11th Annual Comparative Literature Conference
26 - 28 February, 2009
Human rights aspire to be uncontroversial moral claims, but they quickly become embroiled in politics when states or international institutions try to implement them. This interdisciplinary conference brings together scholars from around the world to open a dialogue about the futures of human rights. Our speakers will address a range of issues: torture, economic and social rights, rights and imperialism, media and the arts, transitional justice, children’s rights, the United Nations, rights and U.S. foreign policy, and philosophies of rights.
The conference is free and open to the public. Registration is required for those wishing to share in the refreshments and banquet. Click here for the conference registration form in Word format.
Invited Speakers:
Chiara Bottici, University of Florence, Philosophy
Lori Damrosch, Columbia University, Law
Costas Douzinas, University of London, Law
Attracta Ingram, University of College Dublin, Politics and International Relations
Paul Kahn, Yale, Law
John McGowan, University of North Carolina, English
Samuel Moyn, Columbia University, History
Bertram Ramcharan, United Nations
Daniel Rothenberg, DePaul, Law
John Wallach, Cuny, Political Science
Preliminary Conference Program
All sessions will take place at the Clarion Hotel, Salon A, B,C, with the exception of Lori Damrosch’s talk on Thursday at 3:30, which will take place in the Law School Auditorium
Thursday, Feb 26
9:00-9:45 Registration Clarion Hotel, Salon A,B,C
9:45 Opening of the Conference
Meili Steele, University of South Carolina
Dean Mary Anne Fitzpatrick, College of Arts and Sciences
10:00-11:30 Human Rights, Literature and the Arts
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11:30-1:00 Lunch
1:00-1:50 "Democracy and Virtue as Future Standards for Human Rights,” John Wallach,
CUNY
2:00-2:50 “Why Anticolonialism Was not a Human Rights Movement,” Samuel Moyn, Columbia
University
*3:30 Phi Beta Appa Visiting Scholar Lecture for 2009, “International Courts and
the U.S. Supreme Court: Who Has the Final Word,” Lori Damrosch, Columbia University.
[This session will be held in the Law School Auditorium]
5:30 Happy Hour and Dinner Hunter Gatherer
Friday Feb. 27
9:00-9:50 “Imagining Human Rights: Ideology or Utopia?” Chiara Bottici, University
of Florence
10:00-10:50 “Preventive Human Rights Strategies in a World of New Threats and Challenges,
”Bertram Ramcharan, United Nations
Coffee Break
11:00-12:30 Panel: The Subject of Human Rights Discourse at the Limit of Law
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12:30-2:00 Lunch
2:00-2:50 “What Must We Believe in Order to Believe in Human Rights,” Attracta Ingram,
University College Dublin
3:00-3:50 “Terror, Torture and the Sovereign Imagination,” Paul Kahn, Yale University
4:10-5:00 “Understanding Torture’s Logic: Lessons from a Large Scale Human Rights
Documentation Project on Iraq Under Saddam Hussein,” Daniel Rothenberg, Depaul University
Banquet 7:00
At the Clarion
Saturday Feb. 28
9:00-10:00 “Human Rights: A Pragmatist Approach,” John McGowan, University of North Carolina
10:00-10:15 Coffee Break
10:15-12:30 Conceptual Dilemmas of Human Rights
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Break |
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12:30-2:00 Lunch
2:00-3:00 “Human Rights and Empire,” Costas Douzinas, University of London
3:00-3:15 Coffee Break
3:15-5:00 The Politics of Human Rights
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For those of you planning on attending this conference, the links below should offer some helpful information.
- Learn About USC - This site will give you information on the history of the University of South Carolina, the University's mission statement, University Highlights as well as other interesting and important facts and achievements.
- Weather in Columbia, SC - Just enter in our zip code, 29208, for the current weather as well as averages, rainfall and projected forecasts. In March, Columbia's average high is 71° and the average low is 47°.
- Finding Buildings on Campus - Just type in the building or department you want and select search. You will see a campus map with Cocky, the USC Gamecock mascot, pointing to the building you selected.
- Conference hotel-Clarion Hotel
1615 Gervais St, Columbia, SC 29210
Phone: (803) 771-8711
If you have any questions concerning conference registration, hotels, or any information on this website, please email steelem@mailbox.sc.edu