Empowering Rights through Research
Global Human Rights Hub
As the democratic norms that embodied the post-World War II liberal international order have withered away, the rights of women, migrants and other marginalized groups have become acutely threatened. This pan-ASU initiative draws scholars from the social sciences and beyond to examine the ways that non-state actors generate innovative new pathways for the realization of rights and the promotion of social justice.
Our mission is to transform rigorous, cutting-edge human rights research into policy-relevant recommendations that advance the cause of social justice.
Meet our executive committee
Current Hub Fellows
Gaukhar Baltabayeva
Gaukhar Baltabayeva is a PhD candidate in political science in the School of Politics and Global Studies at Arizona State University. Her research examines migration, exile politics and transnational activism, with a focus on Russian citizens who left the country following the 2022 invasion of Ukraine. Through her dissertation and published scholarship, Gaukhar explores the civic and political engagement of Russian migrants across the South Caucasus and European Union, contributing to broader discussions on migration and resistance under authoritarianism.
Nadia Patricia Gutiérrez Gallardo
Nadia Patricia Gutiérrez Gallardo is a doctoral student in justice and social inquiry in the School of Social Transformation. She holds a master’s degree in social sciences with a focus on education from FLACSO Argentina and has held teaching, research and leadership roles in prison education programs across Mexico, Argentina and the United States. Nadia is a certified facilitator of the Inside-Out Prison Exchange Program, co-founder of Mexico’s National Prison Education Network (RECEPEM), and an active member of several international prison education and research networks.
Sarai Richter
Sarai Richter is a PhD student in sociology and a graduate of Arizona State University’s human rights and social justice program. Their research explores how Khmer feminist NGOs use co-mentorship as a form of resistance to donor constraints and neoliberal governance, drawing on feminist, Buddhist and posthuman theories to reimagine care, solidarity and social change. Sarai has presented at major sociology and peace research conferences, published interdisciplinary scholarship, and serves in leadership roles with several professional associations. Beyond academia, they bring extensive experience in refugee resettlement, feminist NGO leadership and community-based arts practice in Cambodia and the United States.
Victoria Desimoni
Victoria Desimoni is a PhD student in education policy and evaluation at the Mary Lou Fulton College for Teaching and Learning Innovation. Drawing on a background in education, religious studies and cultural and educational policy, her research explores how formal and non-formal education can challenge colonial frameworks and support more just and pluralistic futures. With experience in teaching, nonprofit and philanthropic work, Victoria focuses on educational approaches that honor diverse ways of knowing and foster individual and collective transformation in response to global challenges.
Yohanes Damaiko Udu
Yohanes Damaiko Udu is a graduate student in the Master of Arts program in social justice and human rights at Arizona State University. Trained in philosophy, his research focuses on environmental justice, Indigenous land rights and development politics in Eastern Indonesia. Through advocacy-based research, ethnographic fieldwork and public scholarship, Yohanes examines the social and environmental impacts of extractive industries and tourism development while amplifying community-led resistance and envisioning more just and sustainable futures.Books from Hub members
Human Rights on the Edge: The Future of International Human Rights Law and Practice
Author(s) or editor(s): Heather Smith-Cannoy, Tricia Redeker Hepner
Year of publication: 2023
Sex Trafficking and Human Rights: The Status of Women and State Responses
Author(s) or editor(s): Heather Smith-Cannoy, Patricia C. Rodda, Charles Anthony Smith
Year of publication: 2022
Committed to Rights: UN Human Rights Treaties and Legal Paths for Commitment and Compliance
Author(s) or editor(s): Audrey L. Comstock
Year of publication: 2021
Citizenship Reimagined: A New Framework for State Rights in the United States
Author(s) or editor(s): Allan Colbern, S. Karthick Ramakrishnan
Year of publication: 2020
Seeing Women, Strengthening Democracy: How Women in Politics Foster Connected Citizens
Author(s) or editor(s): Magda Hinojosa, Miki Caul Kittilson
Year of publication: 2020
Degree programs affiliated with the Hub
Bachelor of Arts
Develop research and advocacy skills that help you evaluate complex issues, communicate clearly and back evidence-based solutions. Examine migration, environmental justice, race, gender, citizenship and global justice through an interdisciplinary lens.
Graduate Certificate
Examine complex social challenges from multiple perspectives, then connect human rights principles to policy, organizational and community contexts.
Master of Arts
Shape a culminating experience around your goals in this social justice and human rights degree. Campus immersion students pursue thesis and applied project pathways with close faculty mentorship, while online students complete a capstone culminating project.
Minor
Analyze complex social challenges using qualitative, quantitative and statistical research methods, and gain evidence-based tools to address hands-on issues. Explore migration, democracy, race, gender, environmental and global justice.