DOCSLIB.ORG

Toward a Political Conception of Minority Rights: Reconciling Sovereignty, Human Rights and Minority Claims

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
Toward a Political Conception of Minority Rights: Reconciling Sovereignty, Human Rights and Minority Claims TOWARD A POLITICAL CONCEPTION OF MINORITY RIGHTS: RECONCILING SOVEREIGNTY, HUMAN RIGHTS AND MINORITY CLAIMS by Omid Mousavi Hejazi A thesis submitted to the Department of Philosophy In conformity with the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy Queen’s University Kingston, Ontario, Canada (November, 2016) Copyright ©Omid Mousavi Hejazi, 2016 Abstract The question that I will explore in this research dissertation is whether one can defend the rights of homeland minorities as a progressive extension of the existing norms of human rights. This question calls for several deeper inquiries about the nature, the function and the underlying justifications for both human rights and minority rights. In particular, this research project will examine the following issues: on what normative grounds the available norms of human rights and minority rights are justified; if there is any methodic way to use the normative logic of human rights to support substantial forms of minority claims, such as the right to self- determination; whether human rights can take the form of group rights; and finally, whether there is any non-sectarian basis for justifying the minority norms, which can be acceptable from both liberal and non-liberal perspectives. This research project has some implications for both theories of minority rights and human rights. On the one hand, the research employs the topic of minority rights to shed light on deficiencies of the existing political theories of human rights. On the other hand, it uses the political theory to shed light on how existing theories of minority rights could be improved and amended. The inquiry will ultimately clarify how to judge the merit of the claim that minority rights are or should be a part of human rights norms. ii Acknowledgements First of all, I would like to express my sincere gratitude to my supervisor, Will Kymlicka, for his invaluable guidance, tremendous patience and continuous support throughout this research project. I also wish to thank Margaret Moore and Patrick Macklem and other members of the examination committee for their insightful comments and criticisms. Finally, I am incredibly grateful to my loving parents, Monir and Hosein, and my wonderful partner, Pegah, for being supportive at every stage of my graduate studies. Without them, none of this would have been possible. iii Table of Contents Abstract ......................................................................................................................................................... ii Acknowledgements ...................................................................................................................................... iii Chapter 1 Introduction .................................................................................................................................. 1 Chapter 2 Legal and Political Mechanisms for Protection of Ethnocultural Minorities ............................. 15 1. Minority Rights from the League of Nations to the United Nations ................................................... 15 2. Defining Minorities ............................................................................................................................. 18 3. Two Types of Minority Protection...................................................................................................... 21 4. Minority Rights Protection under Existing International Laws .......................................................... 23 4.1. The ICCPR ................................................................................................................................... 23 4.1.1. Article 27 .............................................................................................................................. 24 4.1.2. Article 1 ................................................................................................................................ 26 4.2. UN Minority Rights Declaration .................................................................................................. 28 4.3. Minority Rights in Europe ........................................................................................................... 28 4.4. The UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples .......................................................... 30 5. The Dichotomy of National Minorities and Indigenous Peoples ........................................................ 31 5.1. Homeland Minorities in Israel ..................................................................................................... 33 6. Possible Solutions ............................................................................................................................... 35 Chapter 3 A Critical Review of Normative Theories of Minority Rights ................................................... 38 1. The Dignitarian Account ..................................................................................................................... 39 2. The Critique of the Dignitarian Approach .......................................................................................... 42 2.1. The Problem of Identifying the Content of the Norms and the Distinction between the Rights Holders ................................................................................................................................................ 42 2.2. The Problem of Historical Context .............................................................................................. 45 2.3. The Problem of Ambiguity of the Concept of Dignity ................................................................ 48 3. The Political Account of Minority Rights ........................................................................................... 51 3.1 Arguments from Nation Building ................................................................................................. 53 3.2. The Argument from Distribution of Sovereignty ......................................................................... 57 4. The Critique of the Political Account ................................................................................................. 63 4.1. Theoretical Advantage of the Political Account .......................................................................... 63 4.2. Implementation Difficulties with the Available Multicultural Models ........................................ 65 4.3. Theoretical Shortcomings of the Political Account ..................................................................... 68 4.4. The Significance of Establishing a Link between Minority Protection and Human Rights ........ 