New Directions in the Sociology of Human Rights is a contribution to both sociology and to human rights research, particularly where these are directed towards challenging power relations and inequalities in contemporary societies. It expands and develops the sociology of human rights as a sub-field of sociology and interdisciplinary human rights scholarship. The volume suggests new directions for the use of social and sociological theories in the analysis of issues such as torture and genocide and addresses a number of themes which have not previously been a sustained focus in the sociology of human rights literature. These range from climate change and the human rights of soldiers, to corporate social responsibility and children's rights in relation to residential care. The collection is thus multi-dimensional, examining a range of specific empirical contexts, and also considering relationships between sociological analysis and human rights scholarship and activism. Hence in a variety of ways it points the way for future analyses, and also for human rights activism and practices. It is intended to widen our field of vision in the sociology of human rights, and to spark both new ideas and new forms of political engagement.

1. Preface 2. Understanding torture: the strengths and the limits of social theory 3. Genocide and settler colonialism: can a Lemkin-inspired genocide perspective aid our understanding of the Palestinian situation? 4. 'In countries like that. . .' moral boundaries and implicatory denial in response to human rights appeals 5. The soldier, human rights and the military covenant: a permissible state of exception? 6. Climate change and the human rights challenge: extending justice beyond the borders of the nation state 7. Causes and consequences of international migration: sociological evidence for the right to mobility 8. Corporate social responsibility: a duplicitous distraction? 9. 'You have a right to be nourished and fed, but do I have a right to make sure you eat your food?': children's rights and food practices in residential care