International perspectives in human rights education

The Universal Declaration of Human Rights was adopted by the General Assembly of the United Nations in 1948. The Declaration defines a basic set of rights that apply to every human being. Educating people about these rights is a prerequisite to enforcing them. Thus, countries all around the globe have pursued the common goal of establishing a culture of human rights, each in their own way and at their own pace. Human rights activists, politicians and academics agree that human rights education is a powerful tool. But they acknowledge that promulgating human rights as the common language of humanity and as a way of both strengthening cultural diversity and preventing intolerance and discrimination is a complex, sometimes problematic and often long process. This collection of essays explores the different realities of human rights education in various parts of the world, comparing and discussing approaches, theoretical concepts and methods.