73 iv 5. The Dilemma of Theorizing Minority Rights ..................................................................................... 76 6. The Way Forward: A Possible Solution ............................................................................................. 80 Chapter 4 A Critical Review of the Major Theories of Human Rights....................................................... 85 1. Theorizing Human Rights: Preliminary Notes .................................................................................... 85 1.1. The Two UN Covenants: Civil and Political Rights Versus Economic, Social and Cultural Rights .................................................................................................................................................. 85 1.2. Cultural Relativism and the Universalism of Human Rights ....................................................... 89 2. Three Normative Understandings of Human Rights ........................................................................... 92 3. Naturalism and Human Rights ............................................................................................................ 94 3.1. Core Ideas of the Naturalistic Theory .......................................................................................... 95 3.2. Shared Elements of Naturalistic Conceptions of Human Rights ................................................. 98 3.3. Problems of the Naturalistic Theory .......................................................................................... 101 3.4. Naturalistic Theories and Minority rights .................................................................................. 106 4. Agreement Theories .......................................................................................................................... 107 4.1. Core Elements of the Agreement Theory................................................................................... 107 4.2. Advantages of the Agreements Theory ...................................................................................... 111 4.3. Problems of the Agreement Theory ........................................................................................... 113 4.4. Agreement Theories and Minority rights ................................................................................... 116 5. Political Theories of Human Rights .................................................................................................. 117 5.1. John Rawls’s Theory of Human Rights ..................................................................................... 118 5.2. Joseph Raz and “Human Rights Without Foundations” ............................................................ 127 5.3. Charles Beitz and The Idea of Human Rights ...........................................................................
Load more

Recommended publications
  • Ethnicity and Poverty-Reduction: the Case for a Differentiated Treatment for Indigenous Tribal Peoples ....13 Poverty Reduction Strategy Papers
    Indigenous and Tribal Peoples: An Ethnic Audit of Selected Poverty Reduction Strategy Papers Indigenous and Tribal Peoples: An Ethnic Audit of Selected Poverty Reduction Strategy Papers by Manuela Tomei International Labour Office, Geneva Copyright © International Labour Organization 2005 Publications of the International Labour Office enjoy copyright under Protocol 2 of the Universal Copyright Convention. Nevertheless, short excerpts from them may be reproduced without authorization, on condition that the source is indicated. For rights of reproduction or translation, application should be made to the Publications Bureau (Rights and Permissions), International Labour Office, CH-1211 Geneva 22, Switzerland. The International Labour Office welcomes such applications. Libraries, institutions and other users registered in the United Kingdom with the Copyright Licensing Agency, 90 Tottenham Court Road, London W1T 4LP [Fax: (+44) (0)20 7631 5500; email: [email protected]], in the United States with the Copyright Clearance Center, 222 Rosewood Drive, Danvers, MA 01923 [Fax: (+1) (978) 750 4470; email: [email protected]] or in other countries with associated Reproduction Rights Organizations, may make photocopies in accordance with the licences issued to them for this purpose. ISBN 92-2-117451-4 (print) ISBN 92-2-117452-2 (web pdf) First published 2005 The designations employed in ILO publications, which are in conformity with United Nations practice, and the presentation of material therein do not imply the expression of any opinion whatsoever on the part of the International Labour Office concerning the legal status of any country, area or territory or of its authorities, or concerning the delimitation of its frontiers. The responsibility for opinions expressed in signed articles, studies and other contributions rests solely with their authors, and publication does not constitute an endorsement by the International Labour Office of the opinions expressed in them.
    [Show full text]
  • Federal and Political Party Reforms in Asia
    Government and Opposition (2020), 1–22 . doi:10.1017/gov.2020.26 ARTICLE Federal and Political Party Reforms in Asia: Is There a New Model of Federal Democracy Emerging in Ethnically Diverse Countries in Asia? https://www.cambridge.org/core/terms Michael G. Breen* School of Social and Political Science, University of Melbourne, Australia *Corresponding author. Email: [email protected] (Received 7 May 2020; revised 15 September 2020; accepted 22 September 2020) Abstract How do ethnically divided countries create inclusive and stable democratic institutions? Why do some kinds of federalism fail while others evolve? Scholars looking for answers to these kinds of questions have tended to focus on the West. Yet there are important les- sons arising from the substantial democratic and federal reforms that have taken place in Asia over the last few decades. These reforms signal a new model of federal democracy in Asia, comprising multilevel ethnoterritorial federalism, mixed-majoritarianism and a party system that includes both ethnic and multi-ethnic parties. This model has emerged , subject to the Cambridge Core terms of use, available at as a response to ethnic conflict and secession risks and reflects the high diversity of clus- tered communities and cross-cutting cleavages. Despite its overarching majoritarianism, the federal model has led to highly fragmented party systems and coalition governments, with positive implications for democratic stability. Together, these features go some way towards blending otherwise conflicting consociational and centripetal paradigms. 14 Mar 2021 at 01:37:17 , on Keywords: federalism; political parties; electoral systems; Asia; ethnic politics; consociationalism How do ethnically divided countries balance demands for autonomy with objec- 194.193.48.186 tives of stability and national unity? Why do some kinds of federalism fail while others evolve? Scholars looking for answers to these kinds of questions have tended to focus on the West.
