiatry reflect the breadth of the discipline. Orthopsychiatry is
concerned with mental health and social justice, with an emphasis on the relationships
and social systems that promote positive development (e.g., family, school, and
community contexts). The entries highlight the importance of meaningful participation
in community life as a cornerstone of human rights. They also reflect orthopsychiatry's
historic focus on vulnerable populations, especially children and adolescents, who may
require extra protection in order to access their rights. The authors are previous human
rights award winners or fellows of the American Orthopsychiatric Association.
Lawrence-Lightfoot, S. (2012). Respect: On witness and justice. American Journal of
Orthopsychiatry, 82(3), 447-454.
Lawrence-Lightfoot examines the importance of mutual respect, which creates
symmetry, empathy, and curiosity, in creating authentic relationships and
inclusive communities that promote rights. Historic understandings of respect
based on habit or law can lead to relationships that are static, hierarchical, or
constraining, whereas real respect should be grounded in individual reciprocity
and engagement.
Levesque, J. R. P. (2007). Adolescents, media, and the law: What developmental science
reveals and free speech requires. New York, NY: Oxford University Press.
Levesque synthesizes research about the effects of free media on adolescent
development, with a focus on controversial topics, including: sexuality, violence,
smoking, and body image. He discusses how these research findings can inform
standards for the regulation of free speech to protect youth development and
human rights.
McLeigh, J. D., & Sianko, N. (2011). What should be done to promote mental health
around the world? American Journal of Orthopsychiatry, 81(1), 83-89.
McLeigh and Sianko point out that few countries devote resources to the
promotion of mental health, and people with mental disorders are especially
vulnerable to serious human rights abuses. The authors discuss directions for
policy that would promote the right to dignity for all people, including the
availability, accessibility, and acceptability of mental health services.
Melton, G. B.
(Eds.), Globalization and children: Exploring potentials for enhancing opportunities in
the lives of children and youth. New York, NY: Kluwer Academic/Plenum.
Melton explores interdisciplinary perspectives on global changes that affect the
everyday lives of children. Historically, children have been excluded from
research about globalization and democratization, and recommendations for
interventions and policies that would promote child well-being are discussed.
Melton, G. B. (2010). all about relationships! The psychology of human rights.
American Journal of Orthopsychiatry, 80(2), 161-169.
Melton discusses universality in international human rights law, and points out
that neither immaturity nor disability should diminish respect for children. He
argues that individual rights lack meaning without social context, and special
care should be taken to protect family and community relationships, which
nurture and protect children and provide a foundation for personality and
dignity. To preserve and enhance personal autonomy, all children, including
those with disabilities, should be given opportunities for full and effective
participation in community life.
Torney-Purta, J., & Barber, C. (2011). Fostering young support for participatory
human rights through their developmental niches. American Journal of Orthopsychiatry,
81(4), 437-481.
Torney-Purta and Barber focus on the cross-national connections between youth civic
engagement and the recognition of international human rights. They examine the
ways in which everyday settings, such as school and neighborhood niches, foster
support for participatory human rights among young people. The authors argue that
research on social justice attitudes among adolescents is a valuable form of social
action, which can influence policies and programs that support human rights.
Suggestions regarding the listings for psychiatry/orthopsychiatry and human rights may be
sent to Liepa Boberiene at [email protected] or to Brad Hornback at
Psychology
The entries in psychology mainly reflect three concerns. First, entries were selected on the
psychology of support for human rights (e.g. psychological ethnocentrism and human rights
support). Second, entries on major features in human psychology that can contribute to
human rights abuses (e.g. psychic numbing, dehumanization) are included. Third, entries
were selected on the psychology of recovery from major violations of human rights (e.g.,
therapy for torture survivors, reconciliation within societies following war, genocide, or other
massive human rights abuses).
American Psychological Association website on human rights:
http://www.apa.org/topics/human-rights/
representations in a cross- European Journal of Social Psychology 29: 1-29.
A questionnaire study using the 30 Articles of the Universal Declaration of Human
Rights was conducted in 35 countries. The existence of a shared meaning system
concerning the 30 articles in different countries was demonstrated. Individual
attitudes toward the whole set of rights were proven to be highly consistent.
Finkel, N. J. & Moghaddam, F M. (2005). The psychology of rights and duties: Empirical
contributions and normative commentaries. Washington, D.C.: American Psychological
Association
This collection contains empirical and conceptual contributions from international
psychologists, aiming to advance our understanding of human rights and duties. It
includes chapters on measuring human rights attitudes, cross-cultural comparisons,
developmental perspectives, and philosophical explorations, as well as legal
perspectives and normative commentaries.
