THE EAST ASIAN CHALLENGE FOR HUMAN RIGHTS

The 'Asian values' argument within the international human rights debate holds that not all Asian states should be expected to protect human rights to the same degree. This position of 'cultural relativism', often used by authoritarian governments in Asia, has long been dismissed by Western and Asian human rights advocates as a weak excuse. This study moves beyond the politicized rhetoric to identify the more persuasive contributions by East Asian intellectuals. The editors argue that critical intellectuals in East Asia have begun to chart a middle ground between the extremes of this argument, making particular headway in the areas of group rights and economic, social, and cultural (ethnic minority) rights. The chapters examine the following areas: critical perspectives on the 'Asian values' debate ; theoretical proposals for an improved international human rights regime with greater input from East Asians; the resources within East Asian cultural traditions that can help promote human rights; and key human rights issues facing East Asia as a result of rapid economic growth.

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This valuable addition to the literature on the meaning and development of human rights in the context of East Asia represents a significant exchange of perspectives between leading scholars from the region and North America. Through its 16 chapters, the book presents an insightful analysis of the multiple dimensions of the debate on the potential tensions between the current international human rights regime and the normative, social, and economic constructs of East Asia. Some of the topics dealt with include the religious foundation of regional human rights orientation; the rights of women, labor, and indigenous peoples; and the right to a clean environment. The frequent use of country studies to assess the degree of tension between regional and international standards adds significantly to the readability and relevance of the work. The resultant mixture of theory and cases studies makes the book of interest to a wide audience ranging from advanced undergraduates to faculty. At a minimum, this book should be part of the collection of research libraries. J. M. Peek; Centenary College of Louisiana

Preface

Part I

1 Introduction

Part II Critical Perspectives on the 'Asian Values' Debate

2 A post-Orientalist defense of liberal democracy for AsiaTatsuo Inoue

3 Human rights and Asian valuesJack Donnelly

4 Human rights and economic achievementsAmartya Sen

Part III Toward a More Inclusive International Regime

5 Towards an intercivilizational approach to human rightsYasuaki Onuma

6 Conditions of an unforced consensus on human rightsCharles Taylor

Part IV Culture and Human Rights

7 The cultural mediation of human rights: the Al-Arqam case in MalaysiaAbdullahi An-Na'im

8 Grounding human rights Arguments in Non-Western Culture: Shari'a and the citizenship rights of women in a modern Islamic nation-stateNorani Othman

9 Looking to Buddhism to turn back Thai prostitution in Southeast AsiaSuwanna Satha-Anand

10 A Confucian perspective on human rightsJoseph Chan

Part V Economic Development and Human Rights

11 Rights, social justice and globalization in East AsiaYash Ghai

12 Economic development, legal reform, and rights in Singapore and TaiwanKevin Y. L. Tan

13 Human rights issues in China's internal migration: insights from comparisons with Germany and JapanDorothy Solinger

14 The anti-nuclear-power movement and the rise of rights consciousness in TaiwanMab Huang

15 The applicability of the international legal concept of 'Indigenous Peoples' in AsiaBenedict Kingsbury

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Table of Contents