Blackwell Reference Online

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Comment on this article   It is not surprising that questions pertaining to past and future directions of humanity are posed most intensely in times of global economic crisis or war. Since 1989, the world has moved from an illusory euphoria associated with Soviet defeat and the promises of globalization, to rampant nationalist and civil wars, to terrorist attacks, and to global economic recession. While some are forecasting that the great deluge is yet to come, others are thinking about how to rebuild the world with whatever olive branches can be salvaged from the shipwrecks of the world after September 11, 2001. Whether the world is moving toward deeper chaos or toward some vision of paradise, the questions of where we were, what we have become, and where we are going have been brought back, resonant with grim passages of history and with yearnings for a better future. Imagining the future by looking into the past, as we travel through these dark times, is no easy endeavor, particularly when the field of human rights, with exceptions such as Shue (1996) , Donnelly (2003) , Lauren (2003) and Hunt (2007) , is suffering from a paucity of theoretical and historical grounding. As we seek effective ways to advance human rights, the discipline needs to rediscover its historical roots, using theoretical instruments that illuminate future opportunities. Toward this end, this essay ... log in or subscribe to read full text