Global Campus of Human Rights Journal vol 3(2019)

Abstract

The first issue of the third volume of the Global Campus Human Rights Journal consists of two parts. The first part provides a special focus on the phenomenon of ‘the diaspora’, and investigates its role and influence in various parts of the globe. While this phenomenon can be viewed from many vantage points, the prism through which the authors here view the issue is that of democracy building. This part comprises seven papers, presented at an event of the Global Campus of Human Rights at which students, lecturers and other scholars interrogated the topic ‘The influence of diaspora on democracy-building processes: Behavioural diversity’. This event, the ‘Global Classroom’, took place at Yerevan State University, Yerevan, Armenia, from 23 to 27 April 2018. The Global Classroom gathers students and experts from the seven Master’s programmes in human rights and democratisation, presented under a funding agreement with the European Union. Dr Arusyak Aleksanyan of Yerevan State University, who co-edits this issue of the Journal, has largely taken responsibility for the review and editing of the articles in the special issue section.
The second part of this issue of the Journal contains a book review, drawing attention to the life and inestimable role of Raoul Wallenberg in saving lives during World War II.
The second issue of the this volume has a special focus on the impact of new technologies on human rights.
The profusion of new technologies and of information and communication technologies in many aspects of individual and collective life is one of the defining features of our times. The advancement of new technologies in the twenty-first century – also known as the fourth industrial revolution – along with the expansion of the internet, social media and artificial intelligence has a direct impact on the way in which the public and private sectors and individuals interact. These new and transformational environments present opportunities and challenges when their practices are analysed in terms of rights.