Human Rights in Iran: The Abuse of Cultural Relativism (Pennsylvania Studies in Human Rights)

by Reza Afshari (Author)

4 ratings

ISBN-13: 978-0812236057

ISBN-10: 081223605X

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Selected by Choice magazine as an Outstanding Academic Title

Are the principles set forth in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights truly universal? Or, as some have argued, are they derived exclusively from Western philosophic traditions and therefore irrelevant to many non-Western cultures? Should a state's claims to indigenous traditions, and not international covenants, determine the scope of rights granted to its citizens?

In his strong defense of the Declaration, Reza Afshari contends that the moral vision embodied in this and other agreements is a proper response to the abuses of the modern state. Asserting that the most serious violations of human rights by state rulers are motivated by political and economic factors rather than the purported concern for cultural authenticity, Afshari examines one particular state that has claimed cultural exception to the universality of human rights, the Islamic Republic of Iran.

In his revealing case study, Afshari investigates how Islamic culture and Iranian politics since the fall of the Shah have affected human rights policy in that state. He exposes the human rights violations committed by ruling clerics in Iran since the Revolution, showing that Iran has behaved remarkably like other authoritarian governments in its human rights abuses. For more than two decades, Iran has systematically jailed, tortured, and executed dissidents without due process of law and assassinated political opponents outside state borders. Furthermore, like other oppressive states, Iran has regularly denied and countered the charges made by United Nations human rights monitors, defending its acts as authentic cultural practices.

Throughout his study, Afshari addresses Iran's claims of cultural relativism, a controversial thesis in the intense ongoing debate over the universality of human rights. In prison memoirs he uncovers the actual human rights abuses committed by the Islamic Republic and the sociopolitical conditions that cause or permit them. Finally, Afshari turns to little-read UN reports that reveal that the dynamics of power between UN human rights monitors and Iranian leaders have proven ineffective at enforcing human rights policy in Iran. Critically analyzing the state's responses, Afshari shows that the Islamic Republic, like other oppressive states, has regularly denied and countered the charges made by UN human rights monitors, and when denials were patently implausible, it defended its acts as authentic cultural practices. This defense is equally unconvincing, since it lacked domestic cultural consensus.

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Editorial Reviews

Review

"Using a vast array of government documents, newspapers, journals, memoirs of political prisoners, and reports issued by the Special Representative appointed by the United Nations Commission on Human Rights (UNCHR), Reza Afshari provides a rich, sensitive, and very sympathetic presentation of the experiences and voices of victims of human-rights violations in Iran."—International Journal of Middle East Studies

"This book's powerful synthesis of data, narrative, and theory provides an important resource for those engaged in the study and furtherance of human rights."—Harvard Law Review

"The most exhaustive treatment of the record of human rights in postrevolutionary Iran. . . . This well-written and copiously researched volume will remain the standard work for years to come."—Choice

About the Author

Reza Afshari is Professor of History and Human Rights at Pace University.

Product details

Publisher : University of Pennsylvania Press (August 27, 2001)
Language : English
Hardcover : 440 pages
ISBN-10 : 081223605X
ISBN-13 : 978-0812236057
Item Weight : 1.77 pounds
Dimensions : 6.75 x 1.25 x 9.75 inches

Best Sellers Rank: #6,975,853 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #2,616 in Iran History
- #2,844 in Civil Rights
- #5,768 in Middle Eastern History (Books)

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John Davenport

Excellent work, though 15 years old now.

Reviewed in the United States on December 7, 2014

Verified Purchase

Shows in meticulous detail how the Iranian tyranny abuses claims of cultural relativism to rationalize their own oppressions. Afshari is right: the evils committed by tyrants are very similar across widely differing cultures, which shows that their thin excuses for domination have nothing to do with 'authentic culture.'

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Mimicri

Thoroughly researched

Reviewed in the United States on September 28, 2010

Verified Purchase

One of the most thoroughly researched books on the subject. Well written. A grabbing if disturbing read. At a time when the political science literature on Iran suffers from shallowly researched and often poorly made arguments that take too few Persian-language sources into account, Afshari's book stands out as one whose sources are wide, balanced, closely analyzed - an example many, one may hope, will follow in the meticulousness the author's research exhibits.

2 people found this helpful

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AMA

I am quite certain this is an excellent and important book

Reviewed in the United States on July 27, 2014

I am quite certain this is an excellent and important book. That being said ,I am appalled at the criminally outrageous price that it is being sold for. I must be leave that the seller doesn't want people to purchase the book.

Helpful

Ghassan Karam

Human Rights Under the Mullahs

Reviewed in the United States on March 19, 2011

What a tour de force by Professor Afshari. An excellently written, researched and documented scholarly work but yet accessible to the general reader.
I have never been to Iran but after reading this wonderful work I feel that I have a deeper understanding of the current forces in the Iranian society and in particular what shapes the thinking of the Shia theocrats and their claim to exceptionalism. The paper back edition has a special valuable reward for its readers. An insightful,timely and well written "Afterword" that deals with the "Green Revolution" its roots, causes and future. This 45 page addendum makes this a worth while twofer.

One person found this helpful

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