Geography and Human Rights

A compilation of over 700 publications that apply geographic perspectives, tools and technologies to analyze human rights issues. Author abstracts and links to the full text have been included where available

Provides a guide to the literature on the relationships between science, engineering and human rights. The following citations are grouped under a variety of headings that encompass disciplinary fields of science and engineering and topics where science, technology and human rights intersect.

Links to human rights reference resources, organizations and advocacy groups, research centers and academic programs:

Human rights reference resources

• Refworld (UNHCR)
• Human Rights Library (University of Minnesota)
• Human Rights Database (Mount Holyoke College)
• Holocaust, Genocide, and Human Rights Links (Webster University)
• Project Diana: An Online Human Rights Archive (Yale Law School)
• Uppsala Conflict Data Program (Uppsala University)

Human rights organizations and advocacy groups

• African Centre for Democracy and Human Rights Studies
• Asian Human Rights Commission
• Asia-Pacific Human Rights Information Center
• Cairo Institute for Human Rights Studies
• Cambodian Center for Human Rights
• Center for Democracy and Human Rights in Saudi Arabia
• Center for Democracy and Human Rights, Montenegro
• Child Rights Information Network
• China Society for Human Rights Studies
• The Danish Institute for Human Rights
• Human Rights Commission of Pakistan
• Human Rights Data Analysis Group
• Human Rights Education Associates
• Human Rights Watch
• Icelandic Centre for Human Rights
• International Association for the Study of Forced Migration
• Mahanirban Calcutta Research Group, India
• Palestinian Centre for Human Rights
• People’s Watch, India
• Philippine Human Rights Information Center
• Scholars at Risk
• South Asia Human Rights Documentation Centre
• Sarangbang Center for Human Rights, South Korea
• Tibetan Center for Human Rights and Democracy
• United Nations Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights

Human rights research centers and academic programs

• Amman Center for Human Rights Studies, Jordan
• Asian Research Center for Migration, Thailand
• Australian Human Rights Centre, University of New South Wales, Australia
• Buraku Liberation and Human Rights Research Institute, Japan
• Cardozo Law Institute in Holocaust and Human Rights, Yeshiva University, USA
• Carr Center for Human Rights Policy, Harvard University, USA
• Center for Holocaust/Genocide Study, Drew University, USA
• Center for Holocaust, Genocide and Human Rights Studies, University of North Carolina Charlotte, USA
• Center for Human Rights, University of Iowa, USA
• Center for Human Rights and Conflict Resolution, Tufts University, USA
• Center for Human Rights and Genocide Studies, University of North Dakota, USA
• Center for Human Rights and Global Justice, New York University School of Law, USA
• Center for Human Rights Studies, Islamic University of Indonesia
• Centre for Refugee Studies, York University, Canada
• Centre for Studies in Social Justice, University of Windsor, Canada
• Center for the Study of Forced Migration, University of Dar Es Salaam, Tanzania
• Center for the Study of Genocide and Human Rights, Rutgers University, USA
• Center for the Study of Human Rights in the Americas, University of California Davis, USA
• Centre for the Study of Human Rights, London School of Economics, UK
• Center for Women’s Health and Human Rights, Suffolk University, USA
• Department of Peace and Conflict Research, Uppsala University, Sweden
• Documentation Center of Cambodia
• Duke Human Rights Center, Duke University, USA
• François-Xavier Bagnoud Center for Health and Human Rights, Harvard University, USA
• Genocide Studies Program, Yale University, USA
• Human Rights at Harvard, Harvard University, USA
• Human Rights Center, University California Berkeley, USA
• Human Rights Centre, University of Essex, UK
• Human Rights Center, University of Minnesota, USA
• Human Rights Institute, Kean University, USA
• Human Rights Research and Education Centre, University of Ottawa, Canada
• Inter-American Center for Human Rights, Nova Southeastern University, USA
• Institute for Human Rights, Åbo Akademi University, Finland
• Institute for Human Rights and Humanitarian Studies, Webster University, USA
• Institute for the Study of Human Rights, Columbia University, USA
• Institute of Peace and Conflict Studies, India
• Irish Centre for Human Rights, National University of Ireland Galway, Ireland
• The Mgrublian Center for Human Rights, Claremont McKenna College, USA
• Montreal Institute for Genocide and Human Rights Studies, Concordia University, Canada
• Norwegian Centre for Human Rights, University of Oslo, Norway
• Palestinian Refugee ResearchNet, Inter-University Consortium for Arab and Middle Eastern Studies
• Pozen Family Center for Human Rights, University of Chicago, USA
• Raoul Wallenberg Institute of Human Rights and Humanitarian Law, University of Lund, Sweden
• Rapoport Center for Human Rights and Justice, University of Texas at Austin, USA
• Refugee Studies Centre, University of Oxford, UK
• Research Center for Human Rights, Osaka City University, Japan
• Strassler Family Center for Holocaust and Genocide Studies, Clark University, USA

