Human Rights Theory and Human Rights History - A Tale of Two Odd Bedfellows

• Author: Samantha Besson - Alain Zysset
• Pages: 204-219

ANCILLAIURIS(anci.ch)2012:204–InternationalLawandEthics 204

HumanRightsTheoryandHumanRightsHistory:

ATal eofTw oOddBedfellows

„CharakteristischfürdenhiereingeschlagenenWegistnämlicheinespezifische

WeisederVerknüpfungvonBegründungsargumentenundhistorischerReflexi

on,diesichsoindenGeschichtenderMenschenrechteoderindenphilosophi

schenAnsätzennichtfindetunddortinderRegelauchgarnichtangestrebt

wird.DieehrgeizigenphilosophischenBegründungsversuchekommenohneGe

schichteaus.SiekonstruierenihreArgumenteausdem(angeblichen)Charakter

derpraktischenVernunftunddesmoralischenSollens,denBedingungeneines

GedankenexperimentsüberdieEinrichtungvonGemeinwesenoderdenGrund

zügeneinesidealisiertenDiskursesheraus.ZurGeschichtestehensolcheKon

struktionennotwendigineinemmerkwürdigenSpannungsverhältnis.Merk

würdigmussjaausdieserPerspektiveerscheinen,dassinderGeschichteder

MenschheitzeitlosGültigesnursoseltenalssolcheserkanntwurde.[...]

DieGeschichtsschreibungwiederumwirdzwarhäufig,bewusstoderunbe

wusst,vonVorstellungenüberphilosophischeBegründungdurchsetztsein;[...].

AlsWissenschaftmusssieaberihrenAnspruchaufdieempirischeEbeneeiner

sachgemässenRekonstruktionhistorischerProzessebegrenzen.InihrerArbeits

teilungbekräftigenGeschichtswissenschaftundPhilosophiedamitdieUnter

scheidungvonGenesisundGeltung,dievonvielenfüreineGrundlagejeder

rechtlichenBeschäftigungmitnormativenFragengehaltenwird.Entweder,so

dieseDenkweise,stehtderGeltungsanspruchnormativerSätzezurDiskussion,

oderwirinteressierenunsfürihregeschichtlicheHerkunft.ZurEntscheidung

überdennormativenGeltungsanspruchkannindieserPerspektivegeschichtli

chesWissennichts,jedenfallsnichtsAusschlaggebendesbeitragen.”

HansJoas,DieSakralitätderPerson.EineneueGenealogiederMenschen

rechte[2011],12–13

I. Theprimafacieoppositionbetweenhumanrightstheoryandhistory

Theburgeoningofrecentpublicationsonhumanrightsshowshowfashionableanobject

ofstudyinternationalhumanrightshavebecomelately,andthisespeciallyamongphiloso

phers1andhistorians.2Curiously,however,giventhatjointdevelopment,humanrightsthe

oristsandhumanrightshistoriansseemtobefollowingseparatepaths,withoutmuchinter

actionbetweenthembesideshistorians“showcas[ing]thetheoreticalandphilosophical

debatesaboutthemeaningofhumanrights”3andtheoristsgesturingatsomeofthehistorical

originsoftheconceptofhumanrightsusuallytothendistancethemselvesfromthem.4

1Seee.g.HenryShue,BasicRights:Subsistence,Affluence,andU.S.ForeignPolicy(1996);JamesW.Nickel,

MakingSenseofHumanRights(2007);JamesGriffin,OnHumanRights(2008);CharlesBeitz,TheIdeaof

HumanRights(2009);CarlWellman,TheMor alDimensionsofHumanRights(2011).

bySamanthaBessonandAlainZysset*

*ManythankstoJuliaHänniforherinvitationtocontributetothisspecialissueofAncillaIuris,andto

AlessandroStanzianiandMilosVecforinformaldiscussionsonthetopic.

Besson/Zysset–HumanRightsTheoryandHumanRightsHistory

205 ANCILLAIURIS(anci.ch)2012:204–InternationalLawandEthics

Thespecificquestionthatarisesforhumanrightstheoristsinthiscontextisnotonly

whetherhumanrightshistoryshouldmatterfortheirnormativeendeavour,5butalsohowit

couldbeintegratedmethodologicallyinthelatter,ifatall.6Ishumanrightshistorymorethan

asourceofinformationforthephilosopherofhumanrights?Shoulditbeused,forinstance,

toidentifytheobjectofhumanrightstheorizingandthenmaybetointerpretit?Andmayit

provideacriticaltoolfornonidealhumanrightstheories?Thoseissuesareevenmoreperti

nentforlegaltheoristsofhumanrightsas,withinlegalscience,bothhistoryoflawandphi

losophyoflawhavebeencultivatedinamoreintegratedfashionnotonlyinrelationtolaw

itself7butalsoinrelationtooneanother,8thanintheirnonlegalcounterpartssuchaseco

nomicsorsociologywherethehistoryandphilosophyofeconomicandsocialbehaviourare

usuallyconductedoutsidetheboundariesofthediscipline,andseparatelyatthat.

