The history of human rights across the regions
Universalism vs cultural relativism
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 12593243 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Declan O’Sullivan (0000-0003-1090-3548, corresponding author) |
| Year | 1998 |
| Volume | 2 |
| Issue | 3 |
| Pages | 22-48 |
| Publication date | 1998-09-01 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | No |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | The International Journal of Human Rights (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 1364-2987 • E-ISSN: 1744-053X |
| Publisher | Routledge (PUBLISHER • GB) |
| DOI | 10.1080/13642989808406745 |
| OpenAlex | W2092618626 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 1 |
| References cited | 8 |
The article begins with a necessary description of how the term ‘human rights’ originated, and a consideration of how ‘universal’ it is possible for human rights to be, compared with the differing views of human rights in existing cultural systems. There follows a discussion of the continual argument between the ‘universal’ approach towards human rights with the diametric perspective of ‘cultural relativism’, contrasting the African and Islamic priority of ‘duties’ within the community with the western approach of individualistic ‘rights’. The second part of the article deals with the contemporary Arab, European, Inter‐American and African UN Commissions on Human Rights. The article concludes with a consideration of the potential for intertwining these two approaches in some form of compromise and mutual respect
Argument (complex analysis · Compromise · Cultural relativism · Environmental ethics · Epistemology · Fundamental rights · Human rights · Individualism · International human rights law · Law and economics · Linguistic rights · Perspective (graphical · Political science · Relativism · Right to property · Sociology · Universalism · Historical and Contemporary Political Dynamics · Human Rights and Development · International Law and Human Rights · Law · Philosophy
Universal Islamic declaration of human rights
The Inter-American Commission on Human Rights and the Inter-American Court of Human Rights
Human Rights and Religious Faith in the Middle East
The International Dimensions of Human Rights
The Protection of Human Rights in Africa and the African Charter on Human and Peoples' Rights
The International Law of Human Rights
| Unique citing works | 1 |
|---|---|
| Citations per year | 1 |
| Citation span | 2025 - 2025 (1) |
| Citation velocity | recent |
| Highly cited | No |
| Citation types | Neutral: 1 |