ABSTRACT
This chapter focuses on the human rights agenda in the context of the Northern Ireland conflict in all its phases. The development of a human rights lexicon and legislation has been a slow and arduous process in all contexts but the process has been more fraught in divided societies which by their very nature render decision making and governance more complex. The chapter adopts a qualitative research methodology with a focus on the identification, collection and interpretation of primary documentary sources. This introduction also presents an overview of the key concepts discussed in the subsequent chapters of this book. The book provides the human rights framework which anchors the study; it explains the human rights concepts that are utilised throughout the study and outlines the chronology of the rise of human rights on the international plane. It examines how the civil rights period brought an unprecedented level of engagement with rights language and ideas in Northern Ireland.
