Part I. Historical background : international law moves from protection of particular groups to norms of an universal character / Patrick Thornberry -- Minorities and the League of Nations in interwar Europe / Mark Mazower -- The internationalization of minority rights / Will Kymlicka -- Part II. Conceptual development of minority rights law -- The bases of minority identity / Philip Vuciri Ramaga -- To bellow like a cow : women, ethnicity and the discourse of rights / Radhika Coomaraswamy -- The idea of human rights as perceived in the Ottoman Empire / Berdal Aral -- Part III. Comtemporary challenges of minority rights law -- The headscarf affair : the Conseil d'âEtat on the role of religion and culture in French society / Elisa T. Beller -- Tiptoeing through a constitutional minefield : the great Sharia controversy in Nigeria / Andrew Ubaka Iwobi -- The new economic policy and interethnic relations in Malaysia / Jomo K.S.

Part IV. Fundamental norms in the protection of monorities -- Merit principles / Christopher McCrudden -- Reversing discrimination / Sandra Fredman -- Comprehensive examination of thematic issues relating to the elimination of racial discrimination : the concept and practice of affirmative action / Marc Bossyut -- Part V. Specific rights of minorities -- The emerging right to democratic governance / Thomas M. Franck -- Justice and reparations / Howard McGary -- Multiculturalism and minority rights : West and East / Will Kymlicka -- Equality and non-discrimination : fundamental principles of minority language rights / Fernand de Varennes -- Part VI. Human rights law and minority rights law -- A critical evaluation of international human rights approaches to racism / Kevin Boyle and Anneliese Baldaccini -- Reinforcing marginalized rights in an age of globalization : international mechanisms, non-state actors, and the struggle for peoples' rights in Africa / J. Oloka-Onyango -- "Righting," restructuring, and rejuvenating the postcolonial African state : the case for the establishment of an AU Special Commission on National Minorities / Obiora Chinedu Okafor -- Minorities, poverty and the Millennium Development Goals : assessing global issues / Gay McDougall.