Emeritus Professor Jim Ife

Curtin University

The Global Crisis

Decline of the USA and the shift in power to Asia

Challenging Western assumptions

The ecological crisis

Retreating to extremes

Extreme individualism

Denial of the collective

Xenophobia and racism

Neo-liberal assumptions of humanity

Individual Workers/consumers OR

investors/entrepreneurs Independent Motivated by self-interest Citizenship not important Inequality is both natural and desirable

Human rights and ethical duties Conventional western discourse starts

with rights and implies duties Other cultural and religious traditions

start with the ethical duty to the other, and imply rights

‘Human rights’ became important when ethical obligations were weakened by the breakdown of community

‘My rights’ not ‘my duties to others’

The decline of the welfare state

Lack of obligation to others

Incompatible with selfish individualism

State spending seen as wasting resources and eroding productive economy

Community versus development ‘Development’ seen in terms of

investment, and so has destroyed community in many places

‘The community’ is seen as standing in the way of development

So community and development are opposed: each undermines the other

‘Community Development’ becomes a contradiction

Focusing on the HUMAN

The idea of ‘human’ and ‘humanity’ is constructed differently at different times and in different contexts

The Enlightenment view of Humanity Individual rather than collective Secular rather than spiritual Man rather than men and women Young and vigorous rather than valuing

elders Rational rather than emotional Healthy and able-bodied Distinct from the natural world

The Humanities

All cultures have: Stories Art Literature Songs Drama History Philosophy

Community Development needs Human Rights

Human Rights need Community Development

Both Human Rights and Community Development stand against the dominant individualism of the neo-liberal discourse

The shift in global power represents an opportunity to articulate both ideas more collectively and vigorously

Exploring and reaffirming our humanity

Reconnecting to the natural world

i.e a creative and holistic community development approach to policy and practice

A Culture of Human Rights

From rule-based human rights to relationship-based human rights.

Beyond simple binaries

individual AND collective

rational AND emotional

sacred AND secular

human AND non-human

Times of Crisis

are

Times of Opportunity