POLSC402: Global Justice

1.3: Western and Non-Western Perspectives on Human Rights

• The Open University: "Rights and Justice in International Relations: The Influence of the Western Perspective" URL

  Read this article on the problematique associated with the western influence on the human rights concept.

• Conor Gearty's "Are Human Rights Truly Universal?" URL

  Read this article. Here, the author considers the universality of human rights within the Western/nonwestern debate. 

• Human Rights and Human Welfare: Paul Magnarella's "Questioning the Universality of Human Rights" URL

  Read this article, which reviews three books on the topic of the universality of human rights. This review demonstrates the breadth and vitality of the issue and allows you to familiarize yourself with a large variety of perspectives.

• Joanne Bauer's "The Challenge to International Human Rights" URL

  Read this article. The author contends that different conceptualizations of human rights do not simply occur across regions but also within regions. Hence, it might be ill-advised to speak of western and non-western orientations to human rights. Rather, the underlying political agendas of those challenging universal human rights need to be considered to fully understand their objections.