    [Show full text]
  • Effect of Blood Pressure on the Retinal Vasculature in a Multi-Ethnic Asian Population
    Hypertension Research (2009) 32, 975–982 & 2009 The Japanese Society of Hypertension All rights reserved 0916-9636/09 $32.00 www.nature.com/hr ORIGINAL ARTICLE Effect of blood pressure on the retinal vasculature in a multi-ethnic Asian population V Swetha E Jeganathan1,2, Charumathi Sabanayagam2,3, E Shyong Tai4, Jeannette Lee3, Cong Sun1, Ryo Kawasaki1, Sangeetha Nagarajan2, Maisie Ho Huey-Shi2, Mya Sandar2 and Tien Yin Wong1,2 Blood pressure has a significant effect on retinal arterioles. There are few data on whether this effect varies by race/ethnicity. We examined the relationship of blood pressure and retinal vascular caliber in a multi-ethnic Asian population. The study is population-based and cross sectional in design. A total of 3749 Chinese, Malay and Indian participants aged X24 years residing in Singapore were included in the study. Retinal vascular caliber was measured using a computer program from digital retinal photographs. The associations of retinal vascular caliber with blood pressure and hypertension in each racial/ethnic group were analyzed. The main outcome measures are retinal arteriolar caliber and venular caliber. The results show that retinal arterioles were narrower in persons with uncontrolled/untreated hypertension (140.0 lm) as compared with persons with controlled hypertension (142.1 lm, P¼0.0001) and those with no hypertension (146.0 lm, Po0.0001). On controlling for age, gender, body mass index, lipids and smoking, each 10 mm Hg increase in mean arterial blood pressure was associated with a 3.1 lm decrease in arteriolar caliber (Po0.0001), with a similar magnitude seen in all three racial/ethnic groups: 3.1 lmin Chinese, 2.8 lm in Malays and 3.2 lm in Indians (Po0.0001 for all).
    [Show full text]
  • Disfranchised Under the Name of Zhonghua Minzu Wenjun Zeng
    Disfranchised under the name of Zhonghua Minzu Wenjun Zeng Innovative Research in Conflict Analysis NYU IR MA Program Fall 2015 Disfranchised under the name of Zhonghua Minzu 2 Wenjun Zeng New York University Introduction: The origin and development of Zhonghua Minzu (Chinese Nation) China is a country with fifty-six ethnicities with Han being the vast majority. In China, many minorities own their own distinctive history and culture.1 Yet, these 56 ethnicities are usually simplified under the title of Zhonghua Minzu (Chinese national) by the government and Han people under political, social, and cultural realm. Under such identity, all Chinese nationals share the same ethnic origin of being the decedents of Yan, and Huang Emperor, two mythical figures from the ancient Chinese folklore.2 Zhonghua Minzu was created by a Chinese philosopher and revolutionary for articulating the anti-Manchurian identity during the late Qing Dynasty.3 It then remained until the establishment of the People’s Republic of China (PRC), by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), as a political rhetoric to represent a unified Chinese identity. Minorities in China today assimilated their culture into Han Chinese on different degrees, including their languages, daily attires, social values, and religions. Chinese nation and Han ethnicity are interchangeable under many circumstances. However, even decades after CCP’s governing, Uyghurs, one of the Turkic Sunni Muslim minorities, remains distinct from the mainstream Chinese identity. The province they concentrated in, Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region (XUAR), located in the western periphery of the country as showed in the Map 1. As its Chinese name “Xinjiang”—the “new territory”–implies, Xinjiang only became part of the Chinese administration in Qing Dynasty in 1 Over 90% of the Chinese population is Han.
