LynnHuntTheInven-onofHumanrights

Lecture2

LynnHunt

ApprovedbytheNa-onalAssemblyofFrance,1789

Preamble:Therepresenta4vesoftheFrenchpeople,organizedasaNa4onalAssembly,believingthattheignorance,neglect,orcontemptoftherightsofmanarethesolecauseofpubliccalami4esandofthecorrup4onofgovernments,havedeterminedtosetforthinasolemndeclara4onthenatural,unalienable,andsacredrightsofman...

Ar4cles• 1.Menarebornandremainfreeandequalinrights.Socialdis-nc-onsmaybefoundedonlyuponthegeneralgood.

• 2.Theaimofallpoli-calassocia-onisthepreserva-onofthenaturalandimprescrip-blerightsofman.Theserightsareliberty,property,security,andresistancetooppression.

• 3.Theprincipleofallsovereigntyresidesessen-allyinthena-on.Nobodynorindividualmayexerciseanyauthoritywhichdoesnotproceeddirectlyfromthena-on.

• 4.Libertyconsistsinthefreedomtodoeverythingwhichinjuresnooneelse;hencetheexerciseofthenaturalrightsofeachmanhasnolimitsexceptthosewhichassuretotheothermembersofthesocietytheenjoymentofthesamerights.Theselimitscanonlybedeterminedbylaw.

• 5.Lawcanonlyprohibitsuchac-onsasarehurOultosociety...noonemaybeforcedtodoanythingnotprovidedforbylaw.

• 6.Lawistheexpressionofthegeneralwill.Everyci-zenhasarighttopar-cipatepersonally,orthroughhisrepresenta-ve,initsfounda-on.

RightsofMan1789

• 7.Nopersonshallbeaccused,arrested,orimprisonedexceptinthecasesandaccordingtotheformsprescribedbylaw....

• 8.Thelawshallprovideforsuchpunishmentsonlyasarestrictlyandobviouslynecessary,andnooneshallsufferpunishmentexceptitbelegallyinflicted...

• 9.Asallpersonsareheldinnocentun-ltheyshallhavebeendeclaredguilty…allharshnessnotessen-altothesecuringoftheprisoner'spersonshallbeseverelyrepressedbylaw.

RightsofMan1789

10.Nooneshallbedisquietedonaccountofhisopinions,includinghisreligiousviews,providedtheirmanifesta4ondoesnotdisturbthepublicorderestablishedbylaw.

11.Thefreecommunica4onofideas…isoneofthemostpreciousoftherightsofman.

RightsofMan1789

17.propertyisaninviolableandsacredright…nooneshallbedeprivedthereofexceptwherepublicnecessity,legallydetermined,shallclearlydemandit

• BeforetheRevolu-on

TheCalasaffair

• In1762,thesameyearthatRousseauintroducedtheterm‘rightsofman’,acourtinToulouseconvicteda64yearoldFrenchProtestantnamedJeanCalasofmurderinghissontopreventhimfromconver-ngtoCatholicism.ThejudgessentencedJeantodeathbybreakingonthewheel.(Hunt)

ThecrueldeathofCalas

DamienbeforehisJudges

PublichangingoutsideNewgateLondon

TheGibbet

Voltaire:Trea%seonToleranceontheOccasionoftheDeathofJeanCalas

• “Itisimpossibletoseehow,followingthisprinciple(ofhumanright)onemancouldsaytoanother,‘believewhatIbelieveandwhatyoucannotbelieve,oryouwilldie’”.

• “Torturehasbeenabolishedinothercountries,andwithsuccess;theques-onisthereforedecided.”

• Acivilisedna-oncannolongerfollow‘atrociousoldcustoms’

Aninterna-onalhumanrightsmovement

• SamuelRomilly1786:‘inpropor-onasmenhavereflectedandreasonedabsurdandbarbarousno-onsofjus-cehavebeenexploded’

• Beccariaondeathpenalty:‘pernicioustosocietyfromtheexampleofbarbarityitaffords’

• Blackstone:criminallawshouldbe‘conformabletothedictatesoftruthandjus-ce,thefeelingsofhumanityandtheindeliblerightsofmankind’

Campaignsforaboli-onoftorture:Brissot

Torture:‘anabsurdmonsterbarelyworthyoffindinganasylumwithsavagepeoples’(Brissot)

Endtortureinthenameof‘sacredrightsthatmanholdsfromnature’(Brissot)

Campaignsforaboli-onoftorture:BenjaminRush

• Themenorwomenwhosepersonswedetest(criminals)possesssoulsandbodiescomposedofthesamematerialsasthoseofourfriendsandrela-ons’(BenjaminRush)

• ‘labour,watchfulness,solitudeandsilence’willgiverisetoa‘suddensenseofright’

Beccaria:OnCrimesandPunishments

• Whatright,Iask,havementocutthethroatsoftheirfellow‐creatures?Certainlynotthatonwhichthesovereigntyandlawsarefounded…Didanyoneevergivetootherstherightoftakingawayhislife?Thepunishmentofdeathisnotauthorisedbyanyright;fornosuchrightexists….Itisnottheintensenessofthepainthathasthegreatesteffectonthemind,butitscon-nuance.

UnevenDevelopment

• 1689BillofRights‐prohibi-ononcruelpunishments(butnotprotectslaves)

• Significantincreaseincapitaloffences

• Someexamplesofintensifica-onofbodilypunishment–branding,drawingandquartering,pillory,burning,breakingonthewheel

Aboli-onofJudicialTorture

• Prussia1754• Sweden1772• Austria1776• France1788• UK1783(aboli-onofpublichangingandintroduc-onofthe‘drop’)

• UK1790(abolishburningwomenatthestake)• France1792(introduc-onoftheguillo-ne)

LynnHunt’sques-on:wheredocompassion,sensibilityandfellow

feelingcomefrom?

• Ifnaturalcompassionmakeseverydetestthecrueltyofjudicialtorture,whywasthisnotobviousbefore?

• Answer:fromthemodernideaoftheself‐containedperson–inmanners,publicperformance,portraiture,architecture,toiletbehaviour,novels

LynnHunt:thesisontheriseofhumanrights

• Culturaltheoryofhumanrights:

• Evolu-onofsympathy,empathy,no-onsofbodilyintegrity,

• Newkindofculturalexperiencesshapedbyinterac-ons,reading,viewing,listeningthatmadeideaofrightsofmanappearself‐evident.

Logicofuniversality

• ‘Therewillbenoendofit’

Logicofuniversality

• ‘Gran-ngrightstosomegroupswasmoreeasilyimaginedthangran-ngthemtoothers.Thelogicoftheprocessdeterminedthatassoonasahighlyconceivablegroupcameupfordiscussion,thoseinthesamekindofcategorybutlowerontheconceivabilityscalewouldinevitablyappearontheagenda...Protestantscouldnotcomeupwithoutraisingtheques-onofJews....Freeblacks...Withoutdrawingaoen-ontoslaves.’(Hunt:150‐1)

Strugglesforinclusion

• Religiousminori-es(ProtestantsandJews)

• Foreigners

• FreeBlacksandslaves

• Women

• Criminalsandluna-cs

Declineoftherightsofman

• Movementfromfreedomtoterror

• Movementfromcosmopolitanismtoxenophobia

• Colonialismandracism

• Riseofna-onalisminbothFranceanditsconqueredterritories