Introduction

The controversies are of more than merely historical interest; they underlie and animate contemporary political battles over human rights and help structure this reader. The central themes developed in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights provide a useful path for navigating the major historical speeches, polemical writings, and legal documents. Each of the first five parts of this Reader corresponds to critical historical junctures in the development of human rights: The Origins: Secular, Asian, and Monotheistic Traditions; The Legacy of Early Liberalism and the Enlightenment; The Socialist Contribution and the Industrial Age; The Right to Self-Determination and the Imperial Age; and Human Rights in the Era of Globalization and Populism. Each of these parts is in turn divided into three sections. The first presents the new human rights claims of the period under consideration, the second reviews debates over acceptable ways to promote human rights, and the third addresses views on the inclusiveness of human rights.