Political myth and the sacred center of human rights: the Universal Declaration and the narrative of "inherent human dignity"

This paper will explore the 1948 Universal Declaration of Human Rights as an exemplar of political mythmaking, a genre of narrative designed to channel and thereby to quell social anxiety and to orient select groups toward desirable beliefs and practices. One of the Declaration’s most fundamental an...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Author: Reinbold, Jenna (Author)
Format: Electronic Article
Language:English
Published: 2011
In: Human rights review
Year: 2011, Volume: 12, Issue: 2, Pages: 147-171
Online Access: Volltext (lizenzpflichtig)
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Summary:This paper will explore the 1948 Universal Declaration of Human Rights as an exemplar of political mythmaking, a genre of narrative designed to channel and thereby to quell social anxiety and to orient select groups toward desirable beliefs and practices. One of the Declaration’s most fundamental and forceful elements is its enshrinement of the “inherent dignity” of each member of the human family. Drawing upon contemporary theorizations of mythmaking and sacralization, this article will elucidate the manner in which inherent dignity functions as the central item of sacredness within what we might call the “secular morality” of universal human rights.
Item Description:Literaturverzeichnis: Seite 169-171
ISSN:1874-6306
DOI:10.1007/s12142-010-0171-x