The cultural politics of human rights : comparing the US and UK

How does culture make a difference to the realisation of human rights in Western states? It is only through cultural politics that human rights may become more than abstract moral ideals, protecting human beings from state violence and advancing protection from starvation and the social destruction of poverty. Using an innovative methodology, this book maps the emergent 'intermestic' human rights field within the US and UK in order to investigate detailed case studies of the cultural politics of human rights. Kate Nash researches how the authority to define human rights is being created within states as a result of international human rights commitments. Through comparative case studies, she explores how cultural politics is affecting state transformation today. Half-title......Page 3 Title......Page 5 Copyright......Page 6 Contents......Page 7 Preface......Page 9 List of acronyms used in the book......Page 12 ‘Friend of the court’ briefs......Page 14 Legal references: european court of human rights......Page 15 1 What does it matter what human rights mean?......Page 17 Human rights culture and cultural politics......Page 20 From the national to the cosmopolitan state?......Page 25 What are human rights?......Page 32 How are conflicts over human rights to be decided?......Page 33 Comparing the us and uk......Page 36 Outline of the book......Page 39 Authority as power: the intermestic human rights field......Page 46 The juridical sub-field......Page 48 Making human rights law......Page 50 From international to cosmopolitan law......Page 54 The governmental sub-field......Page 56 The activist sub-field......Page 61 The mediated public......Page 65 Cultural political strategies: justifications of human rights......Page 74 Juridical justifications......Page 78 Governmental justifications......Page 80 Activist justifications......Page 81 Mediated justifications......Page 83 3 Sovereignty, pride and political life......Page 87 American exceptionalism......Page 94 Security vs. rights in the global war on terror......Page 96 America: 'a nation of laws'......Page 98 International human rights norms in America......Page 102 What is it to be American?......Page 105 International human rights in the UK......Page 109 European human rights and British liberties......Page 113 Learning from guantanamo and belmarsh......Page 116 4 Imagining a community without 'enemies of all mankind'......Page 121 Imagining a community of global citizens......Page 129 Re-imagining an (inter)national community of citizens......Page 136 Cosmopolitan national citizenship......Page 143 Cosmopolitanism-from-below......Page 150 5 Global solidarity: justice not charity......Page 153 Popular global solidarity......Page 158 Rights against poverty......Page 164 Justice or charity......Page 169 Campaigning for social and economic rights......Page 176 6 Conclusion......Page 182 Human rights in court......Page 184 Democratic human rights......Page 189 Intermestic human rights in the global war on terror......Page 194 Human rights as a cosmopolitan ethical framework......Page 198 What are human rights?......Page 199 Who is the subject of human rights?......Page 200 How are human rights to be decided?......Page 201 Towards a cosmopolitan state?......Page 202 References......Page 206 Index......Page 220 Half-title 3 Title 5 Copyright 6 Contents 7 Preface 9 List of acronyms used in the book 12 Table of cases 14 Legal references: us 14 ‘Friend of the court’ briefs 14 Legal references: uk 15 Legal references: european court of human rights 15 1 What does it matter what human rights mean? 17 Human rights culture and cultural politics 20 From the national to the cosmopolitan state? 25 What are human rights? 32 Who is the subject of human rights? 33 How are conflicts over human rights to be decided? 33 Comparing the us and uk 36 Outline of the book 39 2 Analysing the intermestic human rights field 46 Authority as power: the intermestic human rights field 46 The juridical sub-field 48 Making human rights law 50 From international to cosmopolitan law 54 The governmental sub-field 56 The activist sub-field 61 The mediated public 65 Cultural political strategies: justifications of human rights 74 Juridical justifications 78 Governmental justifications 80 Activist justifications 81 Mediated justifications 83 3 Sovereignty, pride and political life 87 American exceptionalism 94 Security vs. rights in the global war on terror 96 America: 'a nation of laws' 98 International human rights norms in America 102 What is it to be American? 105 Human rights at home in the uk 109 International human rights in the UK 109 European human rights and British liberties 113 Learning from guantanamo and belmarsh 116 4 Imagining a community without 'enemies of all mankind' 121 Imagining a community of global citizens 129 Re-imagining an (inter)national community of citizens 136 Cosmopolitan national citizenship 143 Cosmopolitanism-from-below 150 5 Global solidarity: justice not charity 153 Popular global solidarity 158 Rights against poverty 164 Justice or charity 169 Campaigning for social and economic rights 176 6 Conclusion 182 The institutional–legal realisation of human rights 184 Human rights in court 184 Democratic human rights 189 Intermestic human rights in the global war on terror 194 Human rights as a cosmopolitan ethical framework 198 What are human rights? 199 Who is the subject of human rights? 200 How are human rights to be decided? 201 Towards a cosmopolitan state? 202 References 206 Index 220 What does it matter what human rights mean? Human rights culture and cultural politics From the national to the cosmopolitan state Comparing the US and UK Outline of the book Analysing the intermestic human rights field Authority as power : the intermestic human rights field Cultural political strategies : justifications of human rights Sovereignty, pride, and political life American exceptionalism Human rights at home in the UK Learning from Guantanamo and Belmarsh Imagining a community without 'enemies of all mankind' Human rights against 'enemies of all mankind' Imagining a community of global citizens Re-imagining an (inter)national community of citizens Cosmopolitan national citizenship Cosmopolitanism-from-below Global solidarity : justice not charity Popular global solidarity Rights against poverty Justice or charity Campaigning for social and economic rights The institutional-legal realisation of human rights Human rights as a cosmopolitan ethical framework Towards a cosmopolitan state? It is only through cultural politics that human rights may become more than abstract moral ideals, protecting human beings from state violence and advancing protection from starvation and the social destruction of poverty. In this book, Kate Nash explores how crucial cultural politics is to the realisation of human rights ideals What do human rights mean? Why does it matter? Comparing detailed case studies within the US and UK, Kate Nash explores how cultural politics is crucial to the realization of human rights ideals and what impact the cultural politics of human rights is having on state transformation today.