Human rights and diverse societies : challenges and possibilities

cover image

Where to find it

Davis Library (6th floor)

Call Number
JC571 .H85 2013
Status
Available

Law Library — 3rd Floor Collection (3rd floor)

Call Number
JC571 .H85 2013
Status
Available

Summary

Over sixty years after the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, it has been widely observed that human rights resonate differently in various settings. This book addresses the timely and important question of how to understand human rights in a world of increasing diversity. The effects of globalization and the increasing mobility of persons and peoples have further deepened and multiplied the sites of interaction between different cultures, religions and ethnicities. These changes have been a source of enrichment, as multiculturalism, interculturalism and diversity permeate our daily lives. Yet, they have also revealed important societal cleavages, different conceptualizations of human rights, and divergent values and beliefs about moral, ethical, cultural and religious issues. In societies characterized by diverse social, ethnic, religious and cultural communities, it becomes critical to examine how to reconcile the tensions between respect for group-based identities and differences, the robust protections of individual rights and freedoms, and the maintenance of community solidarity and social cohesion. It is these tensions, mediated through debates about the interaction between human rights and diversity, that this book addresses. Eschewing any simple reconciliation of human rights and universalism, this book aspires to identify alternative frameworks that can facilitate the conceptualization of, and help find solutions to, the complex global human rights issues in diverse societies. In engaging with both the theoretical perspectives that question the 'universality' of human rights as well as assessing the practicality of diverse applications of human rights, this collection of essays explores how human rights can be employed to empower historically excluded and marginalized groups. Taking diversity into account in thinking about the universal aspirations of human rights protection requires us to reframe the question. Rather than asking whether human rights are universal, we need to ask how the universal principles underlying human rights are practically and tangibly realized in diverse contexts and communities. Through critical reflection and a reexamination of the concepts, categories, institutions and frontiers of human rights, this book contributes to an ongoing dialogue about human rights discourse and theory. Yet beyond its contribution to scholarly debates, it is our hope that this book will contribute to the development of concrete, tangible and institutional strategies for advancing the protection of human rights in diverse societies.

Contents

  • Acknowledgements p. vii
  • Introduction: Human Rights and Diverse Societies: Challenges and Possibilities p. 1 François Crépeau and Colleen Sheppard
  • Part I Reflections on Human Rights Discourse in Diverse Societies
  • Chapter 1 Universality and Diversity p. 9 Peter Leuprecht
  • Chapter 2 Human Rights: A Fragile Hegemony p. 17 Boaventura de. Sousa Santos
  • Chapter 3 Critical Engagement with Human Rights Discourse p. 27 Colleen Sheppard
  • Part II Post-colonial Theory and Human Rights
  • Chapter 4 The Challenge of Democracy in Divided Societies of the Post-Colonial World p. 41 Ranabir Samaddar
  • Chapter 5 Human Rights, Settler Colonialism and the Problem of Universality p. 63 Isabel Altamirano-Jimenez
  • Chapter 6 Muslim Women's Equality in India: Applying a Human Rights Framework p. 79 Vrinda Narain
  • Part III Changing Societies, State Institutions and Human Rights
  • Chapter 7 Canada's Clash of Culturalisms p. 109 Pearl Eliadis
  • Chapter 8 Russia's Evolution and Human Rights Changes since 1991 p. 129 Anna Sevortian
  • Chapter 9 Between Compliance and Resistance: Education for Peace in Israeli Public Schools p. 147 Yossi Yonah
  • Chapter 10 National Human Rights Institutions and Diversity p. 165 Joris de Bres
  • Part IV "Othering" and Emerging Human Rights Challenges in a Global and Interconnected World
  • Chapter 11 Is Otherness a Question of Security or a Question of Freedom? p. 177 Didier Bigo
  • Chapter 12 Protecting Migrants' Rights: Undocumented Migrants as Local Citizens p. 201 François Crépeau
  • Contributors p. 213

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