The journal “Cultural Relativist and Feminist Critiques of International Human Rights – Friends or Foes?” by Oonagh Reitman discuss the critiques of international human rights from cultural relativists and feminists. This journal divided into three main points, such as cultural relativism of Women’s Human Rights, Comparing the Cultural Relativist and Feminist Critiques of Human Rights, and Towards a Cooperative Approach. II. SUMMARY This section contains a summary of “Cultural Relativist and Feminist Critiques of International Human Rights – Friends or Foes?”. Oonagh begins her journal by stating that her purpose in writing the journal is to describe how these two critiques have come to against each other in the world of women’s international human rights. At the first section, it discusses the exposition of cultural relativist arguments that created in the term of women’s human rights. It explained through the crossing and disagreement between the feminist and relativist critiques. The first section also discusses about the suggestions over cultural relativism that likely have a negative effect on the implementation of women’s human rights. It discusses that cultural relativism brings bad influence towards feminist. Then, the second section discusses the comparison between …show more content…
Although there is almost all countries all over the world have signed the Convention on the Elimination of all Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW), but it is very difficult to overcome the discrimination of women in practice. Human rights are rights that given to all human beings, regardless our sex, ethnic origin, color, religion, status, language, or nationality. In other words, each of us has rights to be treated equally, especially no discrimination between men and
This journal by Oonagh Reitman is discussing about the similarities critiques regarding international human rights by two different perspectives, cultural relativism and feminism. The author argue that even though both have similarities in the critique, they actually have a strong contrary definition and perspective about the human rights itself. Besides, the author also pointed out the critique from cultural relativist to feminist and vice
Introduction Ethics plays a central role in shaping the direction that different societies take. Primarily, societies fashion the governing norms based on predefined sets of ethical standards that act as guidelines. Nevertheless, the pretexts used in developing these norms vary from one society to another, thereby creating a conflict in the level of objectivity of each premise. Argument Against Cultural Relativism
Cultural relativism is the understanding of other cultures in their own terms. To achieve the understanding of the rituals used in the cultures of another, one must be able to look at them from an emic (insider) perspective. One must also be able to look at his own culture from an etic (outsider) perspective. The ability to look at one’s culture from the etic point of view will make it easier to explain the rituals to someone from a different culture, for example, rites of passage. Rites of passage are used to mark a life stage and are celebrated by tradition or religion, meant to separate a specific group.
Despite oppression women have always resisted. Women have resisted oppression in many ways. Women have responded to their multiple sources of oppression of sexism, racism, heterosexism and colonialism. Women resisted oppression by standing up for their rights. Women have been left out of the discussion of oppression for centuries.
In this paper, I will argue that ethical relativism is false because there must be a standard higher than culture to judge the rightness or wrongness of an action. I understand that we have to respect other cultures, but I think it is important to bring up that some cultures can violate human rights. I wanted to bring to your attention that it’s happening every day all around the world. Argument: 1.
James Rachels has a better argument than Ruth Benedict in defending Moral or Cultural relativism. Rachel agreed that the fact supporting the proposition for Cultural Relativism does not support the argument. Benedict argues from a functionality standpoint, where she used certain human traits to support her argument as being abhorrent in some society but being adequately functional in another society. Though Rachel and Benedict still drew the same analogy of using Homosexuality as an example of abhorrence in one society as being acceptable in another, Rachel argues that it is a matter of moral relativism and cannot be right or wrong, rather it depends on the society one is drawing his or her moral codes from, but Benedict is arguing from the
Every society has its own unique cultures in which people will have different ideas of moral codes. The diversity of these cultures cannot be said to be correct or incorrect. Every society has independent standards of ethic within their society and these standards are culture-bound. Cultural Relativism has a perception in which rightness or wrongness of an action depends entirely within the bounds of the culture. This theory opposes the belief in the objectivity of moral truth.
It also raises the question in every woman reading her novel, that they deserve their rights because they are better than men and can live without them. The functioning society of Herland and the individual’s citizen’s superiority define feminism that women are better than men and ought to have rights just like
Major changes have been made to attain this level of equality. Today most countries are working hard to empower women by providing equal access to resources and participation in the society. Organizations too have been created to foresee that this equality exercise is followed to the letter. Violence against women has also been a great debate topic for activists all over the world. Mistreatment and domestic violence against married women has caught the attention of the international community.
Cultural Relativist and Feminist Critiques of International Human Rights Journal Summary The journal which is composed by Oonagh Reitman is really talking with respect to the conflict between all-inclusiveness of human rights and woman 's rights; and the conflict between comprehensiveness of human rights and social relativism. Women 's activist and social relativist has condemned the idea of human rights both in its practices and its fundamental idea, women 's activist concentrate on practice and social relativist on both practice and essential idea. The journal is not just clarifying on how both women 's activist and relativist censured the comprehensiveness of human rights, additionally the likelihood of concealed politic which is brought
Cultural Relativism is a theory that states various cultures have their respective and distinct moral values. First introduced by anthropologist Franz Boas and popularized by his students, this theory was meant to explain the reasons behind the different practices carried out across different communities (Lewis, 2001). In recent years, modern philosophers James and Stuart Rachels openly disagreed with the validity of Cultural Relativism by claiming that all human communities hold the same fundemental values. This essay will argue for the validity of Cultural Relativism because different cultures have different goals, and therefore have their own distinct moral codes.
Throughout this essay, cultural relativism will be questioned, but also supported in some ways. The idea of cultural relativism reminds me of a sociological term--ethnocentrism--that essentially means the opposite. Ethnocentrism is essentially a bias about your own culture against other cultures. One can only see their culture (usually as dominant to the others), rather than attempting to see the perspective of whatever culture is in question. An example of real-life cultural relativism is female circumsition or clitordectomy.
Gender Equality Gender equality – a brief introduction Human rights are for all human beings, men as well as women. This means that women are entitled to the same human rights as men. However, all over the world women have historically often been discriminated against in many ways, due to the fact that they are born as female and not male. Even though there have been some improvements, unfortunately, this kind of discrimination still exist in our societies.
Women represent over half of the world’s population, and yet face some major human rights violations on a day to day basis. Women are viewed as less than men, and are treated accordingly. Though there have been some major strides in improving the world for women, it is important to acknowledge the historical and current treatment of many women across the globe. Of particular interest is women as property. Women are objectified and treated as property in almost every sector of life, particularly in marriage, sex, and before the law.
Gender quality is a human right but after all these years of research studies on it. It still often proves to us that gender inequalities does exist in the world. Gender equality is meant that men and women have equal power and equal opportunities for financial independence, education, and personal development. However, even up till now being a man or a woman would often affect the way people are being treated socially, economically and political. Globally, women should be given the same amount of fair shake compared to mens.