The End of Human Rights by C. Douzinas (Book Review) [2002] JSPL 11; (2002) 6 Journal of South Pacific Law

Book Review

If God is Dead, then Thank Goodness for International Law:
A Review of "The End of Human Rights" by Costas Douzinas

Place of publication : Oxford
Year of publication : 2000
Publisher : Hart Publishing
Number of pages: 256
ISBN: 1841130001 (paperback)

Reviewed by MIKAEL RASK MADSEN, PhD Student, École des Hautes Études en Sciences Sociales, Paris

The end of history, ideology, utopias and grand narratives have, among others, willingly been proclaimed by authors in different historical epochs. As a sociological irony, the main reason these "end"-theses appear is, of course, due to the simple fact that they treat something that is of high topicality in their own particular historical period. They have in common the focus on a certain transformation, allegedly, taking place at that time, even a change of paradigm. "The End of Human Rights" does fit this pattern and the finality of the title should be taken with a grain of salt. Actually, Costas Douzinas is in search of a critical reinterpretation of, broadly speaking, the liberal subject of human rights, if it is to survive its own success and role as the triumphant utopia at literally "the end of history", the temporal symbolic historical closure occurring after the fall of the Berlin Wall.

Douzinas offers a well argued and very well written analysis. It is "a textbook for the critical mind and the fiery heart" (p. 4) aimed at providing the "melancholic lawyer" (p. vii) with an advanced introduction to legal theory at its intersection with human rights. This is all more than welcome. The high ambition is clearly reflected in the language and style, and the book might appear slightly bombastic and somewhat idealised for the very melancholic reader. However, this statement should not be read as a critique. Throughout, the book is written in a refreshing tone, even in the heavier parts dedicated to the classics of philosophy and psychoanalysis. The study is separated in two parts: the first focusing on the genealogy of human rights; the second on the philosophy of human rights. For good reasons, the distinction is not particularly rigid and the book should be read continually in order to grasp the long argument from natural law over natural rights to the philosophy and psychology of human rights.