Contemporary Debates in Human Rights and Literature

This book offers fresh perspectives on the literary perceptions of human rights as a discursive field, set of norms, and political goal, while providing cutting-edge readings of specific literary works. Each chapter engages with current debates about human rights and literature, addressing complex questions about how human rights are portrayed in diverse contexts such as identity, ethnicity, nationality, sex, religion, and language. By examining the interplay between literary discourse and the political, legal, and cultural dimensions of human rights, the book expands the boundaries of this field. It appeals to both researchers and general readers by highlighting human rights as a universal concern.

Elvan Karaman Mez is an assistant professor in the department of English Language and Literature at Istanbul Topkapı University in Istanbul, Türkiye. She completed her PhD, Master's, and undergraduate studies in the department of English Language and Literature at Ege University in Izmir, Türkiye. Her research interests lie in post-war drama, Elizabethan drama, contemporary drama, and postmodern literature. She has book chapters in books published by Cambridge Scholars Publishing and articles, mostly focusing on post-war and contemporary English drama, in international journals. Ferma Lekesizalın holds a PhD in British and American literature from the University of Southern Mississippi, USA. Her dissertation is about the resistant narratives in non-western literatures. She currently teaches as a professor in the English Department of Istanbul Topkapı University. She has published articles in internationally acclaimed journals such as English Studies in Africa, Mediterranean Studies, Journal of Literary Studies, and Critique: Studies in Contemporary Fiction. Her book, The Traumatized Narcissists of Modern Fiction, examines the narratives of cynicism, narcissism, and 'the leisure class' in the works of 'The Lost Generation.' Her research interests include contemporary American writers, masculinities, cosmopolitanism, and economic criticism.