Haslam, N. (2006). Dehumanization: an integrative review. Personality and Social Psychology
Review, 10, 252-264.
to deny the full humanness of others, particularly of outgroups. Dehumanization is a
basic source of the willingness to abuse human rights.
McFarlane, C. A. & Kaplan, I. (2012). Evidence-based psychological interventions for adult
survivors of torture and trauma: A 30-year review. Transcultural Psychiatry, 49, 539-567.
The authors provide a comprehensive review of all forty identified scientific studies of
the effects of psychological therapies for survivors of torture and trauma (e.g.,
refugees from ethnic violence). Victims were diagnosed with Post-Traumatic Stress
improvements on at
Concept and Psychological Construct. Current Directions in Psychological Science, 22, 194-
198.
reports that this belief is a major psychological root of concern for human rights.
McFarland, S. (2010). Personality and support for universal human rights: A review and test
of a structural model. Journal of Personality, 78, 1735-1763.
The major personality factors that influence support for human rights either
negatively (e.g., ethnocentrism, the authoritarian personality, the social dominance
empathy, principled moral reasoning) are reviewed. The structural relations between
these predictors are tested for two samples.
Pillay, Navi (2012, July). Psychology Serving Humanity. Keynote address at the 30th
International Congress of Psychology, Capetown.
From her perspective as the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Ms. Pillay
discusses ways that psychology can advance human rights. Psychology and human
rights are naturally linked, as both have the aim of advancing human wellbeing.
Psychologists can advance human rights by helping prevent human rights abuses,
treating victims of abuse, combatting racism and xenophobia, exploring links between
psychological health and human rights, and respecting human rights in their
professional practice.
Prentice, D. (2012). The psychology of norms and the promotion of human rights. In R.
Goodman, D. Jinks, & A. K. Woods (Eds.), Understanding social action, promoting
human rights. New York: Oxford University Press.
Prentice draws on the psychology of social norms to suggest ways to reduce human
rights abuses and to advance human rights generally. Research is reviewed on the
perception and misperception of social norms, ways in which undesirable norms (e.g.,
female genital mutilation) may be weakened and desirable ones (e.g.
nondiscrimination) strengthened. Speculations are offered on the relationship
between international human rights norms and the policies of governments.
Rosenzweig, M. R. (1988). Psychology and United Nations human rights efforts. American
Psychologist, 2, 79-86.
The author reviews links between human rights and the American Psychological
Association (APA). The author summarizes, in turn, the development of human rights
from the Universal Declaration of Human Rights to the late-1980s, eight specific
activities the APA has taken to promote human rights, statements in international
human rights instruments that are particularly relevant for psychology, and further
actions APA could take to fulfill its 1987 resolution on human rights, which declared
that "the discipline of psychology, and the academic and professional activities of
psychologists, are relevant for securing and maintaining human rights".
Slovic, P., Västfjäll, D., & Gregory, R. (2013) Informing decisions to prevent genocide. SAIS
Review, 32, 33-48.
to the devaluation of human lives when many lives are at stake, and how these
processes can lead both the public and political leaders to neglect genocide and other
forms of mass suffering. Decision analysis processes are proposed to help overcome
this psychic numbing.
Slovic, P., Zionts, D., Woods, A.K., Goodman, R., & Jinks, D. (2013). Psychic numbing and
mass atrocity. In Eldar Shafir (Ed). The Behavioral Foundations of Public Policy. Princeton,
NJ., Princeton University Press.
In this further consideration of psychic numbing (to the article cited above), several
processes are proposed (e.g., pre-commitment and early warning strategies, revised
indicators of human rights violations, etc.) that can help international institutions
Staub, E. (2011). Overcoming evil: Genocide, violent conflict, and terrorism. New York: Oxford
University Press.
Overcoming Evil offers a comprehensiv
mass killing, entrenched violent conflict, and terrorism. Staub deduces lessons from
real-world examples (the Holocaust, Rwanda, Northern Ireland, etc.), while also
extrapolating from relevant psychological research. The first of section reviews the
complex cultural, sociological and psychological factors that lead to evil (e.g., difficult
life conditions, totalistic ideologies, devaluation of out-groups, the silence of
bystanders). The second discusses the prevention of evil and processes of
reconciliation that must follow mass violence. Staub proposes steps that can be taken
to prevent this violence from erupting (e.g., training leaders to recognize the signs of
danger, the involvement of the international community). Reconciliation requires
establishing justice, healing deep psychological wounds, and developing a shared
history, superordinate identity and constructive vision of the future.
