The evidence to defend this perspective is couched in a cultural and textual understanding alien to most Western critics of the lifestyle. Abu-Lughod determines to "argue that rather than seeking to "save" others (with the superiority it implies and the violences it would entail) we might better think in terms of (1) working with them in situations that we recognize as always subject to historical transformation and (2) considering our own larger responsibilities to address the forms of global injustice that are powerful shapers of the worlds in which they find themselves." (Abu-Lughod, 783) This is a statement to the defense of cultural relativism which is designed to suggest that the theory is not itself incorrect but that its falsehood derives from a failure of the global community to promote true and meaningful provisions for the protections of human rights. Indeed, there is a basis to this perception...
(2004). Do Muslim Women Really Need Saving? Anthropological Reflections on Cultural Relativism and its Others. American Anthropologist, 104(3), 783-790.Our semester plans gives you unlimited, unrestricted access to our entire library of resources —writing tools, guides, example essays, tutorials, class notes, and more.
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