Advocating Dignity

This book examines the development and impact of the global human rights movement since 1945, highlighting key case studies and grassroots advocacy. Advocating Dignity provides a rich historical context.

The book Advocating Dignity offers a comprehensive historical account of the global human rights revolution, tracing its emergence, development, and profound impact since 1945. Jean H. Quataert utilizes graphic case studies from diverse global contexts to illustrate the hopes and challenges that have shaped international and domestic relations over the decades. By examining these struggles, the narrative reveals how human rights advocacy has become a critical force in the political landscape.

In Advocating Dignity, Quataert intricately weaves together local mobilizations for rights with the evolution of a formal international rights monitoring system, particularly through the United Nations. She posits that grassroots efforts have been fundamental to shaping postwar human rights, embodying the principle of 'Think globally, act locally.' This perspective emphasizes the importance of local individuals and organizations in reinforcing the U.N. system, illustrating how daily advocacy work is interconnected with broader international efforts.

Quataert further contextualizes the historical trajectory of human rights advocacy by analyzing significant movements, including the Soviet dissident movement, the mothers' demonstrations in Argentina, the antiapartheid campaign, and coalitions for gender and economic justice. Drawing from various academic disciplines, Advocating Dignity serves as an innovative exploration of the hopes and struggles that have fundamentally altered the landscape of human rights over the past sixty years.