Staub, E. (2006). Reconciliation after genocide, mass killing, or intractable conflict:
Understanding the roots of violence, psychological recovery, and steps toward a general
theory. Political Psychology, 27, 867-894.
Reconciliation following mass violence is essential to prevent the later resumption of
violence, which commonly occurs. Based on his own work in Rwanda following its
1994 genocide (including controlled group research), Staub presents an overview of
approaches (e.g., approaches to healing the trauma experienced by both survivors
contact, etc.).
Viki, G. T., Osgood, D., & Phillips, S (2013). Dehumanization and self-reported proclivity to
torture prisoners of war. Journal of Experimental Social Psychology, 40, 725-725.
Continuing research on dehumanization of outgroups, this study found that a
willingness to torture members of an outgroup (Muslims in this study) was a function
of the interaction between perceived threat of the outgroup and the decree to which
the outgroup was rated as less human than the ingroup (Christians).
Legal and Criminological
Psychology 13: 209-218.
Explores the core values associated with human rights and suggest that one of their
primary functions is to protect the internal and externa
agency and their pursuit of better lives. This is relevant for therapeutic jurisprudence,
and the rights of detained persons.
Suggestions regarding the listings for psychology and human right may be sent to Sam
McFarland at [email protected].
Social Sciences
Goodman, Ryan, Jinks, Derek & Woods, Andrew K. (Eds.) (2012). Understanding social
action, promoting human rights. New York: Oxford University Press.
Scholars from various social sciences and law discuss how recent empirical research
across the social sciences might be used to promote human rights. Impediments to
applying this research are discussed, as are possible misapplications that might
impede rather than advance human rights.
Landman, Todd. (2006). Studying Human Rights. New York: Routledge.
Landman offers a systematic synthesis of social scientific research and analysis to
expand knowledge about the promotion and protection of human rights. Human
rights practices provide evidentiary base upon which social scientific analysis can
take place. Landman draws examples from the extant international law of human
rights.
Suggestions regarding the listings for social science and human rights may be sent to Sam
McFarland at [email protected] or to Bruce Friesen at [email protected].
Social Science Methodology
Asher, Jana, David Banks and Fritz J. Schueren, editors. (2007). Statistical Methods for Human Rights.
Springer.
Statistics is central to the modern perspective on human rights. It allows researchers to
measure the effect of health care policies, the penetration of educational opportunity, and
progress towards gender equality. Non-governmental organizations need statistics to build
cases, conduct surveys, and target their efforts. This book describes the statistics that
underlie the social science research in human rights and is intended as an introduction to
applied human rights research.
Ball, Patrick. (1996). Who Did What to Whom? Planning and Implementing a Large Scale
Human Rights Data Project. Washington, DC: AAAS.
Ball describes how to design and develop information systems for human rights
projects. He presents the criteria involved in data collection, data processing,
database design, analytic reports, and the kinds of personnel and technology
necessary.
Ball, Patrick, Herbert F. Spirer, and Louise Spirer, editors. (2000). Making the Case:
Investigating Large Scale Human Rights Violations Using Information Systems and Data
Analysis. Washington, DC: AAAS.
The contributors to this volume explain how information systems and data analysis
were developed to assist human rights commissions in El Salvador, Haiti, and South
Africa. There is particular focus on technical assistance provided to the Guatemalan
Commission for Historical Clarification.
Grossm New Scientist 177: 48.
Presents an interview with Patrick Ball, then deputy director of the AAAS Science and
Human Rights Program. Ball spent 12 years in designing software that turns
information on human rights abuses into databases that can be used worldwide.
Sriram, Chandra Lekha, John C. King, Julie A. Mertus, Olga Martin-Ortega, and Johanna
Herman, editors. (2009). Surviving Field Research: Working in Violent and Difficult
Situations. Routledge.
This is a guide for researchers on the practical and ethical challenges of conducting
qualitative field research into human rights abuses while working under difficult
circumstances.
