Category Archives: Human Rights

Summit on Sexual Violence

A global summit is currently being held in London on the problem of sexual violence in warfare. The summit, entitled “The Global Summit to End Sexual Violence in Conflict,” is sponsored by the government of the United Kingdom. “For a … Continue reading

Posted in Atrocities, Civil Conflict, Civilians and Refugees in War, Gender and Warfare, History of Violence, Human Rights, Laws of War, War, Culture, and Society, Women and Gender History | 1 Comment

Rethinking State Trials

Symposium on Rethinking the State Trials: The Politics of Justice in Later Stuart England Organized by Brian Cowan (McGill University) and Scott Sowerby (Northwestern University) and sponsored by the Newberry Center for Renaissance Studies Thursday, April 10 (at Northwestern University) … Continue reading

Posted in Civil Conflict, Conferences, Early Modern Europe, Early Modern World, European History, European Wars of Religion, History of Violence, Human Rights, Noble Culture and History of Elites, State Development Theory | 1 Comment

Protests Over “Gender Theory” in France

Some French parents have pulled their children out of elementary school over the supposed threat posed by “gender theory” to their children’s well being. According to Le Monde: “des dizaines de parents ont retiré, lundi 27 janvier, leurs enfants de … Continue reading

Posted in Education Policy, French History, Human Rights, Humanities Education, Religious Politics, Women and Gender History | Leave a comment

Reparations to Caribbean Nations for Slavery

Some European nations are considering offering reparations for their involvement in the Trans-Atlantic slave trade and Caribbean plantation slavery during the early modern period. Sir Hilary Beckles, a historian and university president in Barbados, and Jamaican historian Verene Shepherd have … Continue reading

Posted in Atlantic World, Early Modern Europe, Early Modern World, Empires and Imperialism, European History, European Union, French History, French Revolution and Napoleon, History of Violence, Human Rights | Leave a comment

War and Disease

Disease almost always accompanies warfare. Historians of the European Wars of Religion, the Napoleonic Wars, and the First World War have studied the connections between warfare and epidemic disease in great detail. The Syrian Civil War is now producing a … Continue reading

Posted in Civil Conflict, Civilians and Refugees in War, History of Medicine, History of Science, History of Violence, Human Rights, War, Culture, and Society | Leave a comment

A Botched Hanging and the History of Executions

A convicted drug smuggler is facing a second execution in Iran, after surviving his first execution. The BBC reports that “the condemned man, named as Alireza M, was found alive in a morgue after being hanged at a jail in … Continue reading

Posted in Early Modern Europe, Early Modern World, European History, European Wars of Religion, History of Violence, Human Rights | 2 Comments

Another Disaster in the Central Mediterranean

Another boat filled with at least 200 African migrants has wrecked in the central Mediterranean, this time off the island of Malta. At least 33 people are reported dead in this latest tragedy. Maltese forces rescued 147 migrants by boat … Continue reading

Posted in European History, European Union, Human Rights, Italian History, Maritime History, Mediterranean World | Leave a comment

Tragic Boat Wreck off Lampedusa

A week ago, a boat carrying African migrants heading for Sicily wrecked off the small island of Lampedusa in the central Mediterranean. The boat, apparently carrying more than 500 people, became disabled and then began to capsize merely 800 meters … Continue reading

Posted in European History, European Union, Human Rights, Italian History, Maritime History, Mediterranean World | Leave a comment

UN Confirms Sarin Gas Used in Attack in Syria

According to the BBC, “The UN has confirmed ‘unequivocally and objectively’ that chemical weapons have been used in Syria.” A new UN report based on forensic testing indicates that “sarin gas was used in a rocket attack in the Syrian … Continue reading

Posted in Civil Conflict, Civilians and Refugees in War, History of Violence, Human Rights, Laws of War, Religious Violence, Revolts and Revolutions, Strategy and International Politics, War, Culture, and Society | Leave a comment

On International Law and Military Intervention

The use of chemical weapons and mass killing of civilians in Syria have escalated calls for the United States and its allies to launch military strikes in Syria. John Kerry (US Secretary of State), Samantha Powers (US Ambassador to the … Continue reading

Posted in Civil Conflict, Civilians and Refugees in War, History of Violence, Human Rights, Laws of War, Revolts and Revolutions, Strategy and International Politics, War, Culture, and Society | Leave a comment