The End of Human Rights

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This book, by a leading exponent of the postmodern school of legal theory, falls naturally into three parts. The first part advances a critique of the major theories of human rights, synthesizing the main schools of thought on human rights as well as critics of the dominant liberal tradition. The second part discusses the work of Derrida, Levinas, Rorty, and Lyotard, suggesting that none of them has yet produced a workable theory of rights. In the final part, the author develops a constructive notion of ethical and just legal practice that both appropriates and is critical of the dominant liberal tradition. Elaborating his own practical and eclectic theory of rights, the author uses case studies of gay and lesbian rights and refugee rights to develop a theory derived from current critical theory that helps evaluate its appropriateness for human rights discourse and practice in the twenty-first century.