The Colonialism of Human Rights

"""A convincing portrayal of ongoing complicity with human rights abuses in the 'time of rights', so persuasive that it is hard to see how dehumanization under neo-colonialism can end. […] However, it has to be attempted and this book makes a powerful start. It is an essential read for anyone interested in the relationship between human rights and the West's unvirtuous history and contemporary geo-politics."" Ethnic and Racial Studies ""Colin Samson has written a poignant indictment of the hypocrisy of Western elites who extol the virtues of human rights while engaging in colonialism, war, slavery and capitalist exploitation. He makes a powerful argument for decolonizing human rights by indigenizing the law and addressing the racial exclusions at the heart of human rights discourse."" Richard Wilson, University of Connecticut ""A coruscating analysis of the dark side of liberalism, demonstrating that the universality of human rights has always been limited by assumptions of cultural and racial inequality at their core. A powerful and revealing intervention in politics, history and activism."" Robert Gildea, University of Oxford ""[A]n engaging and rich reading, suggesting that we should not hold any eusebeia – or sacred awe – towards the 'founding fathers' of human rights. One of the strongest aspects of the book is that it encourages readers not only to look directly in the eyes of western hypocrisy about human rights, but it pushes them to think that only by acknowledging this hypocrisy can we, in fact, save human rights from their racist and colonial genesis, and work towards their transfiguration as an effective emancipatory tool."" Sociology ""Colin Samson's book is an outstanding, honest and bold statement on the reality on the ground. It is a highly recommended reading for everyone interested in the globalisation and modernisation projects."" Anis Ahmad, The Muslim World Book Review"