Contracting Human Rights: Crisis, Accountability and Opportunity

On January 27-28, the Governance & Human Rights Hub of the Orfalea Center for Global & International Studies held a highly successful workshop on human rights. The theme of this years workshop was Contracting Human Rights: Crisis, Accountability, and Opportunity.

This workshop focused on global and local challenges to human rights in the areas of gaps, backlash, and accountability — and new opportunities that point the way forward. The presenters represented a wide range of international scholarship from the U.S., Mexico, Spain, Austria, the U.K., and Denmark, with backgrounds in law, political science, sociology, history, and communication. Papers examined the challenges to human rights in a global perspective, including rights problems in Europe, the Middle East, Latin America and the U.S. Additionally, papers were selected which analyzed trends across multiple issue-areas of international institutions, development struggles, humanitarian action, censorship and communications, discrimination, democracy promotion, human trafficking, counter-terrorism, corporate social responsibility, civil society and social movements, and environmental destruction.

Schedule of Presentations / Speakers


Friday, January 27

9:00-9:15 – Introduction
9:15-10:00 – Alison Brysk

Contracting Human Rights: Refugees and the Citizenship Gap

10:00-10:45 – Gershon Shafir

How Has the Occupation Occupied Israel?

— 15 Minute Break —
11:00-11:45 – Claire Wright

Expanding extractive industries, contracting human rights. Emergency powers and natural resource governance in Latin America.

11:45-12:30 – Feryal Cherif

A Resource Curse? Oil and Women’s Rights

— 30 Minute Lunch —
1:00-1:45 – Natasha Bennett

The Bottom Two Billion as Second-Class Citizens

Additional files: Improved Sanitation Map — Infant Mortality Map

1:45-2:30 – George Andreopoulos

Whither Accountability? Counterterrorism and Human Rights at the United Nations Security Council (UNSC)

2:30-3:15 – Kirsten Ainley

State Power, Head of State Immunicty and the Crisis at the International Criminal Court

— 15 Minute Break —
3:30-4:15 – Keith Watenpaugh

Between Communal Survival and National Aspiration: Armenian Genocide Refugees, the Leage of Nations, and the Practices of Interwar Humanitarianism

4:15-5:00 – Michael Etter

Business and Human Rights: Exploring an Expanding Agenda on Corporate Responsibility

Saturday, January 27

9:00-9:45 – Clair Apodaca

Human Rights Costs of NGOs’ Naming and Shaming Campaigns

9:45-10:30 – Philip Ayoub

Perils of Success: Backlash and Resistance to LGBT rights in Domestic and International Politics

10:30-11:15 – Felipe Gomez Isa

Backlash Against Human Rights and Democracy Promotion: EU Human Rights and Democratization Policies in Egypt

— 15 Minute Break —
11:30-12:15 – Wayne Sandholtz

Backlash and International Human Rights Courts

12:15-1:00 – Arturo Jimenez-Bacardi

From Lawless to Secret Law: The United States, the CIA, and Extra-Judicial Killings

— 30 Minute Lunch —
1:30-2:15 – John Kirk Boyd

Through the Eyes of Astronauts

2:15-3:30 – Anthony Chase

Sexual Rights: Bow to the Backlash?

3:45-4:30 – Jesilyn Faust

Islamic Feminism and the Way Forward: Women’s Rights in Morocco

4:30-5:15 – Cynthia & Michael Stohl

Digital Media and Human Rights Organizing

5:15-5:30 – Conclusion

Page Editor

Ben Smith
Ben Smith
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