Communication and Human Rights

Cees J. Hamelink is Athena Professor of Human Rights and Global Health at the Vrije Universiteit of Amsterdam, and Emeritus Professor of Global Communication at the University of Amsterdam.

• Preface Overview of the chapters1 Human Rights Before Human RightsIntroductionBefore human rightsThe ancient Middle EastAfricaAsiaLatin America and the CaribbeanJudaismIslamChristianityEuropean EnlightenmentA short history of normative principles for human communicationThe principle of respect for human dignityTruth as a sign of respect for human dignityThe principle of protection of privacy and confidentiality of communicationThe confidentiality of communicationThe principle of freedomConclusionNotes2 Human Rights and CommunicationIntroductionThe history of a remarkable documentThe Universal Declaration of Human RightsThe Preamble of the Universal DeclarationThe commitmentThe implementationThe nature of the Declaration and future action Article 19 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights: Freedom of inform on Freedom of thoughtThe protection of confidentiality of communicative behaviourProhibition of discriminationThe presumption of innocenceThe prohibition of war propagandaThe prohibition of incitement to genocideThe public exposure of prisoners of warConclusionNotes3 Communication RightsIntroductionOn the communication rights of womenOn the communication rights of childrenOn the communication rights of indigenous peoplesCultural rightsProtection of cultural identityKnowledgeOn the communication rights of migrantsThe migrant issueIdentity and languageThe right to communicateThe World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS)Final declaration of the WSISConclusionNotes4 Challenges and Communication RightsIntroductionChallenges of technologyChallenges of the InternetThe Internet governance challengeThe surveillance challengeThe digital traceThe CloudNew rights?Artificial IntelligenceThinking machinesConversations with your robotHuman rights in robotic timesA new set of human rights?The challenge of declining biodiversityConclusionNotes5 The Trouble with Human RightsIntroductionHalfway?UniversalityNon-citizensFreedom of speechEmpowermentThe state-centric paradigmEpistemic colonialityDevelopment as an interventionist projectLimited visions on human rightsThe first visionThe second visionAbstract notions and sociopolitical realitiesReligionEconomics: GlobalizationRights versus rightsRights versus significant interestsRights versus cultural valuesRights versus human inclinationsInclusion versus the tribal instinctCompassion versus hostilityActively listening versus silencingCooperative communication versus competitive communicationChange versus fearThe politicization of humanitarian interventionsEnforcementUnwilling statesFailureThe United NationsBureaucracies and human rightsConclusionNotes6 Communicative JusticeIntroductionThe building blocksThe concept of communicative justiceThe human right to communicationWhat kind of right?Social orderMoral imbalanceRespect for dignity and humiliationRight to freedom and institutionalized censorshipRight to equality and institutionalized discriminationRight to security and the institutionalization of fearImagining alternativesA caring social orderA convivial social orderAn egalitarian social orderA secure social orderA tall orderTransformation and communicationThe caring social order and communication practiceThe egalitarian social order and communication practiceThe convivial social order and communication practiceThe secure social order and communication practiceImaginationConclusionNotes7 The Practice of Communicative JusticeIntroductionPolitical ethicsThe bioethical imperativeThe eccentric positionalityThe ethics of liberationMoral intuitionismTowards an ethics of ‘liberating togetherness’CommunicationCooperative spiritAmor mundiConclusionNotesReferencesIndex

"An accessibly written, rich and compelling argumentation for communicative justice. Global and inclusive in perspective, with a refined reconciliation of legal and ethical approaches, the book's search for new communicational practices aligned with human rights simply requires global attention."Nico Carpentier, Charles University, Prague"This is essential reading for understanding the power of compassionate, dialogical conversation to enable people to realise dignity, equality, freedom and security, guided in their liberation by a human right to communication and an ethics of human togetherness embracing all humans and nature."Robin Mansell, London School of Economics and Political Science