Cultural Genocide: UNGC Analysis

Superior Essays
Before moving on to understanding the differences between cultural change and cultural genocide it is important to have an understanding of the term culture. As has already been pointed out in both preceding chapters cultural genocide has and is a highly contested concept in both the international legal sphere and the academic sphere. The importance of culture and it’s protection is evidenced in the drafting process of the UNGC which was looked at in chapter one as well as in the words of the states that were proponents of the article on cultural genocide throughout the drafting of the UNGC. Furthermore the destruction of culture has been highlighted as an indicator of potential problems in a state by not only the United Nations in various …show more content…
Even without moving into what can be described as cultural genocide it can certainly be argued that a group is destroyed already when its components, besides the physical lives of the group members, are eliminated.

As has been pointed out previously, the groups that are protected under the UNGC cannot be distinguished if there are not characteristics that make them different from surrounding peoples. Once again the works of Lemkin through the drafting of the UNGC illustrate this point. He emphasized that physical and cultural existence are one in the same insofar as an ‘attack on a group’s physical existence is also an attack on it’s cultural existence, and vice versa.’

Cultures shape the worldview people hold, the view and understanding of human rights, the reasons for protecting human rights and it also shapes one cultures fear of differing cultures. It is therefore necessary to understand what culture is and its components in order to not only reshape the concept of cultural genocide but also to provide a solid analysis of the differences between cultural genocide and cultural change.
…show more content…
Reasons
The first reason why the loss of culture is of concern is that different cultures produce different experiences of reality. Many anthropologists especially in the 20th century saw culture as having a mostly unlimited power and influence in shaping humans. This school of thought can be seen in a passage from the influential American anthropologist Ruth Benedict:

No man ever looks at the world with pristine eyes. He sees it edited by a definite set of customs and institutions and ways of thinking. Even in his philosophical probing 's he cannot go behind these stereotypes...The life history of the individual is first and foremost an accommodation to the patterns and standards traditionally handed down in his community. From the moment of his birth the customs into which he is born shape his experience and behaviour. By the time he can talk, he is the little creature of his culture, and by the time he is grown and able to take part in its activities, its habits are his habits, its beliefs his

Related Documents

  • Improved Essays

    Culture is a generalized term that is not limited to one definition. It may be described as “the sum of the social categories and concepts we recognize in addition to our beliefs, behaviors, and practices” (Conley 78). The topic includes nonmaterial and material culture and it varies from country to country due to the different languages, meanings, and concepts everywhere. Culture affects our lives as much as we affect it. Whereas nature is often seen as an opposite idea to the development of culture because of the result of human intervention.…

    • 739 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Superior Essays

    Throughout time man is possessed with the question, what is culture? The question results in two answers. There is one with positive feedback or one with negative feedback. Culture is dependent upon the influences of people and how they interact with each other in their said culture and others in a different said culture, by which they create societal norms for people to categorize themselves. The interpretation of what culture is or should be like differs upon each individual’s own beliefs.…

    • 1807 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Superior Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Kwame Anthony Appiah’s paper highlights the contamination of native cultures by globalizing influences. Surprisingly, Appiah wrote this piece after UNESCO’s came to an agreement for protection and promotion of the diversity within cultures. Whether the importunate to protect cultures or individuals is necessary, Appiah believes that the individual must be the focus of moral concern. Appiah realizes that although monoculture is still in existence today, their distinctiveness has diminished compared to a hundred years ago. For Appiah this is a good thing as many of the negative cultural beliefs like the fear of medicine, the disapproval of clean water from foreign places, refusal of female’s getting an education is being dispelled by outside forces.…

    • 588 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Eight Stages Of Genocide

    • 1487 Words
    • 6 Pages

    Before the reasons for why people take part in genocide, one last thing about the causes of genocide will be presented. This will be the eight stages of genocide. It is important to talk about the stages of genocide as it plays a crucial part in the understanding of basics of genocide and its causes. The ten stages of genocide are classification, symbolization, discrimination dehumanization, organization, polarization, preparation, persecution, extermination, and denial (Stanton). In classification, this is where people establish the different groups by race, ethnicity, religion, or nationality.…

    • 1487 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Superior Essays

    I do believe that the Jesuits were not guilty of cultural genocide in their dealings with the Indians of South America. The term “cultural genocide” was first introduced in the mid 1900s as a cultural component to the already existing word genocide. The word genocide, comes from the ancient greek and latin words “geno” and “caedere”; literally translating to “to kill a tribe or race”. The formal definition of cultural genocide therefore being “ the systematic destruction of traditions, values, language, and other elements which make a one group of people distinct from other groups” (Cultural Genocide). I believe the purpose of cultural genocide is to try to homogenize our world into one superior culture.…

