Leaders around the globe have long turned to the armed forces as a "school for the nation." Debates over who serves continue to arouse passion today because the military's participation policies are seen as shaping politics beyond the military, specifically the politics of identity and citizenship. Yet how and when do these policies transform patterns of citizenship? Military service, Ronald R. Krebs argues, can play a critical role in bolstering minorities' efforts to grasp full and unfettered rights. Minority groups have at times effectively contrasted their people's battlefield sacrifices to the reality of inequity, compelling state leaders to concede to their claims. At the same time, military service can shape when, for what, and how minorities have engaged in political activism in the quest for meaningful citizenship. Employing a range of rich primary materials, Krebs shows how the military's participation policies shaped Arab citizens' struggles for first-class citizenship in Israel from independence to the mid-1980s and African Americans' quest for civil rights, from World War I to the Korean War. Fighting for Rights helps us make sense of contemporary debates over gays in the military and over the virtues and dangers of liberal and communitarian visions for society. It suggests that rhetoric is more than just a weapon of the weak, that it is essential to political exchange, and that politics rests on a dual foundation of rationality and culture.

In the light of NATO's humanitarian war in Kosovo is it possible to understand or explain wars as an outcome of perceptions of rights? How did rights, be they divine rights in the Middle Ages, territorial rights in the eighteenth century, or human rights today, become something that people are willing to fight and die for? To answer these questions, this book explores the linkage between concepts of rights and the practice of war in the international arena. Alkopher describes how normative structures of rights have shaped different practices of war from medieval to modern times, through the lens of social constructivism. From the eleventh to the thirteenth century, concepts of divine rights and institutionalized practices of the Crusades to the Holy Land fostered the prevailing ideas of international rights and war. In the eighteenth century, the institutionalization of states' rights and territorial wars shaped international conflict. This view held until the late twentieth century when the institutionalization of human rights coupled with the emerging practice of humanitarian war, particularly NATO's war in Kosovo, engendered new norms of international conduct. The author concludes that rights have the power to constitute an international order that will be either cooperative or conflictual and the choice of outcome is very much in our hands. This book will be essential reading for international relations and political science scholars and students but also philosophers, legal and sociological historians and international lawyers.

Dive deep into history with this book that piques students’ curiosity about historical events through dynamic primary sources. Primary sources give students unique insights and personal connections to history. This book chronicles the history of the civil rights movement in the US and examines modern-day examples of people fighting for civil rights including women’s rights and LGBTQ rights. This 32-page book includes text features that help students increase reading comprehension and their understanding of the subject. Packed with interesting facts, sidebars, and essential vocabulary, this book is perfect for reports or projects.

Documents and compares successful high profile campaigns to cancel debt, ban landmines and set up the International Criminal Court as well as emerging campaigns on HIV/AIDS, genetic engineering, environmental justice and democratization.

Introduce accessible case studies on the fights for Women's Rights, Disability Rights, Black Civil Rights and LGBTQ+ Rights in 20th century Britain. These enquiries will stimulate discussion and help students understand how what has happened in the past continues to have impact and shape Britain and the world today. Written by a team led by Aaron Wilkes in consultation with expert historians, this engaging book enhances Oxford's best-selling KS3 History textbooks, and can be used flexibly with other schemes of work. The captivating pages give a detailed insight into British and world history, allowing you to delve deeper into topics and themes of particular interest, and diversify your curriculum.

Learn about the incredible story of Fannie Lou Hamer! Explore the legacy of this civil rights activist, teaching students about Fannie Lou Hamer’s fight for equal rights. This 32-page nonfiction book covers important topics like equality and voting rights. Perfect for use in the classroom or at-home learning to explore activism, U.S. history, and the civil rights movement. Includes a short fiction piece to help students relate to the topic and engaging text features such as a glossary, useful discussion questions, and a “Civics in Action” activity designed to get students thinking and talking about social issues.

An in-depth look at the global movement to curtail LGBTI rights—and how the LGBTI movement responds to it In the past three decades, remarkable progress has been made in numerous countries for the rights of individuals marginalized due to their sexual orientation and gender identity. The advancements in LGBTI rights can largely be attributed to the tireless efforts of the transnational LGBTI-rights movement, forward-thinking governments in pioneering nations, and the evolving human rights frameworks of international organizations. However, this journey towards equality has been met with formidable opposition. An increasingly interconnected and globally networked resistance, backed by religious-nationalist elements and conservative governments, has emerged to challenge LGBTI and women's rights, even seeking to reinterpret and co-opt international human rights law. In The Global Fight Against LGBTI Rights, authors Phillip M. Ayoub and Kristina Stoeckl investigate this complex landscape, drawing from over a decade of in-depth fieldwork and over 240 interviews with LGBTI activists, anti-LGBTI proponents, and various state and international organization actors. The authors explore the mechanisms and strategies employed by the conservative transnational movement, seeking to understand its composition and the construction of its agenda. With a wealth of empirical evidence and insightful analysis, this book is a valuable resource for scholars, policymakers, activists, and anyone interested in understanding the ongoing global battle for LGBTI rights.

Nearing the end of a distinguished literary career that spanned nearly fifty years, Langston Hughes took on the daunting task of writing the official history of the national Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP). Beginning with the social, political, and economic contexts that led to the founding of the NAACP in 1909 and ending with a summary of its targeted goals for 1963, Hughes attempted to write a history that would be comprehensive in scope and singular in its purpose of highlighting the ways in which the Association had a direct and positive influence on racial justice in the United States. Focusing on the individuals who had the greatest impact on the NAACP and the issues with which the organization was most concerned in its first fifty years of existence, Hughes produced the widely acclaimed Fight for Freedom, striking an exceptional balance between biography and cultural history. Long before the publication of Fight for Freedom, Hughes had begun writing nonfictional prose about these same issues as a regular columnist and essayist for the nation's most influential African American publications, including the Chicago Defender and Crisis. A selection of these popular columns and other essays & mdash;which reveal the extent to which Hughes's unique, varied, and sometimes Blues- tinged narrative voice shifted in tone over the course of his extensive career & mdash;is included in this volume. Hughes intersperses historical facts with compelling anecdotes that often frame subtly ironic commentaries on various themes. The result is history that provides a lens through which to view Hughes's attitudes in the early 1960s toward the ways the NAACP addressed the vital social, cultural, political, and economic issues central to its agenda. Fight for Freedom and Other Writings on Civil Rights makes a unique contribution to the oeuvre of an African American writer whose full significance to American literature, history, and culture will continue to be defined well into the twenty-first century.

For centuries, philosophers, scientists, and lawmakers worldwide have debated the merits of affording certain rights to animals. Central to any discussion of the topic is morality, who, or what, possesses it, and how and when it should be bestowed. This examination of the animal rights movement covers this and other points of contention, as well as the history of the movement and the people at the forefront of lobbying for animal welfare. Readers will discover and be inspired by the variety of safe, practical methods for getting involved on behalf of those who cannot speak for themselves.

The fight for women's rights has been going on for as long as the United States has been a nation. From the earliest colonial days, when women had virtually no rights, to the present day, where women are corporate executives and presidential candidates, females have struggled for equal rights and equal opportunities in society. It is a battle that has been fought by many strong and dedicated women. The fight will continue as women strive to reach their personal and professional goals, learning from the past, and refusing to accept limitations. Empower your students to take action for themselves and their friends through this essential book.