Universalizing Western norms is colonizing and reproduces racism.

Evidence

The issue lies in the notion of the “universal” nature of rights. In claiming such, we assume that what we consider to be just and correct applies to all people in all cultures, and thus we deny both the diverse ways of knowing among other cultures, and that they have the ability to determine for themselves what is good for their people. To say that certain ideas are absolutely more valuable than other ideas is inherently colonizing and dismissive, part of that same hierarchizing mentality that we’ve been analyzing, because it thus claims a right to replace one culture’s way of making decisions with the Western way. It assumes that the West is somehow more “evolved” when it comes to understanding justice or community well-being, and thus it reproduces racism. — Rebecca A. Martusewicz, Jeff Edmundson, and John Lupinacci, EcoJustice Education, 1686

Categorization

• XREF: connects to: The idea of universal human rights is one culture’s tradition, not a self-evident creed. — Rebecca A. Martusewicz, Jeff Edmundson, and John Lupinacci, EcoJustice Education: Toward Diverse,…, 1668