    • 1446 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Superior Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Cultural Genocide Democide

    • 1004 Words
    • 5 Pages

    Cultural genocide can be achieved through the restriction or outright ban of the said groups language, cultural practices or traditions, art ,beliefs etc. Examples of this include the outlaw of jewish culture in…

    • 1004 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Decent Essays

    The Perspectives on Modern World History: The Rwandan Genocide edited by Alexander Cruden gives insight to the elaborate plot that became known as the Rwandan Genocide. It gives historical background knowledge, the precursor to how it began the world’s responses and the aftermath. It takes the reader through the years leading up to the Genocide and everything that followed. It describes the fact that rebellion had once received support from France, and also how the UN really couldn’t do anything about the issue.…

    • 260 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Decent Essays
  • Great Essays

    The word genocide means that a certain ethnic group undergoes the process of being annihilated. Some members of the same ethnic group escape out of their original…

    • 1558 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Great Essays
  • Superior Essays

    Sociologists theoretically and empirically neglect genocide. In this paper, our important collective framing perception begins by looking at state origins of race-founded ideology in the dehumanization and mobilization leading to genocide. It looks at this dynamic by recognizing culturally driven-level process that is theoretically not developed and questioned in many settings. The research paper investigate common processes by developing an unprecedented survey of civilians and refugees from the genocide that occurred in Darfur. The focus is on the focus is on the Sudanese government 's crisis of a dehumanizing process and the reason why the UN and AU was not successful to protect and stop the war.…

    • 1185 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Superior Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Misha Glenny

    • 1021 Words
    • 5 Pages

    Genocide and cross-cultural conflicts affect everyone in the world whether directly or not, both Misha Glenny and Samantha Power write about these affects in their books. Though both of these authors write on the similar topic but on very different trains of thought. Glenny focuses on independence movements and how the side which is fighting for independence is always more righteous and right where as Powers focuses more on Political/economical gains and loses then that of right and wrong. In order to understand the arguments made by both Glenny and Power’s we must first put into terms what the definition of genocide is in order to make the line between genocide and death caused by fight is. According to the UN Genocide convention in 1948…

    • 1021 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Culture is very prevalent throughout our society with beliefs intertwining with others and always changing. I often times have myself questioned when it comes to my values and ideas which reflect upon myself to interpret these questions. These ideologies change my perspective or sway my values simply based off of my social situation and surroundings, using the access to my sociological imagination to guide my expectations. Values and cultures are a very serious necessity to anyone, myself included, as it guides principals like languages, beliefs, and any behaviors for our ideologies and prevents conflicts throughout society. (Newman 2016:36).…

    • 596 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    A) The main point of this article is to show what rights everyone should have based upon being members of the United Nations. These rights are to be included along with the rights already outline within the United Nations Declaration of Human Rights. In the article it states, “…recognition of the inherent dignity and of the equal and inalienable rights of all members of the human family is the foundation of freedom, justice and peace in the world…” (172). This document along with all the other documents which were ratified and signed by the nations who are members of the UN, are defining peoples rights.…

    • 1223 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Samuel Huntington's "Clash of Civilizations" is one of the most influential articles that is used by policymakers in formulating foreign and international decisions. However, It is also one of the most controversial articles at the time for it claims that a religion will be the main reason for future conflicts. This article has attracted a lot of criticism from many different academics and scholars, predominantly from fellow Harvard academic Edward Said, who is the speaker of the lecture " the myth of the clash of civilization. "The speaker criticizes the "clash of the civilizations" because it is a recycled version of the "cold war" theory, oversimplified the classification of different civilization groups and, it separates the culture from…

    • 749 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Culture is part of every society and is the basis on how people within the society react and live their lives. Every culture is subject to change in order to match the society around the world. However, there are several obstacles that are in the way of such cultural change. Through the different surroundings, a deep social connection to religion, and a lack of technology, cultures have a resistance against change. An example will be given of how it prohibits the growth in certain societies, because within each society, there are certain things that hinder the change and growth of a culture, as well as keep a culture together and unique.…

    • 1350 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    When we think about society, we can talk about little groups of specific ideas that form a whole being. In this case, we are going to talk about culture and it effect in society. Sociologists indicate that the word culture involves many meanings that could be used in different fields where the human being operates. Sociologically, culture is also known as the characteristics that groups share; we can be able to understand similarities and differences within some groups by cultural aspects. It also involves the material and non material aspects which give us the privilege of differencing us from nature or biology.…

    • 824 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays

Related Topics