EMCR Lecture Series at the Free University of Berlin 2010

Children’s Rights: Between Universality and Cultural Diversity

Like all human rights codified in the different United Nations Conventions, children’s rights -which are formulated in the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child -claim world-wide validity. Nevertheless, they are particularly criticized in southern regions of the world. Children’s rights are frequently seen as a sign of western dominance and thus, not compatible with some cultural traditions. In the lecture series, we intend to tackle the following questions: Is this criticism justified and if so, to what extent? How may the universal claim of children’s rights involve cultural differences? At the same time, we will also discuss in which way the further development of children’s rights can promote children’s specific cultural ways of life as well as develop their equalityand acknowledgment as rights subjects with their own perceptions and interests.

April 21 –July14, 2010, each Wednesday, 18-20 h (13 sessions, lectures will be held partly in English and partly in German)

Download Flyer:  Lecture Series 2010 (278.58 kB)