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A World Divided: The Global Struggle for Human Rights in the Age of Nation-States
A global history of human rights in a world of nations that grant rights to some while denying them to others
Once dominated by vast empires, the world is now divided into some 200 independent countries that proclaim human rights―a transformation that suggests that nations and human rights inevitably develop together. But the reality is far more problematic, as Eric Weitz shows in this compelling global history of the fate of human rights in a world of nation-states. Through vivid histories from virtually every continent, A World Divided describes how, since the eighteenth century, nationalists have established states that grant human rights to some people while excluding others, setting the stage for many of today’s problems, from the refugee crisis to right-wing nationalism. Only the advance of international human rights will move us beyond a world divided between those who have rights and those who don't.
Once dominated by vast empires, the world is now divided into some 200 independent countries that proclaim human rights―a transformation that suggests that nations and human rights inevitably develop together. But the reality is far more problematic, as Eric Weitz shows in this compelling global history of the fate of human rights in a world of nation-states. Through vivid histories from virtually every continent, A World Divided describes how, since the eighteenth century, nationalists have established states that grant human rights to some people while excluding others, setting the stage for many of today’s problems, from the refugee crisis to right-wing nationalism. Only the advance of international human rights will move us beyond a world divided between those who have rights and those who don't.
576 pages, Paperback
First published September 3, 2019
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About the author
Eric D. Weitz
10 books11 followersEric D. Weitz is Dean of Humanities and Arts and Distinguished Professor of History at the City College of New York.
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
April 26, 2020
A World Divided is a series of historical case studies from around the globe of what we would today call human rights violations. The case studies themselves are remarkably well researched and well written. The book's only shortcoming is that the framework organizing the case studies - how the evolution of human rights has been intertwined with the development of the nation-state - only loosely ties the case studies together. It reads a bit like an edited volume with chapters that don't fully cohere together as a whole, rather than a single-authored book.
Nevertheless, it's well worth reading for anyone interested in the history of human rights.
Nevertheless, it's well worth reading for anyone interested in the history of human rights.
February 20, 2020
This is simply a book of trivia with some, very few, photos thrown in.
May 24, 2022
A collection of anecdotes, more than a coherent narrative. I still found the work interesting and well written.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews