Par Engstrom
I'm Associate Professor in Human Rights at the Institute of the Americas, University College London. During 2017/18 I am a faculty member at the Paris School of International Affairs, at Sciences-Po. I have also been a Visiting Professor at the University of São Paulo, Brazil. I hold a DPhil in International Relations from Oxford University, I studied Latin American politics and development (MSc) at the Institute of Latin American Studies, University of London; and Philosophy and Economics (BA) at University College London. I am the academic coordinator of an International Network on the Inter-American Human Rights System funded by the Leverhulme Trust (2014-16), and the co-chair of the London Transitional Justice Network.
Previously, I held academic positions at the Human Rights Consortium (University of London), Oxford Brookes University, School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS), Warwick University, and at various Oxford colleges. I have worked with a range of human rights organizations and as a consultant for the Association for the Prevention of Torture and the Foreign and Commonwealth Office. Prior to entering academia, I worked at the United Nations Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) in Geneva.
I have broad research interests in international relations, comparative politics, and human rights, with a geographical focus on Latin America. I have expertise in the Inter-American Human Rights System, transitional justice, civil society mobilization, strategic litigation, and torture prevention. Further research interests include the relationship between human rights and democracy; judicialization of politics; the international relations of the Americas; human rights foreign policy; theories of international relations, particularly relating to international law and institutions; and interdisciplinary approaches to the study of human rights. To date, my country-specific research has focused primarily on Argentina, Brazil, and Chile. In addition, I am currently involved in human rights research related to Colombia and Mexico.
Previously, I held academic positions at the Human Rights Consortium (University of London), Oxford Brookes University, School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS), Warwick University, and at various Oxford colleges. I have worked with a range of human rights organizations and as a consultant for the Association for the Prevention of Torture and the Foreign and Commonwealth Office. Prior to entering academia, I worked at the United Nations Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) in Geneva.
I have broad research interests in international relations, comparative politics, and human rights, with a geographical focus on Latin America. I have expertise in the Inter-American Human Rights System, transitional justice, civil society mobilization, strategic litigation, and torture prevention. Further research interests include the relationship between human rights and democracy; judicialization of politics; the international relations of the Americas; human rights foreign policy; theories of international relations, particularly relating to international law and institutions; and interdisciplinary approaches to the study of human rights. To date, my country-specific research has focused primarily on Argentina, Brazil, and Chile. In addition, I am currently involved in human rights research related to Colombia and Mexico.
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Books by Par Engstrom
The book is divided into two parts. Part 1, comprised of five chapters, examines the significant gaps that exist between the formal commitments of Latin American states to the eradication of torture and the practice of torture in the region. Over four chapters in Part 2, human rights experts highlight the potential for political and institutional innovation in the fight against torture.
Throughout the book, it is recognised that the fight against torture in Latin America presents challenges that require multidimensional responses, but also socio-political will and feasibility. The text highlights that while advocating for the adoption of robust legal protections is important, safeguards alone are insufficient to reduce the incidence of torture.
The authors of this book recognise that the production and dissemination of legal, academic and scientific resources on torture have taken place primarily in English to-date. Therefore, to ensure accessibility to Spanish speakers, this book is available in Spanish. An Executive Summary is available in English.
The book is divided into two parts. Part 1, comprised of five chapters, examines the significant gaps that exist between the formal commitments of Latin American states to the eradication of torture and the practice of torture in the region. Over four chapters in Part 2, human rights experts highlight the potential for political and institutional innovation in the fight against torture.
Throughout the book, it is recognised that the fight against torture in Latin America presents challenges that require multidimensional responses, but also socio-political will and feasibility. The text highlights that while advocating for the adoption of robust legal protections is important, safeguards alone are insufficient to reduce the incidence of torture.
The authors of this book recognise that the production and dissemination of legal, academic and scientific resources on torture have taken place primarily in English to-date. Therefore, to ensure accessibility to Spanish speakers, this book is available in Spanish. An Executive Summary is available in English.
This comprehensive volume explores the institutional changes and transformations that the IAHRS has undergone since its creation, offering contributions and insights from a variety of disciplines including history, law, and political science. The book shows how institutional change has affected and been affected by the System’s normative leanings, rules of procedure and institutional design, as well as by the position of the IAHRS within the broader landscape of the Americas. The authors examine institutional change from a variety of angles, including the process of change in historical context, normative and legal developments, and the dynamic relationship between the IAHRS and other regional and international human rights institutions.
This book was originally published as a special issue of The International Journal of Human Rights.
Em seu conjunto, os artigos selecionados têm como fio condutor o registro dos acertos e equívocos da PEB no período em análise. Essa constatação e o reconhecimento da relevância da coletânea para uma exegese do período pós-2008 evidenciam sua utilidade como fonte de reflexão, de forma coerente com o propósito de contribuir para o aprimoramento das políticas públicas.
Os autores dos capítulos foram convidados de acordo com sua especialidade e trajetória de pesquisa, tendo presente o objetivo de fornecer ao leitor uma visão diversificada da realidade. O esforço coletivo permitiu reunir em uma única obra diferenciadas lentes analíticas sobre eixos fundamentais da inserção internacional do Brasil, partindo de questões complexas e com um marco cronológico comum, sobre o qual, até por sua atualidade, há poucos trabalhos.
Assim, os capítulos caracterizam o modo como a política externa brasileira visualizou, respondeu, propôs e agiu em relação a questões centrais da agenda internacional. A análise empreendida em cada um dos capítulos, mesmo que de uma perspectiva da política externa brasileira, é também uma contribuição relevante para o entendimento das próprias características do cenário internacional e das agendas de negociação.
Articles by Par Engstrom
This article examines the relationship between Argentina and the Inter-American Human Rights System (IAHRS) as it has developed over time. It proceeds in two main parts. The first unpacks the ways in which Argentina’s relationship has been shaped by domestic political changes, i.e. democratization. Three overlapping, yet distinct, human rights arenas, are examined: civil society mobilisation, constitutional and judicial politics, and state institutions. The second part reverses the analytical focus and highlights what the specific case of Argentina can tell us about the development of the IAHRS, and, in particular, emphasises the extent to which Argentina has found itself at the vanguard of human rights struggles within and around the IAHRS. Yet, as this article demonstrates, Argentina’s relationship with the IAHRS has become increasingly strained in recent years, which demonstrates once more that human rights progress tends to be uneven and prone to reversals."
Chapters by Par Engstrom
The chapter is structured in three parts. The first part examines the notion of impact beyond compliance, showing how the IACtHR shapes human rights not only through state adherence to rulings but also via its institutional evolution and five key functions that shape regional human rights governance. The second part addresses the complex challenges currently facing the Court, including long-standing structural issues and more immediate political threats, while also identifying sources of resilience that sustain its role. The third and final part looks ahead, outlining three possible future trajectories for the Court – progressive renewal, institutional decline, and a more likely scenario of “muddling through” – and explores how the IACtHR might adapt, innovate, and reaffirm its relevance in an increasingly fraught regional and global context.