SSC 375 Origins of Human Rights

Content

This is a 300-level research seminar designed to take place in the run-up to the celebration of the 60th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights on December 10, 2008. Its main aim is to approach current discussions on human rights from an interdisciplinary perspective, with an emphasis on historical, sociological and anthropological approaches. As such, the seminar supplements the International Human Rights Course, and can be taken both before and after it.

Two of the recurrent debates concerning human rights focus on 1) the universality of human rights discourse and its relationship with cultural diversity; and 2) the relationship between norms and their implementation. In order to shed light on these debates, the research seminar will be structured around three questions.

Firstly, the question whether the Universal Declaration truly reflects values from all the cultures and religions in the world or is predominantly a product of Western enlightenment. In order to answer this question, we will revisit the correspondence between the Human Rights Commission, chaired by Eleanor Roosevelt after WWII, and representatives of various cultural and religious traditions. This will involve archival work, partly at the Roosevelt Study Center.

Next, there is the relationship between human rights, social change and cultural and religious diversity in the world today. Here, we will study the anthropological literature on how rights are appropriated and vernacularized from Asia to Africa and Latin-America.

Finally, we will apply the findings to discussions on the “politics of rights” and rights enforcement in the Netherlands.

Instructor

Dr. Barbara Oomen

Track

Law

Period

Spring / 2011

Evaluation/Assessment

This is a third-year research seminar that emphasizes individual research skills. The output will consist of a number of research papers, to be presented at a public seminar around December 10, 2008. Students will also be invited to partake in debates surrounding the universality and enforcement of human rights.

Course Material

The reading list will include works by Ignatieff, Merry, Scheingold, Ishay, and others.

Prerequisites

The following course is required in order to take this course:

• SSC 171 Law, Society and Justice

Additional Prerequisites

Having taken International and European Law or International Human Rights is recommended, students who have not done these courses (yet) will be asked to read introductory texts in advance.