Rights across Borders

This short book is broad in scope, arguing for the existence of a 'paradigmatic shift' from nation-state sovereignty to the prevalence of international human rights norms in the 'Euro-Atlantic core.'.

[Jacobson] develops a powerful case for the proposition that 'transnational migration is steadily eroding the traditional basis of nation-state membership, namely citizenship,' a phenomenon accompanied by a rise in the importance of international or 'universal' human rights.

This short but well-written book addresses a neglected aspect of the contemporary decline of the nation-state. It studies in depth the criteria by which France, Germany, and the United States distinguish between citizen and alien, from the political-territorial definition of the French to the ethno-cultural one of the Germans.

Jacobson challenges scholars to rethink their views of the state. Current theories of political sociology and international relations are rooted in conceptions that, he feels, are losing their relevance and bite... A thought-provoking book.

Few people discussing national and cultural identity or citizenship have looked at the legal ramifications of immigration. David Jacobson fills this gap in his important book.