As the second decade of the twenty-first century closes, challenges to human rights have deepened. Democracy is under stress, cultural battles within states have become heightened, and strongman politics are on the rise. Contemporary and historical reflections on rights are perhaps more pressing than ever.

This work addresses ongoing rights issues as well as offers aesthetic and historical reflections on human rights scenes. It addresses rights as a matter of cultural thoughtways, political philosophy, and social norms. The work employs academic, journalistic, and commentary-based styles and is intended to engage both academic and non-academic audiences.

Ben Dorfman’s new book offers plenty of insights in an excellent and thought-provoking contribution to the scholarship on human rights and philosophy, global governance, and aesthetics. It stands out with delightful prose, beyond the common academic style, ingeniously relating theory on those decisive issues to the threats and dilemmas of the present. - Mats Andrén, Professor, Department of Literature, History of Ideas and Religion, University of Gothenburg

Ben Dorfman is associate professor of intellectual and cultural history associated with the Democracy, Migration and Movements (DEMOS) research group at Aalborg University, and head of the Language and International Studies programs.