Scott and Straus identify what they call the ‘paradox of human rights and justice’: that while universal, human rights and justice is always shaped by, and plays out within, historically specific and changing local contexts. Scott and Straus propose to move beyond the paradox by drawing on three elements simultaneously, a) contextual and multi-level analysis; b) human agency and relationships; and c) shifting and new horizons of human rights. Use the readings by Tuck, Theidon and McQuaid to explore their proposed framework and to reflect on what it means to work locally, recognize human agency and towards new horizons.

a. Stern, Steve J., and Scott Straus, eds. The Human Rights Paradox: Universality and Its Discontents. University of Wisconsin Press, 2014.
Chapters 1, pp 1-14 only.
b. Kimberly Theidon. “Justice in Transition: The Micro-politics of Reconciliation in Postwar Peru.” Journal of Conflict Resolution 50.3 (2006): 433-457.
c. Katie McQuaid. “Violent continuities: telling stories of one sexual minority life in the African Great Lakes region.” Identities (2014): 1-16.
d. Tuck, Eve. “Suspending damage: A letter to communities.” Harvard Educational Review 79.3 (2009): 409-428.