McGill University established the Centre for Human Rights and Legal Pluralism in 2005, re fl ecting a longstanding engagement with international human rights dating back to the important role played by Professor John Humphrey in the drafting of the 1948 Universal Declaration of Human Rights. The Centre’s founding aimed to address the perceived gap between the myriad formal human rights at the local, national, regional, and international level, on the one hand, and the continued reality of inadequate enforcement and ongoing violations of fundamental human rights around the world, on the other. Situated within a Faculty of Law committed to engaging with multiple and interacting legal regimes, the Centre was established to build knowledge and understanding regarding the universality of human rights in a legally plural world. As the founding Director and Research Director of the Centre, we began to engage with numerous scholars across disciplines about their understanding of the connection between human rights and legal pluralism. All of the contributors to this book have presented their insights on the complexities of human rights in a legally plural world in various fora at our Faculty and Centre – at conferences, special workshops, seminars, lectures – and in so doing, have contributed to a dynamic dialogue about the multiple, contested and complex intersections of human rights and legal pluralism. This book attests to the rich diversity of thought and scholarship in this domain. We thank the contributors for sharing their insights and for helping us to begin a dialogue on how universal human rights must be given meaning in legally plural contexts. We view this book as a starting point for a continuing conversation about human rights and legal pluralism in our global community.