Human rights equals human survival?

Abstract

This essay reviews two works that offer both similar and different visions of what the sociology of human rights should entail. Both offer accounts of how sociology, by being inherently interested in studying and uncovering power relations in society, is a particularly useful perspective through which to analyze human rights. While providing a rigorous analysis of a variety of global human rights issues, the authors point to some critical problems and challenges to human rights implementation. They also show how these can be overcome to ensure not only the observance of human rights but also human survival.