The Chinese Human Rights Reader:

38. An Initial Inquiry into the Contemporary Theory of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms (1976)

Mab Huang

Mab Huang (b. 1935), professor in the Department of Political Science at Soochow University on Taiwan, is a long-time advocate of human rights. The piece we have translated here dates from 1976 when martial law was still in effect on Taiwan and human rights violations frequent. It is, however, a more theoretical piece that does not touch upon concrete human rights issues on Taiwan. Huang calls attention to the drawbacks of the contemporary human rights theories and emphasizes that human rights need to encompass both civil and political rights as well as economic and social rights. It was not until the early 1980s that human rights organizations were established in Taiwan and work on concrete cases and issues was undertaken. During the past few years Huang has been deeply involved in the promotion of human rights education in primary schools, high schools, and universities. He is also active in the current work to establish a National Human Rights Commission. In addition to his human rights work on Taiwan, Huang also takes a strong interest in human rights on the mainland. He is a board member of Human Rights in China, an NGO based in New York that works to promote human rights in the PRC.


Last updated: 12/10/01
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