The East Asian Challenge for Human Rights By Joanne R. Bauer, Daniel A. Bell

The East Asian Challenge for Human RightsAuthor(s): Joanne R. Bauer, Daniel A. Bell\nFormat: Paperback\nPublisher: Cambridge University Press, United Kingdom\nImprint: Cambridge University Press\nISBN-13: 9780521645362, 978-0521645362\nSynopsis\nThe 'Asian values' argument within the international human rights debate holds that not all Asian states should be expected to protect human rights to the same degree. This position of 'cultural relativism', often used by authoritarian governments in Asia, has long been dismissed by Western and Asian human rights advocates as a weak excuse. This study moves beyond the politicized rhetoric to identify the more persuasive contributions by East Asian intellectuals. The editors argue that critical intellectuals in East Asia have begun to chart a middle ground between the extremes of this argument, making particular headway in the areas of group rights and economic, social, and cultural (ethnic minority) rights. The chapters examine the following .