The AAG was a founding member of this network, hosted by the AAAS, which encourages the application of scientific methods, tools, and technologies in human rights work. Since its launch in 2009, the Coalition has served as a catalyst for the increased involvement of scientific and engineering associations and their members in human rights-related activities.

On January 14, 2009, over 50 scientific associations came together to launch the Science and Human Rights Coalition in a three-day series of workshops, presentations, and strategic meetings in Washington, DC. The Coalition draws upon its broad network to seeks to protect and advance the welfare of scientists whose human rights are threatened, science ethics and human rights, service to the scientific community, service to the human rights community, and education and information resources. As one of the founding members of the Coalition, the AAG contributed greatly to the formation of the Coalition during the months preceding its formal launch, and AAG representatives participated throughout the event.

The AAG supported this AAAS project to develop applications and information resources for the non-governmental human rights community. Since 2006, the project has brought high-resolution satellite imagery, GPS units, and geographic analysis and methods into wider use by human rights organizations and sought a more integrated approach to monitoring, documenting, and preventing human rights abuses. For example, geographic tools were used to monitor attacks on civilians in Darfur.

With funding from the MacArthur Foundation, the AAG developed an inventory of geographic research and scholarship relating to human rights including bibliographic, informational, and research resources. Many of these resources can be found on this page. One particular goal was to identify research substantive enough to be used as evidence or in support of expert testimony in international tribunals investigating human rights abuses.

