Discuss the relations between cultural claims, power and universal Essay

Discuss the relations between cultural claims, spot and commonplace human rights - Essay ExampleTo begin with, let us consider the controversy skirt the design of the Australian flag. This case is representative of the ideological and power struggles that is rampant everywhere else in the world. The Australian flag evokes starkly different emotions from different sections of its populace. For the indigenous community, it denotes a selective and exclusivist interpretation of Australian history, which wholly neglects pre-colonial heritage. For the majority of the European settlers, the blatant human rights violations perpetrated against innocent hordes of indigenous tribes do not evoke agreement as much as colonial supremacy. This dual viewpoints of history is typical in the post-colonial societies elsewhere, with a attach shift between the sentiments of the ruling elite and the subaltern masses. As the authors point out,These debates about the meaning of flags develop issues th at point to the very foundations of international politics. States claim that they embody the identities of the peoples living indoors their territorial boundaries. These identities are a powerful force, even if they are sometimes contrived or imagined. The principle of state sovereignty is a great deal upheld not just as a fundamental political and legal tool but similarly as the means of protecting the culture or cultures operating within the states boundaries. (Brown, Bromley & Athreye, p.200)oer the course of the last century, states have claimed legitimacy to their causes using the language of rights. The hope lies therein for minorities and underprivileged within states to also employ the language of rights to claim their legitimate share of opportunity, prosperity and privilege. While traditionally, notions of cultural individuality held sway over other abstract categorizations, the world of neo-liberal economic globalization has given precedence to universal human rights and justice. So, the