Sociology
Sociologists use social scientific methods to investigate collective sentiments and practices
(i.e. culture), and the formation and impact of formal rules and regulations (i.e. social
structure) created and maintained by groups. A variety of qualitative and quantitative data
collection techniques are used, since groups vary in size, composition, duration, and
formalization. Readings in this section illustrate the diversity of method and focus as
pertaining to human rights. The last reading, by Buroway, t
science as a social construct, arguing instead for a public sociology that ultimately improves
social life.
William T. Armaline, Davita Silfen Glasberg, and Bandana Purkayastha (Eds.). Human Rights
in Our Own Backyard: Injustice and Resistance in the United States. (Philadelphia: University
of Pennsylvania Press, 2011).
With a view to introducing cutting-edge thinking on the sociology of human rights to a
US audience, this collection covers the full range of human rights, from civil and
political rights to economic rights to cultural rights and beyond. In addition, it
contains a section on women's rights and a section on the role of resistance
movements in generating new demands for human rights.
Blau, Judith and Mark Frezzo (eds.) 2011. Sociology and Human Rights: A Bill of Rights for the
Twenty-First Century. Sage.
This volume uses sociological theories and methods to illuminate debates on and
struggles over human rights in the contemporary world. In exploring the paradoxical
status of the United States as a both a leader and an outlier in human rights, the book
proposes a renovation of the Constitution in light of changing international norms on
human rights. Covering a range of topics--including civil and political rights, economic
and social rights, cultural rights, environmental rights, citizenship, the rights of
immigrants, the rights of vulnerable persons, children's rights, and the globalization
of human rights--this anthology introduces readers to the major issues in the field of
human rights.
Brunsma, David, Keri Iyall Smith, Brian Gran (eds.). (2012). Handbook of Sociology and
Human Rights. Paradigm.
The Handbook contains dozens of chapters which analyze the implications of a
human rights framework on both theory and method in virtually every major sub-
discipline of Sociology. Insightful and comprehensive in scope. Chapter authors are
contemporary leaders in their field.
Brunsma, David, Keri Iyall Smith, Mark Frezzo (eds.). 2012. Special Issue of Societies
Without Borders: Human Rights and the Social Sciences. Societies Without Borders
7:4. http://societieswithoutborders.com/2012/12/20/volume-7-issue-4/
Contributors to the special collection reflect upon the development and meaning of
social sciences without borders, with a special emphasis on Sociology. Authors
consider how human rights-oriented social scientists reconcile their concern for
scientific rigor with their commitment to changing the world. The article by Friesen,
Frezzo, and Gran analyzes activities in the AAAS Science and Human Rights Coalition.
Majidi, M., Dehsiri, M. (2009). The Right of All Nations to Access Science, New Technologies
and Sustainable Development. International Social Science Journal, 6:197/198, p 455-465.
The authors reflect on the right of developing countries to science and technology,
and advocate for approaches that make micro-macro linkages and ensure individual
and national rights to science, technology, and sustainable development.
Burawoy, Michael. (2005). Third Wave Sociology and the End of Pure Science. American
Sociologist, 36:3/4, p152-165.
a response to the early development of American sociology. This response, Burawoy
suggests, has since been transcended by a critical sociology that challenges
unconstrained market expansion. Though not mentioned explicitly by Burawoy, the
sociology of human rights is embedded in public sociology.
Suggestions regarding the listings for sociology and human rights may be sent to Bruce
Friesen at [email protected].
Statistics
American Statistical Society Committee on Scientific Freedom and Human Rights:
http://www.amstat.org/committees/commdetails.cfm?txtComm=CCNPRO05
Chance 23, no. 2.
This is a relatively non-technical report of conducting human rights surveys in
countries at risk, describing both physical and statistical obstacles.
Asher, Banks and Scheuren, eds., Statistical Methods for Human Rights, Springer, 2007.
This is a collection of articles on the applications of statistics to human rights work.
Some are completely accessible to a lay person while others are more technical. They
cover genocide, disappearances, war casualties, refugees, and the use of statistics in
the International Criminal Court and measuring progress toward the Millennium
Development Goals.
Ball an Chance 15, 17-24 (2002).
This a more detailed and up-to-date report on statistics in the ICC, written largely in
lay terms.
Ball, Scheuren, Seltzer and Spire -system estimates of the number of political
k ASA Proceedings in Social Statistics, 156-160 (1999).
The title describes this work, but not for the faint-of-statistics heart.
-
sectional Cluster The Lancet 368, 1421-1428 (2006).