NGOs, Research Centers, and Other Institutions

• Human Rights Organizations
  • AAG Ethics, Justice, and Human Rights Specialty Group
  • Amnesty International
  • Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC)
  • Asian Research Center for Migration (ARCM)
  • Asia-Pacific Human Rights Information Center
  • Australian Human Rights Centre
  • Australian Institute for Holocaust and Genocide Studies, Shalom College
  • Cairo Institute for Human Rights Studies (CIHRS)
  • Cambodian Center for Human Rights (CCHR)
  • Cato Institute Center for Promotion of Human Rights
  • Center for Human Rights Studies (PUSHAM)
  • Child Rights Information Network
  • China Society for Human Rights Studies
  • Documentation Center of Cambodia
  • Forced Migration Online
  • Hawai’i Institute for Human Rights
  • Human Rights Commission of Pakistan
  • Human Rights Data Analysis Group (HRDAG)
  • Human Rights Education and Research Network (HRERN)
  • Human Rights Education Associates (HREA)
  • Human Rights Watch
  • Icelandic Centre for Human Rights
  • Institute of Peace and Conflict Studies
  • Inter-American Center for Human Rights
  • International Association for the Study of Forced Migration (IASFM)
  • Laogai Research Foundation
  • National Civil Rights Museum
  • Montreal Institute for Genocide and Human Rights Studies
  • Montenegro Center for Democracy and Human Rights
  • Mahanirban Calcutta Research Group (MCRG)
  • Osaka City University Research Center for Human Rights (RCHR)
  • Palestinian Centre for Human Rights
  • Palestinian Refugee ResearchNet
  • People’s Watch
  • Philippine Human Rights Information Center (PhilRights)
  • Scholars at Risk
  • The Center for Democracy and Human Rights in Saudi Arabia
  • The Buraku Liberation and Human Rights Research Institute
  • South Asia Human Rights Documentation Centre (SAHRDC)
  • Sarangbang Center for Human Rights – South Korea
  • Ramallah Center for Human Rights Studies
  • Tibetan Center for Human Rights and Democracy
  • The Phillip & Sala Burton Center for Human Rights
  • The Gustavas Myers Center for the Study of Bigotry and Human Rights
  • The Danish Institute for Human Rights
  • The Danish Center for Holocaust and Genocide Studies
  • The Center for the Study of Forced Migration (CSFM)
  • United Nations Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights
• Human Rights Research Centers
  • African Centre for Democracy and Human Rights Studies
  • Ammam Center for Human Rights Studies
  • Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law at Yeshiva University,Program in Holocaust and Human Rights Studies
  • Claremont McKenna College, The Center for Human Rights Leadership
  • Clark University, Strassler Family Center for Holocaust and Genocide Studies
  • College of William and Mary, Center for the Study of Inequality
  • Columbia University, Institute for the Study of Human Rights
  • Columbia University, Center for the Study of Wealth and Inequality
  • Cornell University, Center for the Study of Inequality
  • Drew University, Center for Holocaust/Genocide Study
  • Duke Human Rights Center
  • Harvard School of Public Health
  • Harvard University, François-Xavier Bagnoud Center for Health and Human Rights
  • Harvard University, Carr Center for Human Rights Policy
  • Harvard University Committee on Human Rights Studies
  • Institute for Human Rights at Åbo Akademi University
  • Kean University, Bangladesh Genocide Study Group (BGSG)
  • Kean University, Human Rights Institute
  • London School of Economics, Center for the Study of Human Rights
  • National University of Ireland Galway, Irish Centre for Human Rights
  • New York University School of Law, Center for Human Rights and Global Justice
  • Nordic Network on Human Rights in the Age of Globalization
  • Norwegian Centre for Human Rights at University of Oslo
  • Project Diana: An Online Human Rights Archive at Yale Law School
  • Rutgers University, Center for the Study of Genocide, Conflict Resolution, and Human Rights
  • Suffolk University, Center for Women’s Health and Human Rights (CWHHR)
  • The Raoul Wallenberg Institute of Human Rights and Humanitarian Law at University of Lund
  • The Stanford Center for the Study of Poverty & Inequality
  • Tufts University, Center for Human Rights and Conflict Resolution (CHRCR)
  • University California, Berkeley, Human Rights Center
  • University of California, Davis, Center for the Study of Human Rights in the Americas
  • University of Chicago, Human Rights Program
  • University of Essex, Human Rights Centre
  • University of Iowa, Center for Human Rights (UICHR)
  • University of Michigan, National Poverty Center (NPC)
  • University of Minnesota, Human Rights Center
  • University of Minnesota, Refugee Studies Center
  • University of North Carolina, Charlotte, Center for Holocaust, Genocide & Human Rights Studies
  • University of North Dakota, Center for Human Rights and Genocide Studies
  • University of North Texas, International Human Rights Studies Center
  • University of Ottawa, Human Rights Research and Education Centre
  • University of Oxford, Refugee Studies Center
  • University of Texas at Austin School of Law,The Bernard and Audre Rapoport Center for Human Rights and Justice
  • University of Windsor, Centre for Studies in Social Justice
  • Uppsala Conflict Data Program (UCDP)
  • Uppsala University, Department of Peace and Conflict Research
  • Webster University, Center for the Study of the Holocaust, Genocide, & Human Rights
  • Yale University, Center for the Study of Race, Inequality, and Politics
  • Yale University, Genocide Studies Program
  • York University, Centre for Refugee Studies
• Scientific Associations
  • American Anthropological Association
  • American Educational Research Association
  • American Historical Association
  • American Industrial Hygiene Association
  • American Orthopsychiatric Association
  • American Philosophical Association
  • American Physical Society
  • American Political Science Association
  • American Psychological Association
  • American Public Health Association
  • American Society of Civil Engineers
  • American Sociological Association
  • American Statistical Association
  • Association of American Geographers
  • Capital Area Social Psychological Association
  • Consortium of Social Science Associations
  • Council on Undergraduate Research
  • Ecological Society of America
  • Federation of Associations in Behavioral & Brain Sciences
  • Linguistic Society of America
  • Midwestern Psychological Association
  • National Association for Biomedical Research
  • National Council of Teachers of Mathematics
  • Psychologists for Social Responsibility
  • Sigma Xi, The Scientific Research Society
  • Society for the Advancement of Chicanos/Latinos and Native Americans in Science
  • Society for Research in Child Development
  • Sociologists Without Borders
• Online human rights libraries and related resources
  • Universal Declaration of Human Rights
  • ILO Convention 169
  • Convention (No. 105) Concerning the Abolition of Forced Labour
  • Convention relating to the Status of Refugees, 189 U.N.T.S. 150
  • For a comprehensive list of general human rights documents, please visit one of the following:
    • UNHCR Refworld
    • University of Minnesota Human Rights Library
    • Mount Holyoak Human Rights Database

