Human rights and ethical reasoning: capabilities, conventions and spheres of public action

Whiteside, N. and Mah, A. (2012) Human rights and ethical reasoning: capabilities, conventions and spheres of public action. Sociology, 46(5), pp. 921-935. (doi: 10.1177/0038038512450807)

Abstract

This interdisciplinary article argues that human rights must be understood in terms of opportunities for social participation and that social and economic rights are integral to any discussion of the subject. We offer both a social constructionist and a normative framework for a sociology of human rights which reaches beyond liberal individualism, combining insights from the work of Amartya Sen and from French convention theory. Following Sen, we argue that human rights are founded on the promotion of human capabilities as ethical demands shaped by public reasoning. Using French convention theory, we show how the terms of such deliberation are shaped by different constructions of collectively held values and the compromises reached between them. We conclude by demonstrating how our approach offers a new perspective on spheres of public action and the role these should play in promoting social cohesion, individual capabilities and human rights.

• Item Type: Articles
• Status: Published
• Refereed: Yes
• Glasgow Author(s) Enlighten ID: Mah, Professor Alice
• Authors: Whiteside, N., and Mah, A.
• Subjects: H Social Sciences > HM Sociology
• College/School: College of Social Sciences > School of Social and Political Sciences > Urban Studies
• Journal Name: Sociology
• Publisher: SAGE Publications
• ISSN: 0038-0385
• ISSN (Online): 1469-8684
• Published Online: 12 October 2012
• Copyright Holders: Copyright © The Author(s) 2012
• First Published: First published in Sociology 46(5):921-935
• Publisher Policy: Reproduced in accordance with the publisher copyright policy