Synopses & Reviews
Synopsis
The human rights regime is one of modernity's great civilizing triumphs. From the formal promulgation of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights in 1948 to the subsequent embrace of this declaration by the newly independent states of Africa, human rights have emerged as the primary discourse of global politics and as an increasingly prominent category in the international and domestic legal system. But throughout their history, human rights have endured sustained attempts at disenfranchisement.
In this provocative study, Linda Hogan defends human rights language while simultaneously reenvisioning its future. Avoiding problematic claims about shared universal values, Hogan draws on the constructivist strand of political philosophy to argue for a three-pronged conception of human rights: as requirements for human flourishing, as necessary standards of human community, and as the basis for emancipatory politics. In the process, she shows that it is theoretically possible and politically necessary for theologians to keep faith with human rights. Indeed, the Christian tradition--the wellspring of many of the ethical commitments considered central to human rights--must embrace its vital role in the project.
Synopsis
Human rights are one of the great civilizing projects of modernity. From their formal promulgation in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights in 1948 to their subsequent embrace by the newly independent states of Africa, human rights have emerged as the primary discourse of global politics and as an increasingly prominent category in the international and domestic legal system. In the theological realm, the concept of human rights has all but replaced its antecedent, natural rights, while in the world of Christian social engagement the language of human rights has become the lingua franca of political action. But in some theological circles, human rights continue to be both controversial and contested. Some skeptics contend that human rights reflect individualism, secularism, and Western political imperialism in disguise. Hogan, though, thinks human rights language is worth defending and tries to re-envision it. Avoiding problematic claims about shared universal values, she draws on the constructivist strand of political philosophy to argue that human rights are best conceived in a three-fold manner: as requirements for human flourishing; as necessary standards of human community; and as the basis for emancipatory politics.
Synopsis
In Keeping Faith with Human Rights Hogan defends human rights language while simultaneously re-envisioning its future. Drawing on the constructivist strand of political philosophy, she shows that it is theoretically possible and politically necessary for theologians to keep faith with human rights.