Dear CGF
Following the emerging discussion on 'rights' it seems that we are
omitting to consider rights and their relationship to other concepts -
such as power (as Isin mentions). Power will lend legitimacy / legality
to a right-claim - the 'right' may be contested by other rights-claims
but there are a range of factors which will determine whether or not
that 'right' will be validated. Essentially citizenship in current form
is an exclusive construction that is being used to fulfil an inclusive
role in increasingly differentiated societies. I have spent a number of
years treading carefully through the minefield of rights and citizenship
- I view the distribution of rights as a contingent distribution that
requires continual defence or struggle in order that various groups can
maintain or enhance their position. This is problematic when
rights-claims are in opposition therefore the resolution of such
struggles is problematic especially to resolve such an argument to the
satispfaction of all parties. This issue is core to notion of
governmentality: where ethics and politics collide.
Gavin Parker
Cheltenham
By the way - if anyone is interested there is a one day conference at
Univ. of Central Lancs. on 29th of October on Citizenship in the 21st
century . I have details: [log in to unmask]
---------
From: Paul.Treanor
To: Nick Blomley
Cc: [log in to unmask];
[log in to unmask]; [log in to unmask]
Subject: Re: Rights to the City.
Date: 21 October 1997 14:56
> >>Rights to the City
> >>Citizenship, Democracy and Cities in a Global Age
> >>about the rights and identities of new subaltern groups.
> >> What rights do immigrants,
> >>the poor, racial, ethnic, gender, and youth groups have to the city and
its
> >>institutions? What rights do citizens have in affecting the fate of their
> >>cities?
I thought rights-based neo-liberalism was out of fashion. Obviously not
everywhere. But the point is that the idea of the symposium contains a
logical error. If a group of people declares any entity to be a right,
are they then justified in imposing it on third parties? May Nazis claim
that Jews have a "right to death camps" and then claim they are acting
morally in forcing the victims into the camps? The answer is no, because
if anyone can declare a right, then anyone can also constitute its
negation as a right. I hereby declare my right to cancel all elite
conferences of urban theorists. Will York University respect my right? I
suspect not.
How rights work
http://web.inter.nl.net/users/Paul.Treanor/rights.html
%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%
|