Westernization of human rights and abyssal exclusions: analysis on discursive practices and power exercise in International Law

Abstract

The article proposes to problematize the “westernization” of human rights today by analyzing the discursive and juridical mechanisms the West mobilizes to formulate regimes of truth in the international level, of which the tempering of media communication and the manipulation of international normative instruments are on the spotlight. In this context, our main goal is to demonstrate the existence of a western and hegemonic construction of sense in the legal praxis of the international community, through which human rights violations and non-compliance with global protection standards are valued differently depending on the actors involved in these events. As specific objectives, we intend to (i) comprehend how media diffusion of terrorist attacks helps consolidating orientalist discursive practices; (ii) find out how self-defense has been used to protect Western interests; (iii) assess the valuation criteria for death in war and in terrorist attacks; and (iv) discuss the role of war in the budgetary definitions of Western powerful nations, specifically the United States. Methodologically, we propose a qualitative empirical research, based on bibliographic and documental analysis, applying the inductive method to a five-section article. Regarding results, we hope to contribute to the discussions on inequalities in the juridical sphere, reflecting upon the role of westernization in power relations in the international scene and, in a broader sense, in the making of a westernized production of the social and juridical dimensions.