    [Show full text]
  • The Ethnic Triangle: State, Majority and Minority in Indonesia, Malaysia and Singapore
    View metadata, citation and similar papers at core.ac.uk brought to you by CORE provided by ScholarBank@NUS THE ETHNIC TRIANGLE: STATE, MAJORITY AND MINORITY IN INDONESIA, MALAYSIA AND SINGAPORE SUN TSAI-WEI NATIONAL UNIVERSITY OF SINGAPORE 2010 THE ETHNIC TRIANGLE: STATE, MAJORITY AND MINORITY IN INDONESIA, MALAYSIA AND SINGAPORE SUN TSAI-WEI MA (National Taiwan Univ.; UCLA) A THESIS SUBMITTED FOR THE DEGREE OF DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY DEPARTMENT OF POLITICAL SCIENCE NATIONAL UNIVERSITY OF SINGAPORE 2010 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I owe thanks to many people for helping me during my doctoral work. My deepest gratitude goes first and foremost to Associate Professor Hussin Mutalib, my main supervisor, for his constant encouragement and guidance. Words cannot express my gratitude for Professor Hussin’s firm support and illuminating comments. Most importantly, without his patience with my slow writing process, this thesis could not have reached its present form. I would also like to record my heartfelt gratitude to my three co-supervisors: Dr. Kenneth Paul Tan, Dr. Jamie Davidson, and Dr. Wang Cheng-Lung, for their valuable comments and suggestions on the draft of my thesis. I particularly appreciate their tolerance of my insistence on writing this thesis my way. I am also greatly indebted to the professors at the Department of Political Science—Professor Shamsul Haque, A/P Lee Lai To, Dr. Kilkon Ko, Dr. Ethan Putterman, and Dr. Bradley Williams—for their kind words of encouragement and support during my time at NUS. I also owe my sincere gratitude to my friends and my fellow classmates Yew Chiew Ping, Ang Ming Chee, and Andy Mickey Choong, who assisted me in adapting to life in Singapore, preparing for my qualifying exams and fieldworks, as well as lending a listening ear and helping me work out my problems during the difficult course of my study.
    [Show full text]
  • FANNING ACROSS CULTURES the ASIAN PACIFIC HERITAGE ISSUE Andrews University
    Andrews University Digital Commons @ Andrews University Student Movement V. 103 (2018-2019) Student Movement 4-11-2019 FANNING ACROSS CULTURES THE ASIAN PACIFIC HERITAGE ISSUE Andrews University Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.andrews.edu/sm-103 Part of the Higher Education Commons THURSDAY, APRIL 11 2019 VOLUME 103 ISSUE 21 The Student Movement FANNING ACROSS CULTURES THE ASIAN PACIFIC HERITAGE ISSUE PHOTO BY TEDDY KIM News Ideas Pulse CROSSING CULTURE ACROSS CHINO OR ASIATICO SLEEP HYGIENE THE SEA “The word ‘Asian’ itself is problematic. The “I understand that allowing yourself to be vulner- “The differences between cultures were continent is massive and doesn’t lend itself all to able can be hard, especially around people you staggering, surprising students on many the use of one generic demonym. It is four times might not know very well. But we all have to occasions how different the world can be.” more massive than Europe and far more diverse.” start somewhere.” P. 2 P. 5 P. 7 Humans The last word REFLECTION ON WHAT IT A&E CONVERSATIONS ABOUT MEANS TO BE ASIAN GET OUT VS US K-POP “Culturally, there’s so much that I don’t know, “This is where the argument lies: which message “Do I have a right to listen to it? Of course. Every- that I will never understand; the reality of the was better portrayed?” one does. But is it right for me to call it my own? situation is that I will always struggle with That’s an entirely different question.” being an ‘in-betweener.’” P.
    [Show full text]
  • Fact Sheet No.23, Harmful Traditional Practices Affecting the Health of Women and Children
    Fact Sheet No.23, Harmful Traditional Practices Affecting the Health of Women and Children States Parties shall take all appropriate measures ... to modify the social and cultural patterns of conduct of men and women, with a view to achieving the elimination of prejudices and customary and all other practices which are based on the idea of the inferiority or the superiority of either of the sexes or on stereotyped roles for men and women. CONVENTION ON THE ELIMINATION OF ALL FORMS OF DISCRIMINATION AGAINST WOMEN (art. 5 (a)), adopted by General Assembly resolution 34/180 of 18 December 1979. Contents: · Introduction · I. An appraisal of harmful traditional practices and their effects on women and the girl child · II. Review of action and activities by United Nations organs and agencies, Governments and NGOs · Conclusions Annex: - Plan of Action for the Elimination of Harmful Traditional Practices Affecting the Health of Women and Children - Select Bibliography Introduction The Charter of the United Nations includes among its basic principles the achievement of international cooperation in promoting and encouraging respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms for all without distinction as to race, sex, language or religion (Art. 1, para. 3). In 1948, three years after the adoption of the Charter, the General Assembly adopted the Universal Declaration of Human Rights,(1) which has served as guiding principles on human rights and fundamental freedoms in the constitutions and laws of many of the Member States of the United Nations. The Universal Declaration prohibits all forms of discrimination based on sex and ensures the right to life, liberty and security of person; it recognizes equality before the law and equal protection against any discrimination in violation of the Declaration.