Geography & Human Rights Organizations

The following organizations use geographic methods of analyis or apply a geographic perspective to address human rights issues.

• AAG Ethics, Justice, and Human Rights Specialty Group
• Amnesty International
• Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC)
• Asian Research Center for Migration (ARCM)
• Asia-Pacific Human Rights Information Center
• Australian Human Rights Centre
• Australian Institute for Holocaust and Genocide Studies, Shalom College
• Cairo Institute for Human Rights Studies (CIHRS)
• Cambodian Center for Human Rights (CCHR)
• Cato Institute Center for Promotion of Human Rights
• Center for Human Rights Studies (PUSHAM)
• Child Rights Information Network
• China Society for Human Rights Studies
• Documentation Center of Cambodia
• Forced Migration Online
• Hawai’i Institute for Human Rights
• Human Rights Commission of Pakistan
• Human Rights Data Analysis Group (HRDAG)
• Human Rights Education and Research Network (HRERN)
• Human Rights Education Associates (HREA)
• Human Rights Watch
• Icelandic Centre for Human Rights
• Institute of Peace and Conflict Studies
• Inter-American Center for Human Rights
• International Association for the Study of Forced Migration (IASFM)
• Laogai Research Foundation
• National Civil Rights Museum
• Montreal Institute for Genocide and Human Rights Studies
• Montenegro Center for Democracy and Human Rights
• Mahanirban Calcutta Research Group (MCRG)
• Osaka City University Research Center for Human Rights (RCHR)
• Palestinian Centre for Human Rights
• Palestinian Refugee ResearchNet
• People’s Watch
• Philippine Human Rights Information Center (PhilRights)
• Scholars at Risk
• The Center for Democracy and Human Rights in Saudi Arabia
• The Buraku Liberation and Human Rights Research Institute
• South Asia Human Rights Documentation Centre (SAHRDC)
• Sarangbang Center for Human Rights – South Korea
• Ramallah Center for Human Rights Studies
• Tibetan Center for Human Rights and Democracy
• The Phillip & Sala Burton Center for Human Rights
• The Gustavas Myers Center for the Study of Bigotry and Human Rights
• The Danish Institute for Human Rights
• The Danish Center for Holocaust and Genocide Studies
• The Center for the Study of Forced Migration (CSFM)
• United Nations Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights

Geography & Human Rights Research Centers

The following academic centers focus on human rights issues from a scholarly perspective. Their research–often drawing upon geographic methods or technologies–plays an important role in human rights discourse.

