L2: Human Rights and their Entanglement with Colonialism

Question 1

When was the Universial Human Rights declaration created? (1)

Answer 1

1948

Question 2

What do Universal Human Rights assume? (2)

Answer 2

Humans are the same bevause of a common moral humanness that transcends the biological (1)

This sameness has normative implications which take the specific form of rights (1)

Question 3

What was the Idea of Natural Law? (1)

Answer 3

That some principles should apply to all humans (1)

Question 4

What did Tom Paine argue about The Rights of Man? (1)

What is the state’s job? (1)

Answer 4

That men are born and remain free and equal in rights (1)

The function of the government is to preserve the innate rights of man (1)

Question 5

According to Tom Paine, what are the innate rights of man? (4)

Answer 5

Liberty (1)

Property (1)

Safety (1)

Resistance to oppression (1)

Question 6

In response to ‘The Rights of Man’ What did Mary Wollstonecraft argue for women? (2)

Answer 6

In favour of education (1)

That women are essential for the nation and are humans deserving of the same rights as men (1)

Question 7

What did the founding father’s of the American revolution declare? (1)

Who did Gordon S. Wood say that the American revolution’s assertion of human rights only apply to? (1)

Answer 7

“All men are created equal” (1)

Only applied to white, male, property-owning colonial subjects (1)

Question 8

Why was Tom Paine still problematic about slavery? (3)

Answer 8

Did not see the US as having Black or American Indian citizens (1)

Saw American Indians as the “antithesis” of civilisation (1)

Wasn’t prepared to welcome Black Africans into civilised society (1)

Question 9

Why does Philosopher, Jeremy Bentham, reject natural law and natural rights? (2)

Answer 9

Its foundations are based in rationality rather than empircism (1)

Because it relies on the axiom that all humans are the same and the sameness entails a set of rights (1)

Question 10

What is a problem with Humanism? (1)

Answer 10

Imposes the values of Europe, the West and the colonisers onto the colonised (1)

Question 11

Why was the Rubber Trade in Congo important? (1)

What type of labour did this involve? (1)

Answer 11

Developed Europe’s transport (bicycle tyres - motor vehicle tyres) (1)

Debt peonage (1)

Question 12

Why did lecturers about the “savagery” of the Congolese people emphasise a need for Christian conversion? (1)

Answer 12

The Congolese were depicted to be practising supposed cannibalism, slavery and polygamy

Question 13

Why was photography important for showing the inhumane treatment of the Congolese rubber tappers? (2)

Answer 13

Demanded an affective response - became a powerful tool for arousing public judgement (1)

Images embodied the humanity of the Congolese and the inhumanity of the regime (1)

Question 14

What does Sliwinski say the conception of rights emerged from? (1)

Answer 14

Visual encounters with atrocity (1)

Question 15

What was significant about the 5 permanent members of the UN security powers during the creation of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights? (2)

Answer 15

UK & France - still colonial powers (1)

US & USSR - acted in colonial ways (1)

Question 16

What is a significant omission present in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights? (1)

What was this the result of? (1)

Answer 16

No right to self-determination or self government (1)

The result of the intervention of colonial powers (1)

Question 17

Why was Herskovits concerned that the UN rights project was an extension of colonial power? (2)

Answer 17

Creating universal values in the context of colonialism has already been disastrous and has led to racist doctrines (1)

Colonial powers imposing Western vaues onto non-Westerns while pretending to be “progressive” (1)