By highlighting the institutional and socio-cultural context of human rights, this timely collection provides illuminating insights into the emergence and contemporary societal significance of human rights.

1. Making Human Rights Intelligible: An Introduction to a Sociology of Human Rights Mikael Rask Madsen and Gert Verschraegen PART I – SOCIOLOGICAL UNDERSTANDINGS OF HUMAN RIGHTS 2. State Building, Constitutional Rights and the Social Construction of Norms: Outline for a Sociology of Constitutions Chris Thornhill 3. Differentiation and Inclusion: A Neglected Sociological Approach to Fundamental Rights Gert Verschraegen 4. Beyond Prescription: Towards a Reflexive Sociology of Human Rights Mikael Rask Madsen 5. Human Rights between Brute Fact and Articulated Aspiration Paul Stenner 6. International Human Rights versus Democracy Promotion: On Two Different Meanings of Human Rights in US Foreign Policy Nicolas Guilhot 7. Towards a Socio-legal Analysis of the European Convention on Human Rights Steven Greer 8. In Defence of Societies Judith Blau and Alberto Moncada PART II – HUMAN RIGHTS AND THE TRANSFORMATION OF KEY INSTITUTIONS OF MODERN SOCIETY 9. From Citizenship to Human Rights to Human Rights Education Francisco O Ramirez and Rennie Moon 10. (Human) Rights and Solidarity: Restructuring the National Welfare Space Frederik Thuesen 11. Adapting Locally to International Health and Human Rights Standards: An Alternative Theoretical Framework for Progressive Realisation Lesley A Jacobs 12. 'Legal Form' and the Purchase of Human Rights Discourse in Domestic Policy-Making: The Achievement of Same-Sex Marriage in Canada Luke McNamara 13. Activating the Law: Exploring the Legal Responses of NGOs to Gross Rights Violations Loveday Hodson 14. The Complexities of Human Rights Implementation within the Costa Rican Police System Quirine Eijkman

This book provides an important sociological account of the development of international human rights.. Drawn from both sides of the Atlantic and adhering to refreshingly different theoretical orientations, the contributors to this volume show how sociology can develop our understanding of human rights. The book will be of interest to human rights scholars and sociologists of law.

Original research and theory on the relations between law, legal institutions and social processes. The volumes in this series are eclectic in their disciplines, methodologies and theoretical perspectives, but they all share a strong comparative emphasis. The volumes originate in workshops hosted by the Onati International Institute for the Sociology of Law. Founding Series Editors: William L F Felstiner Eve Darian-Smith Editorial Board: Carlos Lugo, Hostos Law School, Puerto Rico Jacek Kurczewski, Warsaw University, Poland Marie-Claire Foblets, Max Planck Institute for Social Anthropology, Germany Ulrike Schultz, Fern Universität, Germany