Date of Award

2011

Degree Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Arts

Program

Theory and Criticism

Supervisor

Dr. Scott Schaffer

Abstract

The object of this thesis is to determine why the human rights discourse has failed to usher in an age where the rights of man are respected, and what might be changed in order to facilitate such an age. We move from a discussion of the classical and contemporary versions of the human rights discourse to a critical examination of it through the lens of Jean-Paul Sartre's later writings on ethics, politics, and sociality. Through this analysis, we find fault with the individualizing and isolating aspects of the human rights discourse, and conclude with a discussion of alternate social formations that would obviate the problems inherent in the liberal democratic rights framework.

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