Reality check - why a belief in human rights has never really been universal
Rear Vision — How History Shaped TodayShow Notes
Dictators and autocrats deride human rights as a “western concept” – think Vladamir Putin and Xi Jinping, among others. They reject the narrative that a global concern for individual freedoms has steadily grown since the end of WWII. What if they’re correct? At least partially so. What if international support for the ideal of universal human rights was never really as strong as it seemed? Could a reassessment of the history of human rights help us explain current threats to personal freedoms across the globe? Guests: Dr Alison Brysk – Distinguished Professor of Global Studies, University of California, Santa Barbara Dr Samuel Moyn – Professor of Law and History, Yale University Dr Barbara Keys – Professor of US History, Durham University Dr Jenna Reinbold – Associate Professor of Religion, Colgate University
More from Rear Vision — How History Shaped Today
The English language is dotted with expressions that betray a distrust of time – we talk of “racing against time” or we express a frustration that “time is not on our side”. In this episode of Rear Vision, we look at the history of time as a concept. Why time from the Industrial Revolution onwards became wedded to ideas of progress and productivity. And how at both a personal and societal level time became a means of constraint as much as organisation. Guests: Dr Adrian Bardon – Professor of Philosophy, Wake Forest University Dr Emily Thomas – Professor and Head of the Department of Philosophy, Durham University Dr Iwan Rhys Morus – Professor of History and Welsh History, Aberystwyth University Judith Shulevitz – American journalist, editor and culture critic Dr David Henkin – Professor of History, University of California, Berkeley Tom Greene – Atlanta-based syndicated columnist and podcaster
Depending on who you talk to the American Israel Lobby is either one of the most powerful forces in US politics or an anti-Semitic conspiracy theory. In this Rear Vision we explore the history and ask if the Israel Lobby exist? And if it does what impact it may have had on US politics and US foreign policy in the Middle East.
Once again communities in Central Africa are plagued by Ebola and the current outbreak shows no sign of being brought under control any time soon. What have medical researchers and practitioners learnt about the nature of the virus over its fifty-year history and just as importantly, how it’s spread? Given its deadly nature, why isn’t there more concern about the possibility of global transmission? Guests: Dr Holly Seale – Professor of Social Science, School of Population Health, University of New South Wales Dr Seth Judson - Assistant Professor-in-Residence, Division of Infectious Diseases, University of California Los Angelos Dr Paul Griffin – Professor of Infectious Diseases and Microbiology, University of Queensland
Drug trafficking across the Pacific. Why is it increasing and can it be stopped?
Separatist sentiments are stirring in the Canadian province of Alberta. Voters will soon cast their ballots in a referendum on whether to begin moves to formally separate from the rest of the nation. We look at the history of separatism in Canada and at the pernicious impact of foreign interference. Guests: Marcus Kolga - Director of DisinfoWatch. Senior fellow, Macdonald-Laurier Institute Robert Currie – King’s Counsel. Professor of Law, Schulich School of Law, Dalhousie University Randy Boissonnault - former Member of the Canadian Parliament for Edmonton Centre Dr Ryan Griffiths – Professor of Political Science, Syracuse University