This is the article that created enormous controversy because of the methodology and
the very high mortality estimates it reports. The details are technical, but the gist of
the work is accessible to non-statisticians. It represents a follow-up to the previous
Lancet article listed below.
Journal of the American Statistical Association 92, 1256-1267 (1997).
This is interesting because of its use of Bayesian techniques in a difficult population
estimate exercise. It is quite technical, but does give a good description of just way
the problem is so difficult.
Guzmán, Speaking Stats to Justice: Expert Testimony in a Guatemalan Human Rights Trial
Based on Statistical Sampling Chance, September 2011.
This is a relatively non-technical description of how sampling was used to provide
evidence in the trial of human rights violators.
Averaging for Multiple Systems Estimation: A Case Study on Lethal Violations in Casanare,
1998- Statistics, Politics, and Policy, 1, Article 2, 2010.
This is a highly technical but absorbing study of capturing important human rights
information.
Invasion of Iraq: Cl The Lancet 364, 1857-1864 (2004).
This is the first of two articles on mortality relating to the Iraq war. The survey here
was done immediately after the invasion when conditions in Iraq were relatively
amenable to such work.
Population (English edition) 60, 331-368 (2005).
This study is relatively non-technical; it addresses unsettled issues about the extent
and character of the genocide.
Suggestions regarding the listings for statistics and human rights may be sent to Ali Arab at
Right to Benefits of Science (Article 15)
Understanding of the Right to Enjoy the Benefits of
Journal of Human Rights 8(1): 1-36.
Chapman reviews the right to the benefits of scientific progress in international
human rights law and its historical background. She considers the human rights
principles relevant to a human rights approach to the benefits of science and what it
means to respect the freedom indispensable for scientific research. Chapman also
explores the obligations to respect, to protect, and to fulfill in relationship to the
conservation, development, and diffusion of science.
Core Obligations: Building a Framework for
Economic, Social, and Cultural Rights, Intersentia, pp. 249-278.
Claude examines aspects of the history of Article 15 and reflects on what a minimum
core content of the right to the benefits of scientific progress might entail. He also
argues for dev
economic, social, and cultural rights in order to build a framework to assess the
parameters of science-related rights.
ientific and
Human Rights
in Education, Science and Culture: Legal Developments and Challenges, UNESCO/Ashgate,
pp 273-308.
Schabas describes the drafting process for Article 27 in the Universal Declaration of
Human Rights and for Article 15 of the International Covenant. He argues that the right
to the benefits of scientific progress necessarily interacts with other rights, such as
the right to health and food, but that defining this right had been neglected until
debates over intellectual property rights began to recognize its importance.
Wyndham, Jessica. (December 10, 2008).
SciDev.net.
Wyndham argues, among other things, that scientists and scientific associations
should play a leading role in defining the right to the benefits of scientific progress by
considering how this right applies to their work, research, training, and teaching.
Right to Food
Committee on Economic, Social, and Cultural Rights. (May 12, 1995).
U.N. Doc. E/C.12/1999/5.
Food and Human Rights in
Development. Intersentia, pp. 425-460.
Haugen examines the impact of the TRIPS Agreement of the World Trade Organization
upon the capabilities of states to implement their obligations to ensure the
fundamental right to food and the freedom from hunger.
Kent, George, editor. (2008). Global Obligations for the Right to Food. Lanham, MD: Rowman
& Littlefield.
While governments have primary obligations for assuring the realization of the right
to food for people under their jurisdiction, we are all responsible in some measure.
This book explores the various actions that should be undertaken by governments,
nongovernmental organizations, and individuals.
Kunneman, Rolf and Sandra Epal-Ratjen. (2004). The Right to Food: A Resource Manual for
NGOs. AAAS, 120 pp.
A resource manual for NGOs commissioned from FIAN International (FoodFirst
Information and Action Network) by AAAS and HURIDOCS with funding from the Ford
Foundation and the UK Department of International Development.
Right to Health
Claude, Richard Pierre and Wissel B. Issel. (1998). the
Universal Declaration of Human Rights, Health and Human Rights 3(2): 127-142.
The authors describe the debates and diverse perspectives of United Nations
representatives responsible for formulating Article 25 (relating to health and medical
care) and 27 (relating to science) of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. These
articles supply important normative guidelines for human rights and public health
policy. UN representatives agreed that scientists deserve freedom in their work, but
modified Article 27 by adding that the general public should share in the benefits of
science.
