Editorial: On critique, dissensus and human rights literacies

Abstract

Globally, issues such as xenophobia, rising nationalism and populism, linked to the international migrant crisis, are stretching the past influence and the present reinterpretation of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (1948) to its limits. Locally, the #MustFall 1 protests at higher education institutions rightly question the existence and validity of human rights, especially as it pertains to the right to education, socio-economic rights and the moral responsibility of higher education institutions to its students within human rights policy frameworks. The growing critique of human rights is crucial not only to the understanding of the conceptual, legal, moral, historic and contextual complexities of human rights but also the rethinking of the anthropological, ethical, ontological and epistemological premise of human rights. Human rights literacies, we argue, while including knowledge about human rights, question the social and moral consequences of the (non)realisation of human rights as well as the anthropological, ethical, ontological and epistemological premise of human rights. Critique and dissensus are inherent to human rights literacies and impact on how we speak and act to in(ex)clusions, marginalisation, intolerance, disrespect, misrecognition and discrimination.

Critical Management Education in challenging times

“…Although this position in itself assumes that it is critical management educators who get to set the agenda. (Recent student led protest movements such as #Rhodesmustfall (Roux and Becker, 2017) and other examples of ‘hashtag activism’ are reminders that institutions are not always in control of their own framing of pedagogy. )…”

“…Critics of current approaches to teaching about human rights and difference point out its uncritical and descriptive nature. Roux and Becker (2017), for example, point to the multiple ontological stances on differences and rights, and suggest that all have varying ethical, anthropological and epistemological consequences. These ‘onto-epistemological’ challenges are a part of the landscape of engaging with difference in education settings and, in their view, will demand multi- and interdisciplinary collaborations and bottom-up teaching, learning and research approaches (Roux and Becker, 2017: 6).…”

“…Roux and Becker (2017), for example, point to the multiple ontological stances on differences and rights, and suggest that all have varying ethical, anthropological and epistemological consequences. These ‘onto-epistemological’ challenges are a part of the landscape of engaging with difference in education settings and, in their view, will demand multi- and interdisciplinary collaborations and bottom-up teaching, learning and research approaches (Roux and Becker, 2017: 6). CME should find opportunities for such international (or cross national) and interdisciplinary collaborations with colleagues working in communication studies (see, for example, Ashcraft and Allen, 2009), continuing education, sociology, and arts and humanities scholars working with historical and literature-based identity debates.…”

Moral responsibility and speaking to the 'dark side of human rights'

“…In line with the aim of the Equality Act to change the 'heart and minds' of South Africans and to construct caring and socially just communities, the articles of Roux (2017), Becker (2017, Keet, Nel and Sattarzadeh (2017) and Du Preez, Simmonds and Chetty (2017) all explore, to various degrees, the need for an ethical shift in rethinking transformation and the transformative potential of human rights in education contexts. Du Preez, Simmonds and Chetty (2017) conceptualise ethics in reference to Badiou (2002, 1) as 'the search for a good way of being'.…”

“…Badiou's ethic of truths is applied to the #RapeMustFall movements and policies about gender-based violations at higher education institutions. Becker (2017) questions the assumed normative premise(s) of human rights and the link between human rights and responsibilities.…”