lynn hunt the invention of human rights · lynn hunt : thesis on the rise of human rights...
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LynnHuntTheInven-onofHumanrights
Lecture2
LynnHunt
ApprovedbytheNa-onalAssemblyofFrance,1789
Preamble:Therepresenta4vesoftheFrenchpeople,organizedasaNa4onalAssembly,believingthattheignorance,neglect,orcontemptoftherightsofmanarethesolecauseofpubliccalami4esandofthecorrup4onofgovernments,havedeterminedtosetforthinasolemndeclara4onthenatural,unalienable,andsacredrightsofman...
Ar4cles• 1.Menarebornandremainfreeandequalinrights.Socialdis-nc-onsmaybefoundedonlyuponthegeneralgood.
• 2.Theaimofallpoli-calassocia-onisthepreserva-onofthenaturalandimprescrip-blerightsofman.Theserightsareliberty,property,security,andresistancetooppression.
• 3.Theprincipleofallsovereigntyresidesessen-allyinthena-on.Nobodynorindividualmayexerciseanyauthoritywhichdoesnotproceeddirectlyfromthena-on.
• 4.Libertyconsistsinthefreedomtodoeverythingwhichinjuresnooneelse;hencetheexerciseofthenaturalrightsofeachmanhasnolimitsexceptthosewhichassuretotheothermembersofthesocietytheenjoymentofthesamerights.Theselimitscanonlybedeterminedbylaw.
• 5.Lawcanonlyprohibitsuchac-onsasarehurOultosociety...noonemaybeforcedtodoanythingnotprovidedforbylaw.
• 6.Lawistheexpressionofthegeneralwill.Everyci-zenhasarighttopar-cipatepersonally,orthroughhisrepresenta-ve,initsfounda-on.
RightsofMan1789
• 7.Nopersonshallbeaccused,arrested,orimprisonedexceptinthecasesandaccordingtotheformsprescribedbylaw....
• 8.Thelawshallprovideforsuchpunishmentsonlyasarestrictlyandobviouslynecessary,andnooneshallsufferpunishmentexceptitbelegallyinflicted...
• 9.Asallpersonsareheldinnocentun-ltheyshallhavebeendeclaredguilty…allharshnessnotessen-altothesecuringoftheprisoner'spersonshallbeseverelyrepressedbylaw.
RightsofMan1789
10.Nooneshallbedisquietedonaccountofhisopinions,includinghisreligiousviews,providedtheirmanifesta4ondoesnotdisturbthepublicorderestablishedbylaw.
11.Thefreecommunica4onofideas…isoneofthemostpreciousoftherightsofman.
RightsofMan1789
17.propertyisaninviolableandsacredright…nooneshallbedeprivedthereofexceptwherepublicnecessity,legallydetermined,shallclearlydemandit
• BeforetheRevolu-on
TheCalasaffair
• In1762,thesameyearthatRousseauintroducedtheterm‘rightsofman’,acourtinToulouseconvicteda64yearoldFrenchProtestantnamedJeanCalasofmurderinghissontopreventhimfromconver-ngtoCatholicism.ThejudgessentencedJeantodeathbybreakingonthewheel.(Hunt)
ThecrueldeathofCalas
DamienbeforehisJudges
PublichangingoutsideNewgateLondon
TheGibbet
Voltaire:Trea%seonToleranceontheOccasionoftheDeathofJeanCalas
• “Itisimpossibletoseehow,followingthisprinciple(ofhumanright)onemancouldsaytoanother,‘believewhatIbelieveandwhatyoucannotbelieve,oryouwilldie’”.
• “Torturehasbeenabolishedinothercountries,andwithsuccess;theques-onisthereforedecided.”
• Acivilisedna-oncannolongerfollow‘atrociousoldcustoms’
Aninterna-onalhumanrightsmovement
• SamuelRomilly1786:‘inpropor-onasmenhavereflectedandreasonedabsurdandbarbarousno-onsofjus-cehavebeenexploded’
• Beccariaondeathpenalty:‘pernicioustosocietyfromtheexampleofbarbarityitaffords’
• Blackstone:criminallawshouldbe‘conformabletothedictatesoftruthandjus-ce,thefeelingsofhumanityandtheindeliblerightsofmankind’
Campaignsforaboli-onoftorture:Brissot
Torture:‘anabsurdmonsterbarelyworthyoffindinganasylumwithsavagepeoples’(Brissot)
Endtortureinthenameof‘sacredrightsthatmanholdsfromnature’(Brissot)
Campaignsforaboli-onoftorture:BenjaminRush
• Themenorwomenwhosepersonswedetest(criminals)possesssoulsandbodiescomposedofthesamematerialsasthoseofourfriendsandrela-ons’(BenjaminRush)
• ‘labour,watchfulness,solitudeandsilence’willgiverisetoa‘suddensenseofright’
Beccaria:OnCrimesandPunishments
• Whatright,Iask,havementocutthethroatsoftheirfellow‐creatures?Certainlynotthatonwhichthesovereigntyandlawsarefounded…Didanyoneevergivetootherstherightoftakingawayhislife?Thepunishmentofdeathisnotauthorisedbyanyright;fornosuchrightexists….Itisnottheintensenessofthepainthathasthegreatesteffectonthemind,butitscon-nuance.
UnevenDevelopment
• 1689BillofRights‐prohibi-ononcruelpunishments(butnotprotectslaves)
• Significantincreaseincapitaloffences
• Someexamplesofintensifica-onofbodilypunishment–branding,drawingandquartering,pillory,burning,breakingonthewheel
Aboli-onofJudicialTorture
• Prussia1754• Sweden1772• Austria1776• France1788• UK1783(aboli-onofpublichangingandintroduc-onofthe‘drop’)
• UK1790(abolishburningwomenatthestake)• France1792(introduc-onoftheguillo-ne)
LynnHunt’sques-on:wheredocompassion,sensibilityandfellow
feelingcomefrom?
• Ifnaturalcompassionmakeseverydetestthecrueltyofjudicialtorture,whywasthisnotobviousbefore?
• Answer:fromthemodernideaoftheself‐containedperson–inmanners,publicperformance,portraiture,architecture,toiletbehaviour,novels
LynnHunt:thesisontheriseofhumanrights
• Culturaltheoryofhumanrights:
• Evolu-onofsympathy,empathy,no-onsofbodilyintegrity,
• Newkindofculturalexperiencesshapedbyinterac-ons,reading,viewing,listeningthatmadeideaofrightsofmanappearself‐evident.
Logicofuniversality
• ‘Therewillbenoendofit’
Logicofuniversality
• ‘Gran-ngrightstosomegroupswasmoreeasilyimaginedthangran-ngthemtoothers.Thelogicoftheprocessdeterminedthatassoonasahighlyconceivablegroupcameupfordiscussion,thoseinthesamekindofcategorybutlowerontheconceivabilityscalewouldinevitablyappearontheagenda...Protestantscouldnotcomeupwithoutraisingtheques-onofJews....Freeblacks...Withoutdrawingaoen-ontoslaves.’(Hunt:150‐1)
Strugglesforinclusion
• Religiousminori-es(ProtestantsandJews)
• Foreigners
• FreeBlacksandslaves
• Women
• Criminalsandluna-cs
Declineoftherightsofman
• Movementfromfreedomtoterror
• Movementfromcosmopolitanismtoxenophobia
• Colonialismandracism
• Riseofna-onalisminbothFranceanditsconqueredterritories
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