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Afghans Share Their Views on the West’s Influence
(New York Times)
The principle that an individual human's beliefs and activities should be understood by others in terms of that individual's own culture. (Princeton University).
This principle was founded by Franz Boas, a pioneer of Anthropological study he stated:
"...civilization is not something absolute, but ... is relative, and ... our ideas and conceptions are true only so far as our civilization goes." (Boas "Museums of Ethnology and their classification" 1887)
A conversation that embodies the human right struggle with the concept of cultural relativism.
Western values are cast in universalistic terms, with little room for input by Asian viewpoints. (pg. 26)
That shows it's not just western liberals who care about their rights. Human rights are universal after all. (pg. 26)
This view is in accurate: not all leaders dispise their own citizens and human rights failures by government aren't always delibrate. Its also counterproductive, because it reminds locals of an earlier era of self-righteous missionaries sent by imperial powers to "enlighten" the natives. (pg. 27)
I don't think i'll ever understand why governments torture and murder their citizens. (pg. 27)
"No particular culture or comprehensive doctrine is by name either compatible or incompatible with human rights." (pg. 44)
Both relativity and universality are essential to international human rights. There is danger both in treating the universal as if it were relative and in falsely universalizing particular contingent practices." (pg. 47)
Therefore, effective advocacy of human rights require knowledge of and sensitivity to how human rights fit with local cultures and histories, economies, ecologies, and sociol structures." (pg. 45)
Joseph Lo makes a statement to his colleague Samuel Demo towards the end of Ch. 1 which stated “There you go again, looking at this issue only in terms of what’s the most effective strategy to make “them” come around to “our” viewpoint. My point is that the end itself shouldn’t be fixed by western perspectives.” (pg. 46)
What was your reaction to this? Did you agree with Lo or Demo? He later speaks about the Vietnam War which echoes the recent Iraqi war in regards to the U.S condoning their actions “in the name of human rights and democracy." How does Syria fit into this argument?