Welcome to Human Rights and Human Diversity!

At the dawn of the twenty-first century, the issue of Human Rights grows in importance and complexity. The rhetoric and sometimes the reality of protecting human rights has become increasingly important in the world. The protection of human rights has a more important role in the foreign policy of many states than in years past. The United Nations has made the protection of human rights a central part of its mission. As many states become democratic, the protection of human rights seem to rise in importance, yet the idea of protecting human rights can sometimes be in tension with other goals, like the idea of respecting cultural diversity, maintaining a national identity, or protecting the security of citizens.

In response to the importance of human rights issues, the University of Nebraska–Lincoln established the Human Rights and Human Diversity Initiative in 1997. The Initiative’s goal is to examine issues related to human rights in an international perspective. The Initiative has a particular interest in examining the relationship between cultural diversity and human rights. As human rights have become more important politically, so too has nationalism. Can nationalist states also protect human rights? The importance of respecting cultures and cultural differences in an increasingly globalized world is a goal that many cherish, but some cultures do not protect human rights. How can human rights and cultural diversity both be protected? Similarly, the issue of whether human rights are universal is of key importance to the Initiative. Are human rights universal or are they relevant to only some cultures? The Initiative’s programming, however, is not limited to these issues, and deals with the many facets of international human rights. These issue include (but are not limited to) the Minority Experience, encompassing the experience of refugees, voluntary migrants, and indigenous peoples; protectors of Human Rights, with a focus on public and private trans-national actors that seek to apply international human rights standards, or those national actors that act in relation to those international norms; and women’s rights, with a focus on gender issues at the international level.

What makes the Human Rights and Human Diversity Initiative unusual is its base in the College of Arts and Sciences, not in the law school, where most human rights programs are located. Our location in Arts and Sciences reflects the interdisciplinary aspects of human rights issues. While international law is an important component to understanding human rights issues, a full understanding of human rights, and of the interaction between human rights and human diversity, moves beyond law. The departments of Anthropology, English, History, Modern Languages, Philosophy, Political Science and the College of Law are all involved and support the Human Rights and Human Diversity Initiative.

The Human Rights and Human Diversity Initiative funds an annual conference on human rights, speakers throughout the year, provides internships and fellowships for graduate students, provides support for human rights research, and sponsors a graduate specialization in Human Rights and Human Diversity.

Funding for the Human Rights & Human Diversity Initiative is provided by the University of Nebraska–Lincoln, College of Arts & Sciences.