Can Human Rights Bridge the Gap Between Universalism and Cultural Relativism? A Pluralist Assessment Based on the Rights of Minorities

Authors

• Michel Rosenfeld, Benjamin N. Cardozo School of LawFollow

Publication Date

Spring 1999

Journal

Columbia Human Rights Law Review

Abstract

The article argues that the debate between universalism and cultural relativism is mischaracterized and proposes pluralism as a mediating approach. It suggests that pluralism, particularly comprehensive pluralism, can reconcile the tensions between universal human rights and cultural diversity by balancing individual and group rights within a dynamic framework that respects both universal principles and particular contexts.

Volume

30

Issue

2

First Page

249

Last Page

284

Publisher

Columbia Law School

Disciplines

Human Rights Law | Law | Law and Politics

Comments

Symposium in Celebration of the Fiftieth Anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights

Recommended Citation

Michel Rosenfeld, Can Human Rights Bridge the Gap Between Universalism and Cultural Relativism? A Pluralist Assessment Based on the Rights of Minorities, 30 Colum. Hum. Rts. L. Rev. 249 (1999).
https://larc.cardozo.yu.edu/faculty-articles/1358