What do human rights mean in an age of counter-terrorism? How does globalization affect the protection of human rights? Can human rights contribute to the eradication of hunger and the promotion of education for all?

This book presents a wide-ranging survey of the scope and significance of international human rights law. Arranged thematically in alphabetical format, it side-steps the traditional categories of human rights law, to investigate rights in the specific contexts in which they are invoked, debated, and considered. Entries are included on traditional topics such as children, the death penalty, and housing, along with newer issues such as culture, sexuality, and terrorism. Each entry introduces key concepts, norms and debates, and additionally contains suggestions for further reading. Throughout, the aim is to invite reflection on human rights in a way that avoids idealization. For the authors, international human rights law is a process or tool, which is neither inherently beneficent nor essentially problematic, but always potentially both. This book provides the reader with the necessary background to understand, evaluate and, above all, deploy human rights as a strategy for change in the contemporary world.