ABSTRACT Modernity conceived prison as a primary vehicle for the humanization of criminal punishment. Contrarily to this theoretical and normative model, the practice of imprisonment has conserved several elements of the physical and psychological affliction typical of pre-modern forms of criminal retribution. Prison actually embodies a major theme of dystopian fiction because of the useless suffering it somehow implies. Nonetheless, the concrete dystopian experience of incarceration has frequently been challenged by the utopian horizons of opera, which Charles Fourier once conceived (...) as a passionate pivot for social change. From Fidelio to The Shawshank Redemption, opera has represented a utopian wonder of voices that soar “higher and farther than anybody in a grey place dares to dream.” Surrounded by the walls of prison, opera is not merely a snobbish artistry: it may constitute a real pre-text for the rights and dignity even infamous men and women deserve. (shrink)

The Human Rights Act 1998 is one of the most important constitutional reforms to have been implemented by the New Labour administration in Britain. In addition to incorporating the European Convention on Human Rights into domestic law, its main ambition is the creation of a human rights culture. However, while citizens appear to have very little understanding of what the legislation entails, there is a strong tide of negative media publicity which depicts the Human Rights Act as a ‘villains’ charter’. (...) It has been suggested that the government should do more to promote human rights. This paper reflects on how this may be achieved. An important strategy for creating a positive public awareness of human rights involves eradicating myths which have been allowed to flourish in sections of the British press. However, drawing on the work of Roland Barthes, this paper argues that this may be an unattainable goal. Human rights are empty signifiers which invite mythical appropriation. Both proponents and detractors of human rights legislation mobilise this capacity for mythmaking in their rhetoric. (shrink)