Atfirstsight,ofcourse,historicalinterpretationsandnormativetheoriesofhumanrights

appeartobeentirelydistinctprojects,andtheirrespectivemethodsatoddswithoneanother.

Thistensionbetweenthetwodisciplines,andthecorrespondingscientificgaphavebeencap

turedverywellbyHansJoasintheexcerptquotedabove.9

2Seee.g.JohannesMorsink,TheUniversalDeclarationofHumanRights:Origins,Drafting,andIntent(1999);

PaulG.Lauren,TheEvolutionofInternationalHumanRights:VisionsSeen(2003);KennethCmiel,The

RecentHistoryofHumanRights,AmericanHistoricalReview109:1(2004),117–135;MaryAnnGlendon,A

Worl dMadeNew:EleanorRooseveltandtheUniversalDeclarationofHumanRights(2001);LynnHunt,

InventingHumanRights:aHistory(2007);JohannesMorsink,InherentHumanRights:PhilosophicalRoots

oftheUniversalDeclaration(2009);SamuelMoyn,TheLastUtopia:HumanRightsinHistory(2010);Roland

Burke,DecolonizationandtheEvolutionofInternationalHumanRights(2010);StefanLudwigHoffmann/

SamuelMoyn(ed.),HumanRightsintheTwentiethCentury(2011),AkiraIriye/PetraGoedde/WilliamI.Hitch

cock,(ed.),TheHumanRightsRevolution,AnInternationalHistory(2012).Seealsointhelegalhistoryof

internationalhumanrights,e.g.AlfredWilliamBrianSimpson,HumanRightsandtheEndofEmpire:Britain

andtheGenesisoftheEuropeanConvention(2004);EdBates,TheEvolutionoftheEuropeanConvention

onHumanRights:FromItsInceptiontotheCreationofaPerman entCourtofHumanRights(2010);Jenny

S.Martinez,TheSlaveTrade andtheOriginsofInternationalHumanRightsLaw(2012);AryehNeier,The

InternationalHumanRightsMovement:AHistory(2012)andintheintellectualhistoryofhumanrights

andespeciallyofnaturalrightsMichaelZuckert,NaturalRightsandtheNewRepublicanism(1994)and

KnudHaakonssen,NaturalLawandMoralPhilosophy:FromGrotiustotheScottishEnlightenment(1996).

3SeeIriye/Goedde/Hitchcock,op.cit.,15.

4Seee.g.Nickel,op.cit.,7.

5Itisimportanttodistinguishthe(social)historyofhumanrightsquanormsandinstitutions,thatisour

topichere,fromthe(intellectual)historyoftheideaofhumanrightsandhencefromthehistoryoftheories

ofhumanrights.ItsufficestothinkofHaarscher1993’sbooktoseehowabookonthehistoryofhuman

rightstheoriesacrosscenturiescangobythenameofhumanrightstheorizing.Ofcourse,thelatterproject

qualegalprojectmaybeexplainedasahumanrightstheoryprojectbyreferencetothefactthatlegaltheo

riesofhumanrightsaremorepresentinthelegalpracticeofhumanrightsthanintheirothersocialprac

tices:thelawoftentellsastoryaboutitsnormsandmakesitstick,andthisisparticularlythecasewiththeir

intellectualhistory.Cf.GuyHaarscher,Philosophiedesdroitsdel’homme(1993).

6Ofcourse,thereversequestionmayalsoberaisedfromtheperspectiveofhumanrightshistory,butitwill

notbebroachedinfullinthisarticle.Althoughoneofusistrainedasahistorian,wearewritingthisarticle

fromtheperspectiveofpoliticalandlegalphilosophy.

7Therearemanyreasonsforthisthatwecannotexpandonhere.Oneofthemisthesocialroleofthelawand

henceitshistoricizingroleasaresultinentrenchinghistorywithinsocialnorms.Anotherdistinctreason

pertainstolaw’sclaimtolegitimateauthority,andhowthelattermaybecloselyrelatedtohistoricalclaims

inmanycases.

8Ofcourse,dependingonone’slegaltheory,therelationshiptosocialfactsandhencetotheirhistorywillbe

moreorlesscentral.Thekindoflegaltheoryofhumanrightsatstakeinthisarticleisclearlynormative,

however,albeitbeingofanormativepositivistkind.