HSTRY 498A: Global History of Human Rights
Tuesdays, 1:30-3:20 , Smith 111
Prof. Jordanna Bailkin (bailkin@uw.edu) - she/her
Office hours: Wednesdays, 2:30-3:20, Smith 218D
This course explores the history of the idea of human rights from the ancients to the present day. We will treat human rights not as an abstract philosophical concept, but as policies that emerge in specific historical contexts – from 15th-century Spanish debates about whether Native Americans were rights-bearing subjects to 21st-century controversies about organ trafficking.
We will move through the histories of colonial expansion and contraction, war, revolution, migration, and transformations of global capital that have shaped thought and practice about human rights. We will survey the many sites and actors that have participated in human rights debates, from courts to grassroots organizations, and conflicts that have emerged over humanitarian interventions. Finally, we will consider how modern states have acted both as protectors and as violators of human rights.
The course speaks especially to students who plan to work (or are already working) in the field of human rights, and wish to be more historically informed about the nature of this work. But more broadly, it is designed to help us understand the relationship between ethics and historical studies, and the ways in which particular narratives about rights can have profound – even life and death – consequences.
For the full syllabus, including the schedule of readings, discussion questions, paper topics, and assignments, please see the Canvas Modules.
The Department of History has compiled the following guide to resources to help with a variety of issues, from financial to emotional: https://history.washington.edu/student-resources-times-need . I am also available to discuss any concerns you may be having this quarter; please do not hesitate to contact me if I can help in any way, even if just by listening.