CASE STUDIES ON HUMAN RIGHTS AND FUNDAMENTAL FREEDOMS: A IN SOUTH AFRICA

Martinus Nijhoff, The Hague, Netherlands, 1975. Hardcover. Book Condition: Fine. First Edition. This Is The Five Volume Set Published For The Foundation For The Study Of Plural Societies.Edited by Willem A. Veenhoven and OthersAll five books are in good condition, though one or two of the dust jackets show some wear. They have been covered in protective plastic. Very good reference books.The five volume set sells for up to R7000 on abebooks.com The Foundation for Plural Societies (The Hague) commissioned scholars from all parts of the world to prepare a series of case sties, which are published in these volumes. Some of them cover the spectrum of rights and discrimination in an entire country (Great Britain, West Germany, Peru). Others deal with particular groups, such as Blacks in United States, Aborigines in Australia, the Kurds in the Middle East. Still others discuss problems of social structure such as the caste system in India or marriage law and women's rights in Islamic countries. Attention in the United Nations has been focussed on racial discrimination. Yet groups defined as racial are only one of a number that appear as discriminators or victims of discrimination. The case studies, which are factual in approach, show inequalities in the distribution of power status, opportunities and rewards in all the countries studied. They also show that discrimination on grounds other than racial - that is, because of differing religion, language, lifestyle or political beliefs - causes far more human misery and denial of human rights than discrimination motivated by biological differences. Perspective readers will find all these case studies informative and some of them profoundly disturbing. Those who believe that their countries foreign policy should not be limited to pure nationalist interests but should show concern for basic rights and freedoms throughout the world may e in some cases be inclined to question whether diplomatic efforts within and outside the United Nations are directed as effectively as they might be.