The Human Rights Literature on Africa: A Bibliography

Abstract

It is always difficult to thoroughly trace the developing scholarship of an emergent area of specialization. This attempt to write a comprehensive bibliography on the growing literature on human rights in Africa is no exception. With the adoption of the Charter on Human and Peoples' Rights in 1981, there is every indication that during the 1980s the writings on this subject will continue to flourish. Yet, a bibliography such as this, however inadequate, can prove to be of use to both the experienced and the inexperienced researcher. This selection of books, journal articles and reports represents a crosssection of the current literature available on the subject of human rights in Africa. The selection exemplifies two new perspectives of note. One trend that can be discerned from the writings of the past decade is that analysts of human rights in Africa, who once focused narrowly on civil and political violations, are now addressing the equally important questions of economic development and economic rights. A second development is the emergence of writings which are comparative in nature. The reader should note that many publications by well-known international organizations, such as bodies of the United Nations and Amnesty International, are not included in this bibliography. Because these organizations are familiar, reference to their works is usually of second nature to the researcher. It is for this reason that the emphasis here is placed on the publications of individuals, which might, in the normal course of research, be overlooked. Abernathy, David B. Assessing Human Rights Violations: A Comparison of the Contemporary South and Ugandan Regimes. In Human Rights and Educational Responsibility, edited by Lee C. MacDonald, 179-214. Santa Barbara, Calif.: American Bibliographic Center-CLIO, 1979. Adegbite, Latif O. African Attitudes to the International Protection of