Affirming Human Rights against Neoliberal Anthropology: Social Aphasia And Words That Create

Abstract

All social movements justify their actions, even if not explicitly, on the basis of the notion of human rights, just as every church and religious groups that are active in social struggles justify them in the name of a God who legitimizes human rights. In other words, the notion of human rights is at the basis of all groups' struggles for social justice. We may find different understandings of the origin of these rights - God, nature, or the human essence - but it is, or was, a presupposition of the project or utopia of modern civilization. However, with the hegemony of neoliberalism in economic and cultural globalization, the situation has changed profoundly. What was once a fundamental presupposition has become a matter of dispute? The theme of human rights has increasingly become a central issue in our political and social discussions. This means that we need, first, to better understand what is happening in the world and then to rediscuss the foundation of human rights. To this end, I will divide my article into three parts: a) the end of the consensus around human rights; b) the neoliberal notion of the non-existence or illusion of human rights; c) the social aphasia of the poor and its relations to the word and the revelation of Yahweh.