ABSTRACT
In the face of the post-liberal challenge, the future of human rights depends on a pragmatist reset: reconstructing the rights regime built on law and liberalism to more inclusive norms and participation based on the expanding practice of rights on the ground. The human rights idea and the mobilization it inspires are still one of the best responses and tools available to defend human dignity in a shifting global order. Despite the decline in state leadership and global institutions, a broadened and more responsive human rights practice is our best bet to confront global problems such as mass migration, environmental degradation, and economic inequality—because those problems are usually rooted in despotism, democratic deficits, gender inequity, and other structures of rights abuse. A refreshed rights repertoire can work to compensate for gaps, extend responsibilities, contest regression, and build bridging coalitions.
