Communication and Human Rights

Human rights and communication are deeply connected: human rights need communication to expose violations and to offer platforms for dialogue, while communication needs human rights to provide standards for free speech and confidentiality. Together, they confront the reality of today’s social and international order in which justice and understanding often seem unattainable. In this book, Cees J. Hamelink guides the reader through the historical evolution of communication and human rights. In this original framework, he discusses topics such as the right to communicate and freedom of expression, as well as major challenges posed by the environmental crisis and digital technologies. With authority, he passionately argues that ‘communicative justice’ is the ultimate goal of applying the international human rights regime to different forms of communication. This goal can only be achieved if we manage to move from the prevailing ‘thin’ liberal conception of human rights to a ‘thick’ cosmopolitan conception of them. Written by one of the world’s leading scholars in this area, this wide-ranging book will be of interest to students of media and communication, human rights scholars, as well as practitioners, activists and anyone interested in applying the notion of justice to the basis of human existence: communication.

Preface Overview of the chapters 1 Human Rights Before Human Rights Introduction Before human rights The ancient Middle East Africa Asia Latin America and the Caribbean Judaism Islam Christianity European Enlightenment A short history of normative principles for human communication The principle of respect for human dignity Truth as a sign of respect for human dignity The principle of protection of privacy and confidentiality of communication The confidentiality of communication The principle of freedom Conclusion Notes 2 Human Rights and Communication Introduction The history of a remarkable document The Universal Declaration of Human Rights The Preamble of the Universal Declaration The commitment The implementation The nature of the Declaration and future action Article 19 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights: Freedom of inform on Freedom of thought The protection of confidentiality of communicative behaviour Prohibition of discrimination The presumption of innocence The prohibition of war propaganda The prohibition of incitement to genocide The public exposure of prisoners of war Conclusion Notes 3 Communication Rights Introduction On the communication rights of women On the communication rights of children On the communication rights of indigenous peoples Cultural rights Protection of cultural identity Knowledge On the communication rights of migrants The migrant issue Identity and language The right to communicate The World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS) Final declaration of the WSIS Conclusion Notes 4 Challenges and Communication Rights Introduction Challenges of technology Challenges of the Internet The Internet governance challenge The surveillance challenge The digital trace The Cloud New rights? Artificial Intelligence Thinking machines Conversations with your robot Human rights in robotic times A new set of human rights? The challenge of declining biodiversity Conclusion Notes 5 The Trouble with Human Rights Introduction Halfway? Universality Non-citizens Freedom of speech Empowerment The state-centric paradigm Epistemic coloniality Development as an interventionist project Limited visions on human rights The first vision The second vision Abstract notions and sociopolitical realities Religion Economics: Globalization Rights versus rights Rights versus significant interests Rights versus cultural values Rights versus human inclinations Inclusion versus the tribal instinct Compassion versus hostility Actively listening versus silencing Cooperative communication versus competitive communication Change versus fear The politicization of humanitarian interventions Enforcement Unwilling states Failure The United Nations Bureaucracies and human rights Conclusion Notes 6 Communicative Justice Introduction The building blocks The concept of communicative justice The human right to communication What kind of right? Social order Moral imbalance Respect for dignity and humiliation Right to freedom and institutionalized censorship Right to equality and institutionalized discrimination Right to security and the institutionalization of fear Imagining alternatives A caring social order A convivial social order An egalitarian social order A secure social order A tall order Transformation and communication The caring social order and communication practice The egalitarian social order and communication practice The convivial social order and communication practice The secure social order and communication practice Imagination Conclusion Notes 7 The Practice of Communicative Justice Introduction Political ethics The bioethical imperative The eccentric positionality The ethics of liberation Moral intuitionism Towards an ethics of ‘liberating togetherness’ Communication Cooperative spirit Amor mundi Conclusion Notes References Index