Anthropology, Human Rights, and Humanitarianism

This course offers an examination of human rights from an anthropological perspective, addressing their historical formation, cross-cultural context, and the emergence of humanitarian and human rights organizations worldwide. We focus on existing critiques of human rights: e.g., the debates about universalism and respect for cultural specificity; the uneasy relationship between personal ethical convictions and the public good. We also focus on humanitarianism and discuss its relationship to human rights, international law, local cultural values and ethical systems. The course deepens students' understanding of the uneasy relationship between individual rights and civic and community obligations and the complexities of humanitarian interventions.