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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