Institute researcher receives international prize

With his Ph.D. dissertation, researcher at the Danish Institute for Human Rights Steven L. B. Jensen has challenged the prevailing perception of human rights as a western invention. In the dissertation 'Negotiating Universality: The Making of International Human Rights, 1945-1993', Steven L. B. Jensen demonstrates how it was countries like Jamaica, Ghana, Liberia and the Philippines that opened up for universal human rights through refined international diplomacy during the Cold War. The dissertation is based on studies of archives in 10 different countries.

Steven L. B. Jensen is honoured for his work with a Special Mention in the prestigious Rene Cassin 2015 Thesis Prize. Rene Cassin was one of the main drafters of the 1948 Universal Declaration of Human Rights and he received the Nobel Peace Prize in 1968.

"It is naturally a great, great honour to receive such international recognition for my work. Rene Cassin stands out as one of the most significant human rights actors in the 20th century," prize winner Steven L. B. Jensen says.

The prize is awarded by the acknowledged International Institute for Human Rights in Strasbourg and a jury comprised of four international human rights experts and a judge from The European Court of Human Rights.

"I think this award is a testimony to what the new human rights histories can contribute to the wider cross-disciplinary field of human rights scholarship. This new scholarship is shedding new light on key themes in 20th century history, including global challenges related to international law, politics and social justice that have clear ramifications for our contemporary world. There is so much good new scholarship coming out that it is an exciting field to be part of," Steven L. B. Jensen says.

Steven L. B. Jensen receives his award Monday 6 July at the Council of Europe in Strasbourg during the opening ceremony of the 46th Annual Study Session organized by the International Institute of Human Rights/Institut International des Droits de l'Homme.

In June 2015, Steven L. B. Jensen was also awarded the Ester Boserup Thesis Prize 2015 by the Copenhagen Centre for Development Research.

Steven L. B. Jensen's dissertation will be published on Cambridge University Press later this year.