Category Archives: Human Rights

On Chemical Weapons and Military Intervention

Posted on August 26, 2013 by briansandberg

Chemical weapons seem to have been used in the Syrian Civil War last week, probably by Syrian government forces. Médecins sans frontières (MSF), known in English as Doctors Without Borders, has issued a statement confirming that approximately 3,600 Syrian civilians … Continue reading →

Posted in Civilians and Refugees in War, European Union, History of Violence, Human Rights, Laws of War, Strategy and International Politics, War, Culture, and Society | Leave a comment

The French Question

Posted on August 25, 2013 by briansandberg

The “French Question” has become central to European economic development and  European Union (EU) politics. Labor unrest, racial tensions, and high unemployment have created a delicate political and economic situation in France. According to the New York Times, “The French … Continue reading →

Posted in European History, European Union, French History, Globalization, Human Rights | Leave a comment

Feminism, Politics, and Nudity in France

Posted on July 19, 2013 by briansandberg

Nude protests by women in Femen and marches by Muslim women who want to wear a veil in public have both created sustained controversy on feminism in French society and politics. An essay by Mona Chollet entitled, “Femen partou, féminisme … Continue reading →

Posted in European Union, French History, Human Rights, Paris History, Political Culture, Women and Gender History | Leave a comment

Interviewing War Criminals

Posted on July 6, 2013 by briansandberg

What is it like to confront evil in a face-to-face encounter? This is a question that James Dawes poses to himself frequently as he interviews war criminals. Dawes, a professor of English and director of the Program in Human Rights … Continue reading →

Posted in Civil Conflict, Civilians and Refugees in War, Historiography and Social Theory, History in the Media, History of Violence, Human Rights, Laws of War, Museums and Historical Memory, War, Culture, and Society | Leave a comment

Continuing Egyptian Revolution

Posted on July 6, 2013 by briansandberg

The Egyptian Revolution continues to develop, although the international news media has largely treated it as a process completed after the Arab Spring, which launched revolutionary processes in Tunisia, Egypt, Syria, Lybia, and other countries. This week, the Egyptian military … Continue reading →

Posted in Civil Conflict, Civilians and Refugees in War, Comparative Revolutions, History of Violence, Human Rights, Mediterranean World, Religious Violence, Revolts and Revolutions, War, Culture, and Society | Leave a comment

Historians’ Role in DOMA Decision

Posted on July 2, 2013 by briansandberg

Historians played a role in the Supreme Court’s recent decision to strike down the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA). Organizations of academic and public historians intervened directly in U.S. v. Windsor as it reached the Supreme Court. Steven Mintz points … Continue reading →

Posted in Early Modern Europe, Early Modern World, Historiography and Social Theory, History in the Media, Human Rights, Humanities Education, Political Culture, Reformation History, Religious History, Women and Gender History | Leave a comment

Refugee Shelters by IKEA

Posted on July 2, 2013 by briansandberg

Most wars produce numerous refugees, who flee from war zones. Protracted civil conflicts often force millions of civilians to flee from their homes and to seek shelter in safe regions or in neighboring countries. Refugee camps proliferate across the borders … Continue reading →

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

Sexual Assault in the US Military

Posted on June 24, 2013 by briansandberg

Sexual assault in the United States military has recently been recognized as a serious problem, but the issue has deep roots. Veterans of the Vietnam War have begun to offer testimony of sexual assaults during the 1960s and 1970s. A … Continue reading →

Posted in Gender and Warfare, History of Violence, Human Rights, War, Culture, and Society, Women and Gender History | Leave a comment

First Gay Marriage Celebrated in Montpellier

Posted on May 29, 2013 by briansandberg

The first gay marriage in France has been celebrated in Montpellier. Vincent Autin and Bruno Boileau married on 29 May 2013 in this southern French city— the first gay couple to be officially wedded as the new law legalizing gay … Continue reading →

Posted in French History, Human Rights, Languedoc and Southern France, Religious History, Religious Politics, Women and Gender History | Leave a comment

Anti-Muslim Attacks in the United Kingdom

Posted on May 29, 2013 by briansandberg

Last week, two Islamist militants brutally murdered a British soldier, Drummer Lee Rigby, in Woolwich, running over him with a car and then stabbing and hacking him to death. The shocking murder has prompted outrage in the United Kingdom and … Continue reading →

Posted in European History, European Union, History of Violence, Human Rights, Religious Politics, Religious Violence, Terrorism | Leave a comment