• African Centre for Democracy and Human Rights Studies
• Ammam Center for Human Rights Studies
• Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law at Yeshiva University,Program in Holocaust and Human Rights Studies
• Claremont McKenna College, The Center for Human Rights Leadership
• Clark University, Strassler Family Center for Holocaust and Genocide Studies
• College of William and Mary, Center for the Study of Inequality
• Columbia University, Institute for the Study of Human Rights
• Columbia University, Center for the Study of Wealth and Inequality
• Cornell University, Center for the Study of Inequality
• Drew University, Center for Holocaust/Genocide Study
• Duke Human Rights Center
• Harvard School of Public Health
• Harvard University, François-Xavier Bagnoud Center for Health and Human Rights
• Harvard University, Carr Center for Human Rights Policy
• Harvard University Committee on Human Rights Studies
• Institute for Human Rights at Åbo Akademi University
• Kean University, Bangladesh Genocide Study Group (BGSG)
• Kean University, Human Rights Institute
• London School of Economics, Center for the Study of Human Rights
• National University of Ireland Galway, Irish Centre for Human Rights
• New York University School of Law, Center for Human Rights and Global Justice
• Nordic Network on Human Rights in the Age of Globalization
• Norwegian Centre for Human Rights at University of Oslo
• Project Diana: An Online Human Rights Archive at Yale Law School
• Rutgers University, Center for the Study of Genocide, Conflict Resolution, and Human Rights
• Suffolk University, Center for Women’s Health and Human Rights (CWHHR)
• The Raoul Wallenberg Institute of Human Rights and Humanitarian Law at University of Lund
• The Stanford Center for the Study of Poverty & Inequality
• Tufts University, Center for Human Rights and Conflict Resolution (CHRCR)
• University California, Berkeley, Human Rights Center
• University of California, Davis, Center for the Study of Human Rights in the Americas
• University of Chicago, Human Rights Program
• University of Essex, Human Rights Centre
• University of Iowa, Center for Human Rights (UICHR)
• University of Michigan, National Poverty Center (NPC)
• University of Minnesota, Human Rights Center
• University of Minnesota, Refugee Studies Center
• University of North Carolina, Charlotte, Center for Holocaust, Genocide & Human Rights Studies
• University of North Dakota, Center for Human Rights and Genocide Studies
• University of North Texas, International Human Rights Studies Center
• University of Ottawa, Human Rights Research and Education Centre
• University of Oxford, Refugee Studies Center
• University of Texas at Austin School of Law,The Bernard and Audre Rapoport Center for Human Rights and Justice
• University of Windsor, Centre for Studies in Social Justice
• Uppsala Conflict Data Program (UCDP)
• Uppsala University, Department of Peace and Conflict Research
• Webster University, Center for the Study of the Holocaust, Genocide, & Human Rights
• Yale University, Center for the Study of Race, Inequality, and Politics
• Yale University, Genocide Studies Program
• York University, Centre for Refugee Studies

Geography & Human Rights Scientific Associations

The following scientific associations are members of the AAAS Science and Human Rights Coalition.

• American Anthropological Association
• American Educational Research Association
• American Historical Association
• American Industrial Hygiene Association
• American Orthopsychiatric Association
• American Philosophical Association
• American Physical Society
• American Political Science Association
• American Psychological Association
• American Public Health Association
• American Society of Civil Engineers
• American Sociological Association
• American Statistical Association
• Association of American Geographers
• Capital Area Social Psychological Association
• Consortium of Social Science Associations
• Council on Undergraduate Research
• Ecological Society of America
• Federation of Associations in Behavioral & Brain Sciences
• Linguistic Society of America
• Midwestern Psychological Association
• National Association for Biomedical Research
• National Council of Teachers of Mathematics
• Psychologists for Social Responsibility
• Sigma Xi, The Scientific Research Society
• Society for the Advancement of Chicanos/Latinos and Native Americans in Science
• Society for Research in Child Development
• Sociologists Without Borders

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