RECOGNITION OF HUMAN RIGHTS AND SOCIAL JUSTICE

Abstract

Human rights belong to humanity. Without them, there is no future. The history of civilisations is intertwined with struggles for the recognition of the dignity of specific individuals. Marked by the aspirations of each era, any right that is won guarantees distinct aspects to the same human being. Struggles arise in contexts of demands relating to the emergence of subjectivities that are not yet properly recognised. The urgency of identity politics is a sign of the times. People are mobilising to confront old injustices based on ethnicity, religion, culture, and sexuality. They demand social justice, recognition, and respect. On the one hand, there has been a decline in rights, as evidenced by the increase in LGBTphobia, sexism, racism, and misogyny. The systematic violation of fundamental rights has become so intense that it justifies the spread of groups defending their identities. On the other hand, in the field of human sciences, political philosophy has focused on issues such as multiculturalism, race, citizenship, sexual diversity, and gender identity. This text aims to contribute to the discussion of this issue in theological ethics. From the point of view of the Social Doctrine of the Church, the recognition of human rights expressed in the struggles of women, black people, the LGBT population, and indigenous peoples are also demands for social justice. Policies of recognition and policies of redistribution are not opposed. The relationship between social justice and overcoming economic inequalities and those related to the recognition of identities is close. The importance of collective rights is affirmed. Symbolic/cultural injustice is the other side of social injustice. Rights of equality must be articulated with rights of difference. Thinking about the articulation between human rights, recognition, and social justice, a category proper to moral theology, is no easy task. But this text proposes to do so.