Human Rights From A Third World Perspective

Globalization, interdisciplinarity, and the critique of the Eurocentric canon are transforming the theory and practice of human rights. This collection takes up the point of view of the colonized in order to unsettle and supplement the conventional understanding of human rights. Putting together insights coming from Decolonial Thinking, the Third World Approach to International Law (TWAIL), Radical Black Theory and Subaltern Studies, the authors construct a new history and theory of human rights, and a more comprehensive understanding of international human rights law in the background of modern colonialism and the struggle for global justice. An exercise of dialogical and interdisciplinary thinking, this collection of articles by leading scholars puts into conversation important areas of research on human rights, namely philosophy or theory of human rights, history, and constitutional and international law. This book combines critical consciousness and moral sensibility, and offers methods of interpretation or hermeneutical strategies to advance the project of decolonizing human rights, a veritable tool-box to create new Third-World discourses of human rights.

This is a compilation which draws upon the recent experience of the Third World nations, including constitutional, legislative and judicial developments up to the end of 1979. The British common law system is selected as an example of the problems of transplanting Western law to developing areas and its subsequent adaptation to the conditions prevailing there.

The emergence of transnational social movements as major actors in international politics - as witnessed in Seattle in 1999 and elsewhere - has sent shockwaves through the international system. Many questions have arisen about the legitimacy, coherence and efficiency of the international order in the light of the challenges posed by social movements. This book offers a fundamental critique of twentieth-century international law from the perspective of Third World social movements. It examines in detail the growth of two key components of modern international law - international institutions and human rights - in the context of changing historical patterns of Third World resistance. Using a historical and interdisciplinary approach, Rajagopal presents compelling evidence challenging debates on the evolution of norms and institutions, the meaning and nature of the Third World as well as the political economy of its involvement in the international system.

The Poorest Nations Fall Farther Behind. Nations In Transition From Command To Open Economies Face Immense Hardships. Nation As That Have Achieved Prosperity See Their Success Accompanied By A New Array Of Problems Like Social, Environmental, Cultural And Economic, And Many Are Consequently Reluctant Even To Pursue Their Assistance Policies At Former Levels.The Current Situation Calls For Wider Intellectual Understanding, Deeper Moral Commitments And More Effective Policy Measures. Without Them, A Half Century Of Considerable Progress Could Be Undermined. Worse, All Peoples Of The World Will Live On A Deteriorating Planet, And Will Increasingly Lose The Ability To Shape Their Distiny In A Coherent Way.The Charter Of Un Makes Possible A Maturing Elaboration Of The Crucial Idea Of Sustainable Development, But It Has Been Left To Us In The Last Decades Of The Twentieth Century To Try To Bring The Concept Of Development To Fulfilment.In The Light Of The New Vision Of Development That Is Emerging, An Alternative To The Un In Development Simply Does Not Exist. The Un Is A Forum Where The Voice Of All States, Great And Small, Can Be Heard With Equal Clarity, And Where Non-State Actors Can Make Their Views Known To The Widest Audiences, There Is Still Time To Move Forward Together, But Greater Urgency Is Necessary.The Editor Had Provided An Objective Critique Of The Contra-Dictions And Consequences Of The Development And Disparities Among The Countries. There Are Some Definite Linkages Between Development And Disparities. Tackling As It Does Varies Concerns Which Are Of Growing Importance In Most Developing Countries, The Collection In This Book Are Of Thought Provoking Critical Reviews / Papers / Articles From India And Abroad Which Would Appeal To A Wide Range Of Readers. The Present Work Encompasses A Wide Range Of Content And Approaches In Its Ambit And As Such It Is Expected To Be Of Much Interest To A Vast Spectrum Of Scholars.

Papers prepared, upon request, as working papers for the Third World Congress on Human Rights, New Delhi, December 10-15, 1990, organized by the Centre for Promotion of Human Rights Teaching and Research (HURITER), Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi.

The Rights of Peoples