Are human rights moralistic?
In this paper, I engage with the radical critique of human rights moralism. Radical critics argue that: (i) human rights are myopic (they overlook important dimensions of power); (ii) human rights are demobilising (they obscure political conflict); (iii) human rights are paternalistic (they undermin...
| Main Author: | |
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| Format: | Electronic Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
2018
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| In: |
Human rights review
Year: 2018, Volume: 19, Issue: 1, Pages: 23-43 |
| Online Access: |
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| Check availability: | HBZ Gateway |
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| Summary: | In this paper, I engage with the radical critique of human rights moralism. Radical critics argue that: (i) human rights are myopic (they overlook important dimensions of power); (ii) human rights are demobilising (they obscure political conflict); (iii) human rights are paternalistic (they undermine political agency); and (iv) human rights are monopolistic (they displace more radical, collectivist ideologies). I argue that critics offer important insights into the limits of human rights as a language of social justice. However, critics err insofar as they imply that human rights are irredeemably corrupted and they under-estimate the subversive potential of the moral ideas that underpin the discourse. Building on the idea of human rights as claims, I set out the politicising features of human rights as they are deployed in a practical context of disagreement, conflict, and imbalances of power. I illustrate this discussion with reference to the contemporary struggles of irregular migrants. |
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| Item Description: | Literaturverzeichnis: Seite 41-43 |
| ISSN: | 1874-6306 |
| DOI: | 10.1007/s12142-017-0480-4 |
