Suchergebnisse

The purpose of this article is to problematize secular humanistic conceptualizations of human rights by challenging the absolutist and supposedly irreligious foundations on which they rest. In doing so, this piece will adopt the position that secular humanism is, in fact, a religion, and, as such, its dictates concerning human beings and the proper treatment thereof are logical byproducts of a very peculiar modern religious faith and religion, as it were, that places humanity at the center of its worship and, therefore, are no less arbitrary than the overtly religious dogma it rejects. By exposing the all too confident moral authority that secular faithful bestow upon themselves and the will to judgement that is so prevalent in modern humanistic ideology, this article hopes to create a space for a re-imagining of human rights that is less authoritarian and more open to self-criticism than the modern, secular movement. Adapted from the source document.

Vikas Pathak, Contesting Nationalisms: Hinduism, Secularism, and Untouchability in Colonial Punjab, 1880–1930 (Delhi: Primus Books), 2018, XVI + 266 pp., ₹1,495 (Hb).

AbstractThe introductory paper of this symposium compares the impact of "political secular" governing regimes in the countries of both the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) and Western Europe. The overall objective is to assess the impact of political secularism in both regions, as a key component of inter-religious and cultural discord and contention with significant political ramifications. The concept of "political secularism," a contentious term, often lacking in analytical clarity, is briefly assessed. That is, what does "political secularism" mean and what does it look like both within and across Europe and the MENA? Opinions differ from scholar to scholar. As there is no consensus regarding the meaning of the term "political secular," a core contribution of this introduction is to examine what the term means analytically in the contexts of the MENA and Western Europe.