The Work of Global Justice: Human Rights as Practices

Cambridge Cultural Social Studies

by Fuyuki Kurasawa

Human rights have been generally understood as juridical products, organizational outcomes or abstract principles that are realized through formal means such as passing laws, creating institutions or formulating ideals. In this book, Fuyuki Kurasawa argues that we must reverse this 'top-down' focus by examining how groups and persons struggling against global injustices construct and enact human rights through five transnational forms of ethico-political bearing witness, forgiveness, foresight, aid and solidarity. From these, he develops a new perspective highlighting the difficult social labour that constitutes the substance of what global justice is and ought to be, thereby reframing the terms of debates about human rights and providing the outlines of a critical cosmopolitanism centred around emancipatory struggles for an alternative globalization.

258 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2007

Reviews

[Shane Wallis · Rating 4 out of 5]

I found this to be a really good exploration of the pursuit of global justice. Some prior reading is helpful, but this can serve as a pretty good introductory text. He breaks the work of global justice into five stages and proceeds to detail each one. At times his work was a little too uncritical in its explorations. For instance the way he takes witness accounts and testimonies largely at face value. Dealing more with the obstacles faced by those, sincerely, giving accounts of atrocities. His section on forgiveness was really good though in how it pivoted the focus towards redressing harm inflicted on victims as opposed to malicious intent of perpetrators. Intent is not required to be proven in order to validate movements to address harm suffered. His critiquing of global aid was also quite a good introduction to the power imbalances behind it. The work is a little bit dry but I found it quite enjoyable and readable.

[Ivana · Rating 5 out of 5]

Justice is practice - claims Kurasawa in this book.
He introduces 5 distinct practices of global justice (bearing witness, foresight, forgiveness, aid and solidarity) which are according to his opinion contributing to realization of global justice. Yes, exactly that notion which is considered to be unrealistic utopia or naive doom. However Kurasawa brings together empirical situations (of humanitarian aid, alternative globalization movements, etc) together and presents them as evidences.
Critical theory of global justice opposes to human rights blackmail discourse which is for him not liberating, 'human rights projects are contingent and perilous, they carry no given truths or preordinated outcomes that would somehow transcend the normative and socio-political contexts of their deployment." (p.201)
'Global justice, then, is not a teleological end-point ... but a laborious and imperfect working-throuhgh without finality.'
One can disagree with the political claims of this book but the perspective offered is very innovative and especially useful when discussing development assistance or other relations between global North and South.