Now, let's return to one of the most contentious debates that emphasizes the theoretical and practical questions of global justice: Western versus non-Western.
How should individuals and states converge in terms of abstract principles, consequent norms, and their application? Should this convergence – whether required, coerced, or encouraged – occur at the expense of particular cultures, traditions, or identities?
Completing this unit should take you approximately 5 hours.
Many theorists, especially those living in Western societies, generally believe that Western cultures respect and value human rights more than non-Western cultures. These beliefs ignore some of the ways that Western countries perpetuate human rights abuses, and how non-Western countries have contributed to human rights discourse. In this section, we consider the role governments play in securing human rights and how they relate to one another.
Read this article for a discussion on rectificatory justice. What are the author's arguments in favor of such a justice scheme? Is it more than righting the wrongs of the past? Does it contribute to our current understanding of global justice?
Read this article for a discussion on the future of human rights in the context of state power. What are Göran Collste's central arguments concerning protecting and promoting human rights and their intersection with sovereignty? What are the potential consequences for global justice?
This resource complicates the idea of universality in human rights in its discussion of contradictory ideas about humanity, and the notion that human rights are something practiced by Western states and resisted by non-Western states. The author has worked on human rights issues in the United States, showing that Western states also sometimes fail to support the rights of their peoples. Our conceptions of rights are dynamic rather than static. What implications do these ideas have for global justice? What are the roles, rights, and responsibilities of individuals, communities, and states?
This article examines the role of women in Egypt's Arab Spring revolution. It pushes back against dominant Western narratives that Nadine Naber describes as culture-blaming or religion-blaming, which often view Islam as the source of women's oppression in Muslim-majority states. Naber examines women's leadership in Egypt during this time, and how they worked to develop the logic of human rights and women's rights in their own national and political context.
This final section is an opportunity to rethink how to accomplish justice on a global scale and what the future of justice will look like. The resources attempt to answer these questions and offer theories and suggestions for working toward a more just world.
This video considers questions about the present and future of global justice, such as how our understanding of global justice must be dynamic and adaptable as our societies change. At its core, the question of global justice asks what we owe each other, across personal, community, and state lines. How has your learning in this course shaped your opinion on that question?
This article lays out four pillars for adapting previous ideals about global justice to the 21st century. As you read, consider how these pillars relate to the human rights issues we have discussed, and how they present a vision for a more just global society.
As you watch this video, consider Pogge's arguments on justice versus social justice and the quasi-eternal nature of justice. Do you agree with his definitions? How do they square with ideas about how our notions of justice and rights evolve? What do these ideas all mean for the future of justice?
This article reframes how we think and teach about human rights. The authors complicate stereotypical understandings we may have about global justice and respect for human rights. As you read, think about your understanding of these issues before and after you took this course. What has changed? What ideas have resonated the most with you? How will you think about global justice in the future?