Farmer, Paul. (1999). American
Journal of Public Health 89(10): 1486-1496.
social and economic inequities that determine who will be at risk for
assaults and who will be shielded. He advances an agenda for research and action
grounded in the struggle for social and economic rights, an agenda suited to public
health and medicine.
Faunce
The Journal of
Law, Medicine & Ethics 35(4): 629-642.
Faunce analyzes the normative challenges posed by nanotechnology, such as: the risk
approved and aggressively marketed directly to consumers, the high cost of
l public health
improvements, and the risk of ubiquitous intrusions in private life through far more
efficient nanotechnology surveillance equipment for emergent infectious disease and
bioterrorist threats.
Gruskin, S., E. Mills, and D. Tarantola. (2007).
The Lancet, 370(9585): 449-455.
Individuals and populations suffer violations of their rights that affect health and
wellbeing. Health professionals have a part to play in reduction and prevention of
these violations and ensuring that health-related policies and practices promote
rights. Authors discuss the changing views of human rights in the context of the
HIV/AIDS epidemic and propose further development of the right to health by
increased practice, evidence, and action.
-opting the health and human rights
The Journal of Law, Medicine & Ethics 30(4): 705-715.
The authors argue that the health and human rights rhetoric is susceptible to being
co-opted by industry opponents of public health initiatives. For example, they argue
that opponents have co-opted the human rights language in battles over tobacco and
gun control policy to the detriment of desirable public health goals. They discuss the
limits to embedding human rights in law and argue that a more effective strategy
might be to organize public health social movements.
Mann, Health and human rights British Medical Journal 312(7036):
924-925.
Editorial discusses the current health and human rights movement. The world of
health and human rights has moved away from simplistic assumptions about a
necessary conflict between public health goals and human rights norms.
The Journal of Law, Medicine & Ethics 30(4): 739-754.
This commentary surveys the papers in this issue both to take stock of the health and
human rights movement and to engage the authors in a dialogue on the
interconnectedness and mutually reinforcing character of health and human rights in
research on AIDS and other diseases, the international economy, the role of law, and
measuring human rights performance.
Singh, J. A., M. Govendar, and E. Mills. (2007). The
Lancet 370(9586): 521-527.
Legal instruments and litigation as a way to enforce the rights to life and to health is a
relatively new strategy that is increasingly common. We show how legal measures
have been used to attain health and human rights with case examples from India and
South Africa that resulted in large public-health benefits.
the Journal of Public Health Policy 29: 42-53.
This article examines the emergence of human rights and the rise of health on the
international development agenda as the Cold War was ending. It highlights the
convergence of health and human rights in academic and public discourse since the
end of the Cold War in a context of political and economic shifts linked to the ongoing
economic globalization.
Right to Housing
termath of Natural
International Journal of Refugee
Law 20: 432-468.
Barber considers the applicability of human rights law (specifically economic, social
and cultural rights) in the aftermath of a natural disaster. She discusses the right to
housing and the obligations of countries to fulfill this right in the course of responding
to a disaster, drawing on examples from the Indian Ocean tsunami (2004), the
Pakistan earthquake (2005) and the South Asian floods (2007).
Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights. (Dec. 12, 1991).
U.N. Doc. E/1992/23 annex III at 114.
Right to Water
Bluemel, Erik B. (2005). Ecology
Law Quarterly 31:957.
The human right to water is not fully defined by current international law or practice,
but it has been protected as necessary to secure other human rights, such as the
rights to health, well-being and life. State obligations to this right depend upon which
human right a right to water is found to support or whether the human right to water
is found to be a separate and independent human right from other rights.
Committee on Economic, Social, and Cultural Rights. (November 26, 2002).
U.N.Doc E/C.12/2002/11.
Identifying and Addressing Violations of the Human Right to
Water: Applying the Human Rights Approach
Provides an introduction that describes the right to water and criteria to identify and
address violations of the right to water in specific situations.
Hardberger, Amy. (2005).
Human Right and the D North Western Journal of
International Human Rights 4:331.
Hardberger demonstrates the need to establish water as a human right and thereby
raise the right to water to the status of customary law.
Hardberger, Amy. (2006).
Texas International Law Journal 41:533.
Harberger analyzes the consequences for governments if the human right to water
becomes an accepted norm of international law. She expands the traditional notion
that a human right is enforceable by a citizen against her government by investigating
intra-governmental responsibilities in different situations.
