Human rights have developed into a global language with a prominent role in governance, both on the national and the international level. Still, issues like what is meant by a human right, what rights protect and how strong that protection is in the face of political and economic interests and global inequalities in power and resources are unclear and hotly debated. Human rights are not only regulated in national and international law, but are also a contested philosophical idea, a complex historical phenomenon and an intricate political practice. We study human rights from all of these angles. We offer undergraduate courses and a BA programme in human rights studies. All undergraduate study is in Swedish. We also offer a postgraduate course and a Phd programme.

Human Rights Studies is a multidisciplinary research environment with faculty coming from history, philosophy, religious studies and international law. Our research profile includes the historiography of human rights in early modern and modern times, rights in political philosophy and history of political thought, freedom of religion, military and so called humanitarian intervention, history of war, and rights discourses in modern Turkey.