Cultural Anthropology: Can There Be Any Universal Human Rights?

Student’s Name
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Cultural Anthropology
Question One
I believe there can never be universal human rights because of the culturally diverse nature of human beings. Some cultures will always feel superior and as such will want to dictate what universal rights should be. Every culture has different experiences and different views of what should constitute a human right. Some cultures believe in communism while others believe in individualism and as such, they have a different view on universal human rights.
Trying to assert universal human rights raises issues such as implementation and enforcement of those rights across different cultures (OÇonnor). How can cultures that are not universal enforce universal human rights? The question of which governing bodies would enforce these rights given that each culture has their own governments is paramount. Issues concerning tradition and religion also arise from trying to assert universal human rights.
All cultures should have a representative in deciding what universal human rights should be. A body that constitutes of all representatives from across the world will be most appropriate in deciding what universal rights should be because all voices will be heard. Such is the case with the group of people who drafted the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, which constituted people with different cultures and from different legal backgrounds(United Nations). Those who disagree will also be heard and this will ensure that a consensus is reached. The United Nations (UN) and other human rights organizations are trying to address the issue of universal human rights. The UN, through the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), is actively involved in the protection of human rights through their peacekeeping missions in different countries.
Question Two
Ethnocentrism is the tendency of people to interpret other cultures according to the practices and perceptions of their own culture (Myers). People will readily accept people with whom they share a similar culture and ignore those who have different cultures because they think their culture is important and superior to the rest. Ethnocentrism is a universal issue that is experienced in all fields be it politics or in business.
Ethnocentrism functions in a culture in various ways and the effects vary depending on the parties involved. For example, in the legal system, people with different cultures are involved. Culture plays a major role in the courtrooms and determines the outcome of a case (Maeder and Yamamoto). In a case where the defendant has a different culture with the judge involved, elements of the cultural difference may affect the verdict delivered. Cases of racial or religious prejudice in the courtrooms are not a new issue and have seen court rulings being appealed if the defendant feels that they were given harsh verdicts based on their culture.
Purchasing of local products by consumers is also an example of how ethnocentrism functions in a culture. Some consumers believe that imported products are of low quality than the local products or believe that they are failing their own people by supporting outsiders. Thus, they are very careful when ma...