This podcast considers revolutions in religion, society and politics, and some of the people involved in them, and their effects on the notions of rights.

The Reformation helped to detach notions of rights and the authority of the (Catholic) church from earlier notions of natural law.  The Renaissance saw an increased focus on the individual.  But the effects of these were neither consistent nor universal.

A revolution in England, while it helped sweep away the notion of the divine rights of kings, replaced it with the supremacy of a parliament to which only landed men could vote.

The revolutions in the United States and France, and their accompanying declarations of rights, did start a process of articulating and specifying what the rights of individuals could be, but were hedged in by political compromises (slavery remained legal in the United States until 1865) as well as by existing social mores (which downplayed women’s rights by relegating those away from the public sphere into the private).

There was an ebb and flow of rights; not an inexorable upward progression to human rights as we would recognise them today.

This podcast considers revolutions in religion, society and politics, and some of the people involved in them, and their effects on the notions of rights.
The Reformation helped to detach notions of rights and the authority of the (Catholic) church from earlier notions of natural law.  The Renaissance saw an increased focus on the individual.  But the effects of these were neither consistent nor universal.
A revolution in England, while it helped sweep away the notion of the divine rights of kings, replaced it with the supremacy of a parliament to which only landed men could vote.
The revolutions in the United States and France, and their accompanying declarations of rights, did start a process of articulating and specifying what the rights of individuals could be, but were hedged in by political compromises (slavery remained legal in the United States until 1865) as well as by existing social mores (which downplayed women’s rights by relegating those away from the public sphere into the private).
There was an ebb and flow of rights; not an inexorable upward progression to human rights as we would recognise them today.

2023 marks the 75th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Was it the
most important legal document of the 20th century, still hale and hearty in the 21st century,
or is it past its prime?

It has been surrounded by myth and misunderstanding. It has been misunderstood,
misquoted and sometimes mismanaged. It has been called racist and misogynistic. Yet it
remains a legal, social and cultural lodestone. How can this be?

This series of 7 podcasts looks into these questions, but rather than being simply a legalistic or philosophical discussion, it looks at the people behind the idea that has become human rights. How ancient are human rights? Are revolutions necessary to create human rights?

Is passion important? What happened in the 20 th century to provide the impulses towards
the Universal Declaration? How was it drafted in the United Nations in a Cold War climate? Is it still relevant today and how is it being used or misused?

The presenter, Dr Phillip Tahmindjis, is an Australian human rights lawyer and former Director of the International Bar Association’s Human Rights Institute. In that capacity he has undertaken human rights training all over the world (including Libya, Nepal and Swaziland/Eswatini), undertaken human rights capacity building programs in Afghanistan and Myanmar, drafted guidelines for human rights fact-finding and reporting, and consults with governments and industry on implementation of human rights and anti-discrimination measures. In 2012 he was appointed a Member of the Order of Australia (AM) for services to the international community and human rights.

2023 marks the 75th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Was it the most important legal document of the 20th century, still hale and hearty in the 21st century, or is it past its prime?
It has been surrounded by myth and misunderstanding. It has been misunderstood, misquoted and sometimes mismanaged. It has been called racist and misogynistic. Yet it remains a legal, social and cultural lodestone. How can this be?
This series of 7 podcasts looks into these questions, but rather than being simply a legalistic or philosophical discussion, it looks at the people behind the idea that has become human rights. How ancient are human rights? Are revolutions necessary to create human rights?
Is passion important? What happened in the 20 th century to provide the impulses towards the Universal Declaration? How was it drafted in the United Nations in a Cold War climate? Is it still relevant today and how is it being used or misused?
The presenter, Dr Phillip Tahmindjis, is an Australian human rights lawyer and former Director of the International Bar Association’s Human Rights Institute. In that capacity he has undertaken human rights training all over the world (including Libya, Nepal and Swaziland/Eswatini), undertaken human rights capacity building programs in Afghanistan and Myanmar, drafted guidelines for human rights fact-finding and reporting, and consults with governments and industry on implementation of human rights and anti-discrimination measures. In 2012 he was appointed a Member of the Order of Australia (AM) for services to the international community and human rights.

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