Part I Theoretical Foundations, Ch.4 Sociology of Human Rights

Subject(s):

Access to justice — Principle of legality — Development, right to — Citizenship — Right to social security — Equality before the law — Democracy — Women, rights — Rights of persons deprived of their liberty — Freedom of thought, conscience, and religion — Freedom from torture and cruel, inhuman, or degrading treatment — Neutrality and non-alignment — Boundaries — Sovereignty

This article examines the role of sociology in international human rights law. It discusses the relevant views of German sociologist Max Weber and considers the issues of human rights and citizenship rights. It describes the emergence of the sociology of human rights as a consequence of taking globalization seriously and highlights the failure of sociologists to address long-standing philosophical problems surrounding human rights. This article identifies a number of legitimate sociological areas of inquiry which include the social and political conditions that have produced the entitlements or juridical revolutions and the social movements that have fostered human rights developments.