Feminist Literature Review

Journal Article Review

Reitman, O. (n.d.). Cultural Relativist and Feminist Critiques of International Human Rights - Friends or Foes?*. Cultural Relativist and Feminist Critiques of International Human Rights .

Cultural Relativism and Feminism are two different sides in the world of human rights, and in the international society compels different demands to be established in the formulation of human rights law, for example. Oonagh Reitman gives a clear understanding and argument for the two sides, and how it can show a better role in the international stage.

The critique raised for cultural relativism is that the human rights should be a universal concept, and all human beings should be able to exercise their equal rights in order to have

And that notion contradicts completely with the idea of feminism in the international relations. Feminism sees the condition that the world is creating a patriarchal hegemony, a hegemon that heavily biases for the advantage of men, and undermining the role and value of women, and with the progress of civilization, the conditions for women does not reflect as such anymore, that for the better establishment of the society, women needs to be involved in the process for decision making and policy making, and equal chances must be given for women to be involved in the decisions that would affect themselves, rather than men deciding it for women. Feminists see the world needs to be deconstructed for the inclusions of women and better conditions in the society regarding

Looking the perspectives from each side should be appropriate, for the common opposition that they face. Reitman argues that both relativists and feminists see themselves as the minority in pursuing their interest, and often both are either antagonized or ridiculed when facing the majority (patriarchic hegemony for feminism and western powers for relativists) in the international community, and also the values that they share are fundamentally similar, as a form for the respecting differences, whether if it’s religion, culture, or sex. Reitman took a perspective of feminism personally, and from an outsider perspective, Reitman believes, although speaking naively, that relativists can reach a comprise in understanding between with feminism, so long as the concept of how women of the culture receives more empowerment in their own society, so much as a give-and-take situation. And if they do so, relativists would have the chance to seek endorsement from feminists in the international society, in order to maintain their way of life, without being antagonized or culturally imperialized by the western