What assumptions do we each hold about human rights? How are these assumptions influenced by history, ethics, politics, and citizenship? What are the challenges to human rights movements and how can the goals of those movements be achieved around the globe? This presentation offers a comprehensive historical context for understanding how the idea of human rights became not only a commitment widely shared by individuals, but also an organizing ethic within and among global nations. Koppelman also discusses factors of geography that historically created inequality in the world for millennia. Participants will gain a better sense of how to work in practical ways toward honoring human rights, with a clearer understanding of how their efforts figure into the history of social justice in our world.
Funded project of Humanities Washington. Humanities Washington is a state affiliate of the National Endowment for the Humanities.