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Paul Gready, Revisiting ‘Human Rights’ and ‘Practice’: Introduction to the Special Collection, Journal of Human Rights Practice, Volume 15, Issue 3, November 2023, Pages 653–659, https://doi.org/10.1093/jhuman/huad061
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To mark the 15th anniversary of the Journal of Human Rights Practice (JHRP) in 2023, we launched an open call seeking reflections on two foundational questions for the journal: What do we mean by ‘human rights?’ How do we understand the term ‘practice’ in this context? The call welcomed short submissions (c.5,000 words), in a variety of formats. The outcome is in part a continuation of a conversation in the journal—as we return to certain authors, organizations, and issues—and in part suggests new possible futures both for the journal and for the human rights movement.
Reports of the demise of human rights are exaggerated. In large measure this is because critics overlook, misrepresent or partially present the actual practice of human rights, in all its diversity. The norms, laws and institutions of human rights evolve slowly, are liable to state capture and politicization, and as such are easy targets for critics. The practices of human right, in contrast, are much more nimble and diverse, sometimes criticizing both dominant forms of power and the human rights mainstream, and as a result are harder to define, categorize, and analyse. The resilience of human right practices, carried by a great diversity of actors, attests to the fundamental appeal of its foundational claims—that power in all its forms should be held to account; and that people and communities should be treated with dignity and respect. While most academic literature, and criticism, still focus primarily on norms, laws and institutions, this journal has showcased research by both academics and practitioners that is practice-oriented, interdisciplinary, empirically grounded, contextually informed, and elevated but not buried by theory. Constructive critique is a fundamental part of this remit. Our interest is less in ‘criticism of’, which is negative, reactive and offers little by way of alternatives or routes forward, and instead prioritises ‘criticism to’, which is positive, proactive, and engages with the messy task of anticipating possible futures. By revisiting what we mean by ‘human rights’ and ‘practice’ the 15th anniversary Special Collection continues this tradition.