Scanlon, John, et. al. (2004). IUCN environmental policy and law
paper, no. 51.
Explores the benefits and content of a right to water. Asks what mechanisms would be
required for effective implementation of a right to water and whether the duty to
realize the right should be placed solely on governments alone or also be borne by
private actors.
Rights of Scientists
Chemical & Engineering News 81(47): 21-24.
Schulz reports on networks of scientists and scientific societies that come to the aid
of imperiled colleagues in securing human rights. He discusses how these networks
are formalized at most major scientific societies, such as the American Chemical
Society, which monitor and address scientific freedom and human rights worldwide.
Chemical & Engineering News 74(22): 36.
Scientists have long wrestled with the issues of what they can and should do to
help colleagues around the world whose human rights are being violated. This article
discusses the efforts of the Committee on Human Rights (CHR) sponsored jointly by
the National Academy of Sciences, the National Academy of Engineering, and the
Institute of Medicine.
Ethics
The Journal of Law, Medicine & Ethics 32(4): 658-663.
American bioethics can be reborn as an effective force for promoting both health and
human rights by recognizing its common historical roots with international human
rights in World War II, especially the Nuremberg tribunals and the Universal
Declaration of Human Rights. Bioethics, health law, and human rights are all members
of a globalized human rights community that takes individual rights, the right to
The
American Journal of International Law 100(1): 164-179.
Cambridge
Quarterly of Healthcare Ethics 10(3): 241-252.
Bioethics and human rights were conceived in the aftermath of the Holocaust, when
moral outrage
Originally, the principles of bioethics were a means for protecting human rights, but
through a historical accident, bioethical principles came to be considered as
fundamental. Baker urges reconciliation of bioethics and human rights.
Beyrer, Chris and E. K. Nancy (2002).
The Lancet 360(9328): 246.
Authors argue that researchers should determine whether research could or should
be done by consulting human rights organisations and, when possible, a trusted
colleague, to learn the background political context and human rights conditions of
the settings in which they propose to do research.
Cameron, Nigel M. de S., and Anna V. Henderson. (2008)
Assembly: The United Minnesota Journal of Law,
Science & Technology 9(1):145-238.
The authors discuss how debate on human cloning, held during the United Nations
General Assembly between 2000 and 2004, divided the United States and the United
Kingdom, but sparked a coalition of developing world states with the Bush
Administration.
Journal of Medical Ethics 31:173-178.
Author discusses whether the process involved in the drafting of a Universal Bioethics
Declaration would facilitate bioethics and, in particular, medical ethics, being
subsumed by the normative system of international human rights.
Langlois, Adele. (2008).
Health Care Analysis 16:39-51.
In October 2005, UNESCO adopted the Universal Declaration on Bioethics and Human
Rights. As a non-binding instrument, the declaration must be incorporated by
take effect. Based on documentary evidence and data from interviews, this paper
practice in Kenya and South Africa.
Theological Studies 69(1): 144-163.
The AIDS pandemic has focused renewed attention on the relationship between the
promotion of health and the protection of human rights. Recent work by Paul Farmer
and others challenges bioethics to address urgent questions of global health equity
not only on the level of method but in the form of strategic partnerships with the most
vulnerable populations. This article highlights both the promise and the limits of a
human rights framework for bioethics.
Stover, Eric and Harvey Weinstein (2001). Cambridge
Quarterly of Healthcare Ethics 10(3): 335.
Public health and human rights are complementary and, at times, conflicting
approaches to protecting and promoting human well-being and dignity. Public health
addresses the needs of populations and seeks, through intervention and education,
to prevent the spread of disease. Human rights describe the obligations of
governments to safeguard their citizenry from harm and to create conditions where
each individual can achieve his or her full potential. Human rights norms lie at the
core of public health theory and practice, and their enforcement can help to ensure an
equitable distribution of health resources.
The Journal of Law,
Medicine & Ethics 25(4): 295-306.
Noting how the spread of medical technology is creating clashes with traditional
values and within cultures, Thomasma addresses the clash between Western rights-
based incentives, as used by the UN to guarantee respect for life and dignity, and
communitarian traditions. A mean between wholesale cultural relativism and
international absolutism is proposed.
Education
A Comparative Approach to Human Rights Education Education
and Society, 24: 87-97.
Willems explores human rights education today in the United States and how, in a
time of changing international power dynamics, a comparative approach to complex
human rights stories can facilitate meaningful learning. She argues that teaching
about human rights in a comparative framework is a powerful educational tool that
promotes critical thinking skills and civic competence.
