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Theory & Psychology
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Toward a Cultural Theory of Human Rights

Fathali M. Moghaddam

Georgetown University, moghaddf{at}gunet.georgetown.edu

Although the term `human rights' is traditionally taken to refer to fundamental rights enshrined in formal documents, certain basic `normative rights', such as turn-taking, are central to everyday social life. This paper moves toward a cultural theory of rights, proposing that certain fundamental relations, referred to as `primitive social relations', are inherent in human social life and relative to the local political orientation can appear as rights or duties. Second, normative rights/duties are maintained through evolutionary developed social skills that are integral to local cultures. Modernization has been associated with a nullification or `side-stepping' of evolutionary developed defense mechanisms protecting normative rights. Third, legislated rights/duties are a recent arrival in human cultural evolution, and they arose out of the new social relations inherent to large and complex Modern societies.

Key Words: culture • duties • normative • primitives • rights

Theory & Psychology, Vol. 10, No. 3, 291-312 (2000)
DOI: 10.1177/0959354300103001
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Home page
 Culture PsychologyHome page
F. M. Moghaddam, N. R. Slocum, N. Finkel, T. Mor, and R. HarrE
Toward a Cultural Theory of Duties
Culture Psychology, September 1, 2000; 6(3): 275 - 302.
[Abstract] [PDF]