    [Show full text]
  • Status Change Model of Interethnic Riots
    societies Article Status Change Model of Interethnic Riots Sandra Marker School of Behavioral Sciences, Black Hills State University, Spearfish, SD 57783, USA; [email protected]; Tel.: +1-605-642-6239 Received: 12 September 2018; Accepted: 5 November 2018; Published: 8 November 2018 Abstract: The status change riot model opens up a new avenue of riot explanation. One that takes into consideration ethnic group relations and factors of group status and honor—i.e., dignity. The riot model asserts that the potential for a riot arises when new and old concepts about group statuses, and as such, ideas about appropriate intergroup behaviors, give rise to disputative intergroup interactions. The model affirms that a trigger event either by itself or in accumulation with other events drives actors to a dignity threshold that prompts them to riot. The model further relates that, once started, a riot will follow a general riot pattern that ends in either a status resolution or an increased strain in ethnic group relations. Keywords: interethnic riot; status; honor; social structure; intergroup relations 1. Introduction A global examination of ethnic group relations makes it clear that violence in the form of interethnic riots punctuates, and, at times, engulfs countries from around the world [1–3]. Notwithstanding the global prevalence of these events, no causal factor has been found that is more than moderately significant and no general process has been established that expresses observed riot behaviors [1,4]. The empirical inadequacy of riot theory may reside in the restricted narrative that is used to explain ethnic riots. Social scientist Steve Reicher [5] (p.
    [Show full text]
  • The Sinification of China: How the Minorities Are Being Merged Into
    APRIL 2019 260 THE SINIFICATION OF CHINA HOW THE MINORITIES ARE BEING MERGED INTO ONE NATION Jyrki Kallio APRIL 2019 260 THE SINIFICATION OF CHINA HOW THE MINORITIES ARE BEING MERGED INTO ONE NATION • The long-term aim of the Communist Party is to make China unified, and the most recent tool for this is the creation a Chinese nation. This term was included in the Constitution last year, which contradicts the definition of China as a multi-national state. • Unifying China includes promoting a Chinese identity through history and culture. The current borders and ethnic composition of China are presented as the results of natural processes. History is written from the viewpoint of the Han Chinese and their relations with the border regions. Culture is discussed in a similar Han-centric manner. • The Party has set “Chinese values” against “universal values” and religions. It demands religions to be Sinified in order to alleviate any risks they might pose to national unity. • Most concretely, the creation of a Chinese nation is affecting the people in Xinjiang. This has given rise to concerns in other countries. The Sinification of minority nationalities may potentially become a new stumbling block in China’s relations with Western states. JYRKI KALLIO Senior Research Fellow ISBN 978-951-769-604-3 ISSN 1795-8059 Language editing: Lynn Nikkanen. Cover photo: Rodrigo Benenson/Flickr, used under the Creative Commons license. The Finnish Institute of International Affairs is an independent research institute that produces high-level research to support political decisionmaking and public debate both nationally and internationally.
    [Show full text]
  • An Analysis of South Asian American Gendered Ethnicity Formation in Visual Media Portrayals
    Pardes vs. Swades: an Analysis of South Asian American Gendered Ethnicity Formation in Visual Media Portrayals Honors Research Thesis Presented in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for graduation with Honors Research Distinction in Comparative Ethnic and American Studies in the Undergraduate Colleges of The Ohio State University By Andrew Philip and Tanya Srivastava The Ohio State University May 2014 Project Advisor: Professor Binaya Subedi, Department of Teaching & Learning 2 ABSTRACT: As the number of South Asian Americans in the United States grows, so does their presence in mainstream American media, their production of alternative sources of Asian American film, and their cachet to develop Indian film industry (Bollywood) abroad. All three sources of media employ and depict South Asian Americans in various portrayals; some have been noted to perpetuate patterns of representation around ethnic identification, gender roles, citizenship, and socio-cultural ties. The consumption trends and effects these South Asian American portrayals have on South Asian American second-generation youth is largely unknown. The purpose of this study is to collect data concerning the media consumption patterns of our defined population of South Asian American youth, and how they negotiate gendered portrayals of their ethnic compatriots in their formation of ethnic identity. Using socialization theories and other data from previous ethnographies of South Asian Americans, we employ online surveys and personal interviews geared towards monitoring the consumption of South Asian American media portrayals and their effects on how South Asian American youth view themselves and their community. Findings of this study are among the first in the field of South Asian American Studies to indicate how South Asian American media portrayals affect the growing number of South Asian American youth, and how the pervasive growth of South Asian American media portrayals may be affecting the gendered ethnic identity formation of youth who consume these types of media.
