As a field of practice, international human rights law (IHRL) is in constant motion. The four books under review explore the legal, political, and civic dynamics that continuously shape and reshape this vibrant area of law. In this Essay, I underscore two important trends in contemporary IHRL scholarship that these books highlight. First, these works share a strong emphasis on agency, understood as human action that makes a difference in the world, be it the agency of individuals, domestic civil society organizations, transnational organizations, or courts. Highlighting agency, rather than overarching political, economic, and social structures, in turn shifts the attention from human rights law and doctrine “in the books” to an understanding of human rights law as a purposive and dynamic practice.

中文翻译：

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国际人权法奖学金的乐观态度

作为一个实践领域，国际人权法（IHRL）一直在不断变化。所审查的四本书探讨了不断塑造和重塑这一充满活力的法律领域的法律、政治和公民动态。在这篇文章中，我强调了这些书籍所强调的当代国际人权法学术的两个重要趋势。首先，这些作品都强调机构，被理解为改变世界的人类行动，无论是个人机构、国内民间社会组织、跨国组织还是法院。强调机构，而不是总体的政治、经济和社会结构，反过来将注意力从“书本上”的人权法和学说转移到将人权法理解为有目的和动态的实践。