Chair of Human Rights and Human Rights Policy (Prof. Dr. Dr. h.c. Heiner Bielefeldt)

The chair for human rights and human rights politics at Friedrich-Alexander University was established in the winter term 2009/10. Bringing together human rights-related expertise from different disciplines – political science, philosophy, law and history – the chair holds a unique position in German academia.

Themes of special interest include: universal rights in a culturally diverse world society; freedom of religion or belief; the foundational status of human dignity; policies of effective non-discrimination; manifestions of racism and xenophobia; gender perspectives on human rights; regional systems of human rights protection; economic, social and cultural rights; religious human rights discourses; human rights in Latin America; infrastructural developments; human rights education; the UN convention on the rights of persons with disabilities; human rights and integration politics; human rights and medical ethics.

The chair for human rights and human rights politics is well connected to domestic and international civil society organizations, national human rights institutions, human rights focal points within Governmental institutions, the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) and academic institutions working on related themes.

In addition to regular lectures and seminars within the Institute of Political Science, the chair for human rights and human rights politics also constitutes one of the pillars of the interdisciplinary Master’s Program Human Rights.