Environment
Environmental
Politics 17(4): 536-555.
Derman, Bill and Anne Ferguson. (1995).
Human Ecology: An Interdisciplinary
Journal 23: 125-142.
Examines how the linked processes of economic development, political power and
environmental change are transgressing the rights of fishing communities on the
shores of Lake Malawi in Africa. Nature of political ecology; Political and economic
status of Malawi; Eviction of Mdulumanja fishing community.
Johnston, Barbara Rose. (1995). Human Ecology: An
Interdisciplinary Journal 23: 111-123.
Introduction to issue of Human Ecology that focuses on the interrelated nature of
crisis in human and environmental systems and argues that the right to a healthy
environment is a fundamental human right.
Kalin, Walter and Claudine Haenni Dale. (2008). Why Human Rights
Forced Migration Review 31: 38-39.
Examines deaths due to natural disasters as human rights violations of the state.
Ryan, Maura A
Environmental Health Research Environmental Health Perspectives 114(10): 1613-1616.
A human rights paradigm for environmental health research incorporates support for
community-based, participatory research and takes seriously the social
responsibilities of researchers. A human rights approach may be better able than
conventional bioethics to address the unique issues that arise in the context of
pediatric environmental health research, particularly the place of environmental
justice standards in research.
Climate Change and Human Rights Development 51: 332-337.
Sachs makes the case that cuts in fossil fuel use are imperative not only to protect the
atmosphere but also to protect human rights.
United Nations Human Rights Council. (2009).
UN Press Release, 15 June 2009.
Intellectual Property
Chapman, Audrey R. (2000).
UN Doc. E/C. 12/2000/12, 3 October 2000.
Chapman warns that unless human rights advocates provide an adequate
counterweight to economic interests, the intellectual property landscape will be
reshaped without adequate consideration of the impact on human rights.
Green, Maria. (2000).
Economic, Social and Cul UN Doc. E/C. 12/2000/15, 9 October 2000.
Green carefully analyzes the historical language and meanings behind the drafting of
Article 15 in the late 1940s and early 1940. She observes that the drafters did not
appear to deeply consider the difficult balance between public needs and private
rights when it comes to intellectual property.
The Journal of Law, Medicine & Ethics 30(4): 621-631.
Authors presents evidence of the impact of patents on health and access to medicine
using South Africa, Brazil, and Thailand as case studies. Intellectual property law as
and therefore of who has access to what drugs. An argument is made to support the
precedence of human rights, such as the right to health, over intellectual property
rights.
Journal of
Medical Ethics 34(11): E25.
The International Bill of Rights enshrines a right to health, which includes a right to
access essential medicines. This right frequently appears to conflict with the
intellectual property regime that governs pharmaceutical patents. However, there is
also a human right that protects creative works, including scientific productions.
Millum examines an attempt by the Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural
Rights to resolve this issue.
Sheremeta, Lorraine and Bartha Maria Knoppers. (2003).
genetics and benefit- Health Law Journal 11: 89-117.
Views on intellectual property protection differ substantially between the North and
the South. The South tends to view the accumulation of intellectual property on
human genetic material as antithetical to their world-view. The industrialized North
tends to favour strong intellectual property protection and a broad interpretation of
pat
utilized intellectual property to protect non-human biological materials. This
perceived dichotomy may be over-exaggerated as demonstrated by the more nuanced
position adopted
University of California Davis Law Review 40: 1039-1149.
Yu provides a brief history of the drafting of article 27(2) of the UDHR and article
15(1)(c) of the ICESCR. He recaptures the politically-charged environment under which
the two instruments were created and the controversy surrounding the protection of
moral and material interests in intellectual creations. He then discusses the various
attributes of intellectual property rights that are protected by international or regional
human rights instruments and explores approaches that have been used to resolve
conflicts between human rights and the non-human rights aspects of intellectual
property protection.
Further Resources (online)
AAAS Scientific Responsibility, Human Rights and Law Program, Publications
AAAS Scientific Responsibility, Human Rights and Law Program, Resources on Article 15
American Medical Student Association, Health and Human Rights Resource List
Health and Human Rights Journal. Many articles are available online via collaboration with
JSTOR.
Human Rights Education Association
Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA), Human Rights Collection. (Subscription
required.)
United Nations Documents
University of Minnesota, Human Rights Library. More than 65,000 documents.
