Regionalizing Global Human Rights Norms in Southeast Asia

“This book offers valuable insights into the development of human rights norms and mechanisms in ASEAN, stressing the role of regional non-state actors, who are often neglected in the literature on ASEAN regionalism. It makes an important contribution to the growing complexity of ASEAN studies, to the study of human rights, as well as to the Constructivist literature on norm diffusion from a non-Western perspective.”

– Amitav Acharya, American University, Washington, D. C., USA

This book explains how the ASEAN regional human rights body (AICHR) was created and why it functioned with a promotional rather than protection mandate. It does this by positioning itself within a sizable literature on norm diffusion, and introduces the concept of “Norm Interpreters” to explain what happens when global human rights norms are adopted/adapted within a local context, particularly highlighting the role of a group of individuals in the process. In this respect it adds to theInternational Relations literature on norm diffusion and the Southeast Asian region specific literature on ASEAN regionalism and AICHR.


Dwi Ardhanariswari Sundrijo is a Lecturer at the Department of International Relations, Universitas Indonesia.