    [Show full text]
  • Blood Purity and Scientific Independence: Blood Science and Postcolonial Struggles in Korea, 1926-1975
    Science in Context (2019), 32, 239–260 doi:10.1017/S0269889719000231 RESEARCH ARTICLE Blood purity and scientific independence: blood science and postcolonial struggles in Korea, 1926–1975 Jaehwan Hyun Max Planck Institute for the History of Science, Berlin, Germany Email: [email protected] Argument After World War II, blood groups became a symbol of anti-racial science. This paper aims to shed new light on the post-WWII history of blood groups and race, illuminating the postcolonial revitalization of racial serology in South Korea. In the prewar period, Japanese serologists developed a serological anthro- pology of Koreans in tandem with Japanese colonialism. The pioneering Korean hematologist Yi Samyŏl (1926–2015), inspired by decolonization movements during the 1960s, excavated and appropriated colo- nial serological anthropology to prove Koreans as biologically independent from the Japanese. However, his racial serology of Koreans shared colonial racism with Japanese anthropology, despite his anti-colonial nationalism. Keywords: race; blood groups; racial serology; decolonization movements; scientific nationalism; South Korea Introduction In 1969, prominent South Korean hematologist Yi Samyŏl(李三悅, 1926–2015) published an article on blood-group research to prove Koreans’“blood purity” (純血) and to contend “scientific independence” (科學的自主性) (Yi 1969, 57).1 In this paper, he surveyed the blood-group dis- tribution of Koreans, including state-of-the-art blood-group systems like the Diego antigen system.2 Based on his intensive research, Yi proudly claimed, “Koreans are a racially homogeneous nation (單一民族) and have not been mixed with the blood of neighboring ethnic groups,” while the Chinese and the Japanese were “a mongrel race (雜種) whose blood is mixed” or “a racially mixed nation” (混合民族) (ibid., 64).3 At the same time, Yi contended that Korean scientists would have to achieve scientific independence from Japan and the United States in order to estab- lish Koreans as biologically independent from the Japanese.
    [Show full text]
  • Ancestor Veneration and Its Possibility.Pdf
    ANCESTRAL VENERATION AND THE POSSIBLITY OF ITS INCORPORATION INTO THE JUDEO-CHRISTIAN FAITH Abstract: In Nostra Aetate – one of the 16 documents of the Second Vatican Council – the Catholic Church firmly declares: “The Catholic Church rejects nothing of what is true and holy in other religions. ….. The Church, therefore, urges all her sons and daughters to enter with prudence and charity into discussions and collaboration with members of other religious faith traditions… (cf. NA. 2). The so- called ‘other religions’ as stated by Nostra Aetate includes traditional religion in the form of ancestral veneration. It is still widely and popularly practiced by Christians of various ethnic groups in Asia and Africa as well as in other parts of the world – Latin America, Melanesia and Australia (the Aborigines). Despite the suppression and expulsion done in the past, this religious tradition is still able to survive and continue to demonstrate its vital force in the lives of many Asians and Africans, including those who have embraced the Christian faith. In this article we argue that ancestral veneration does not contradict the Christian faith. It has a place in the Christian faith and should be incorporated into, at least, in Catholic Christian devotion. Note: artikel ini dimuat dalam EXCHANGE: Journal of Missiological and Ecumencial Research, Vol. 36 No.3 2007, Utrech, Nederland, pp. 246-280. Alexander Jebadu 1. INTRODUCTION Religious practice1 that centres in venerating ancestors or the living dead in general still to this modern day continues to play a significant role in the life of many Christians around the world especially in Asia and Africa as well as in Latin America, Melanesia, Australia (Aborigines) despite the maltreatments and prejudices launched both by a number of scholars and by some pastoral agents of the church.
    [Show full text]