Recent publications in international human rights law
| DOI | http://doi.org/10.1177/09240519231152676 |
| Published date | 01 March 2023 |
| Date | 01 March 2023 |
| Subject Matter | Recent publications |
Recent publications in
international human rights law
Banda Fareda, African migration, human rights and literature (Hart Publishing 2020)
This innovative book looks at the topic of migration through the prism of law and literature. The
author uses a rich mix of novels, short stories, literary realism, human rights and comparative lit-
erature to explore the experiences of African migrants and asylum seekers. The book is divided into
two. Part one is conceptual and focuses on art activism and the myriad ways in which people have
sought to ‘write justice.’Using Mamdani’s diasporas of slavery and colonialism, it then considers
histories of migration across the centuries before honing in on the recent anti-migration policies of
western states. Achiume is used to show how these histories of imposition and exploitation create a
bond which bestows on Africans a “status as co-sovereigns of the First World through citizenship.”
The many fictional examples of the schemes used to gain entry are set against the formal legal pro-
cesses. Attention is paid to life post arrival which for asylum seekers may include periods in deten-
tion. The impact of the increased hostility of receiving states is examined in light of their human
rights obligations. Consideration is paid to how Africans navigate their post-migration lives
which includes reconciling themselves to status fracture-taking on jobs for which they are over-
qualified, while simultaneously dealing with the resentment borne of status threat on the part of
the citizenry. Part two moves from the general to consider the intersections of gender and status
focusing on women, LGBTI individuals and children. Focusing on their human rights and the fic-
tional literature, chapter four looks at women who have been trafficked as well as domestic workers
and hotel maids while chapter five is on LGBTI people whose legal and literary stories are only now
being told. The final substantive chapter considers the experiences of children who may arrive as
unaccompanied minors. Using a mixture of poetry and first person accounts, the chapter examines
the post-arrival lives of children, some of whom may be citizens but who are continually made to
feel like outsiders. The conclusion follows, starting with two stories about walls by Hadero and
Lanchester which are used to illustrate the themes discussed in the book. Few African lawyers
write about literature and few books and articles in Western law and literature look at books by
or about Africans, so a book that engages with both is long overdue. Fascinating reading for aca-
demics, law, literature, gender and migration students, policy-makers and indeed the general public
Bilchitz David, Fundamental rights and the legal obligations of business (Cambridge University
Press 2022)
Business can be conducted in a variety of ways. Its origins, arguably, lie in the simple desire of
individuals to trade with one another and, through doing so, to enhance their well-being. These
humble origins, however, quickly led to the development of co-operative networks through
which people trade. The partnership is perhaps the simplest business form that expresses the
desire of individuals to work together for common goals but it has a number of drawbacks. As a
Recent publications
Netherlands Quarterly of Human Rights
2023, Vol. 41(1) 61–64
© The Author(s) 2023
Article reuse guidelines:
sagepub.com/journals-permissions
DOI: 10.1177/09240519231152676
journals.sagepub.com/home/nqh
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