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The moral psychology of human rights in South Africa

M.A. (Politics) / The human rights discourse is flawed in theory and practise. Despite this, it remains legally entrenched in the South African constitution and enjoys a high degree of rhetorical popularity. This thesis will suggest a theory that will explain the longevity of the human rights discourse based on its ability to open spaces for the development of political agency. This ability is derived from its essentially emotive nature as a discourse comprised of value judgments. The discourse is in turn shaped by the agents that are mobilized through human rights. Hence, human rights will be described as a dynamic, evolving system as opposed to the a priori, deontological facts that they have traditionally been conceived to be.

Identiferoai:union.ndltd.org:netd.ac.za/oai:union.ndltd.org:uj/uj:11581
Date23 June 2014
CreatorsBarry, Alexandra
Source SetsSouth African National ETD Portal
Detected LanguageEnglish
TypeThesis
RightsUniversity of Johannesburg

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