Author: Shadi Mokhtari File Type: pdf Mokhtaris book examines the changes in the human rights discourse in the United States and the Middle East after the maltreatment and torture of the U.S. captives in the Abu Ghraib and other prisons became public. Through the text analysis of speeches and news reports, as well as in-depth interviews with human rights NGO officials, she makes a thorough assessment that both credits and criticizes the NGOs. Mokhtari shows that human rights advocacy has been successful in pushing the U.S. courts and Congress to recognize the relevance of international human rights law.ReviewInsightful, sober, and forward looking analysis of the practice of human rights in the harsh realities of violent conflict and moral ambivalence. This is how to uphold principled commitment to human rights, through critical pragmatic optimism, not unrealistic naivety or futile mutual aggression.ullDr. Abdullahi A. An-NaimCharles Howard Candler Professor of Law Emory UniversitylulCritical of the constructivist theorys omission of human rights violations in western states, Mokhtari examines the human rights discourse that emerged in the US after the torture of the US captives in the Abu Ghraib and other prisons became public. She shows that human rights advocacy has been successful in pushing the US courts and Congress to recognize the relevance of international human rights law, but only by reproducing the prevalent EastWest geography of human rights, which treats the US as the origin and innate holder of international human rights norms and the East as the outlaw to be tamed and taught. Moreover, the Middle Eastern human rights NGOs appear to have accepted and internalized the core assumption of this binary. This book is not only original and timely, but it also has strong ethical and theoretical dimensions. As a documented commentary on policy, constructivist theory, and NGO strategies, it is a must reading for all who are concerned about human rights issues. ullZehra F. Kabasakal AratJuanita and Joseph Leff ProfessorPolitical Science, Purchase College, SUNYlulBook DescriptionThe book presents human rights struggles within and between the United States and the Middle East in the post-September 11th era. This book looks at both the human rights failings and opportunities that emerged after September 11th and particularly after Abu Ghraib. It is also unique in placing American and Middle Eastern human rights developments side by side in a way that provides a fuller picture of the eras human rights struggles and achievements.

Author: James Joseph Dean File Type: pdf Since the Stonewall Riots in 1969, the politics of sexual identity in America have drastically transformed. Its almost old news that recent generations of Americans have grown up in a culture more accepting of out lesbians and gay men, seen the proliferation of LGBTQ media representation, and witnessed the attainment of a range of legal rights for same-sex couples. But the changes wrought by a so-called post-closeted culture have not just affected the queer communityheterosexuals are also in the midst of a sea change in how their sexuality plays out in everyday life. In Straights, James Joseph Dean argues that heterosexuals can neither assume the invisibility of gays and lesbians, nor count on the assumption that their own heterosexuality will go unchallenged. The presumption that we are all heterosexual, or that there is such a thing as compulsory heterosexuality, he claims, has vanished.Based on 60 in-depth interviews with a diverse group of straight men and women, Straights explores how straight Americans make sense of their sexual and gendered selves in this new landscape, particularly with an understanding of how race does and does not play a role in these conceptions. Dean provides a historical understanding of heterosexuality and how it was first established, then moves on to examine the changing nature of masculinity and femininity and, most importantly, the emergence of a new kind of heterosexualitynotably, for men, the metrosexual, and for women, the emergence of a more fluid sexuality. The book also documents the way heterosexuals interact and form relationships with their LGBTQ family members, friends, acquaintances, and coworkers. Although homophobia persists among straight individuals, Dean shows that being gay-friendly or against homophobic expressions is also increasingly common among straight Americans. A fascinating study, Straights provides an in-depth look at the changing nature of sexual expression in America.Instructors PowerPoint slides for each chapter are available by clicking on the files below.Introduction Chapter 1 Chapter 2 Chapter 3 Chapter 4 Chapter 5 Chapter 6**