Using interdisciplinary methods, this book is a pioneering exploration of Asian understandings of human dignity and human rights. It encompasses rigorous scrutiny of dignity jurisprudence in major Asian apex courts, detailed philosophical analysis of dignity in religious traditions, and contextualized socio-political analysis of religious dignity discourse in several Asian societies. This is an innovative systematic survey of how human dignity is understood in Asia, demonstrating how those understandings converge and diverge with other parts of the world. Synthesising legal, philosophical, and sociological expertise, this volume furthers the dialogue between Asia and the West, and advances debates on whether human rights are universal or particular to any one region. As many of the world's liberal democracies are challenged by polarization and populism, this comparative study of human dignity broadens our horizons and offers a potential alternative to a rigidified social imagination.
Edited by:
Jimmy Chia-Shin Hsu (Academia Sinica Taipei Taiwan)
Imprint: Cambridge University Press
Country of Publication: United Kingdom
ISBN: 9781108814331
ISBN 10: 1108814336
Pages: 405
Publication Date: 26 October 2023
Audience:
College/higher education
,
Primary
Format: Paperback
Publisher's Status: Active
Introduction. Human dignity, human rights, and cultural change in Asia Jimmy Chia-Shin Hsu; 1. Human dignity in Indian constitutional adjudication Pritam Baruah; 2. The development of individual dignity in Japan: Overcoming constraints in law, family and society Keigo Obayashi; 3. Constitutional discourse on human dignity in South Korea: A critical appraisal Chaihark Hahm; 4. Human dignity in the jurisprudence of the Taiwan constitutional court Jimmy Chia-Shin Hsu; 5. The dignity Factor: Interpreting the Philippine constitution J. R. Robert Real; 6. Human dignity in the jurisprudence of the Indonesian constitutional court Nadirsyah Hosen; 7. Dignity as a constitutional value in Hong Kong: Toward a contextual approach? Kelley Loper; 8. Human dignity and relational constitutionalism in Singapore Li-ann Thio; 9. Personal dignity under Chinese constitutional law Xiaobo Zhai; 10. Virtue, dignity, and constitutional democracy: A Confucian perspective Sungmoon Kim; 11. Buddhist philosophical approaches to human dignity Anton Sevilla-Liu; 12. Dignity and status in ancient and medieval India Timothy Lubin; 13. Human dignity, Pancasila, and Islam: contexts and contestations in Indonesia Etin Anwar; 14. Catholicism and human dignity in the Philippines Jonathan T. Chow; 15. Protestantism and human dignity in South Korea JinHyok Kim; Index.
Jimmy Chia-Shin Hsu is Associate Research Professor of Law, Academia Sinica, Taiwan. He was the ASLI Visiting Fellow at National University of Singapore in 2016 and Visiting Scholar of Harvard-Yenching Institute for 2016-2017. He serves on the board of Taiwan Association for Philosophy of Law and as co-chair of the Freedom of Expression Research Group of the International Association of Constitutional Law.
Reviews for Human Dignity in Asia: Dialogue between Law and Culture
'In Human Dignity in Asia a team of experts trace the ways in which universal humanitarian aspirations have been shaped by local cultural traditions and political circumstances as they became incorporated into law. It is a subject of great interest and importance - all the more so at a time when human rights are under threat, both in Asia and elsewhere.' Michael Rosen, author of Dignity: its History and Meaning (2012); Senator Joseph S. Clark Professor of Ethics in Politics and Government, Harvard University 'This book fills a significant gap in our understanding of dignity in Asian cultures. With in-depth country studies complemented by thematic investigations of dignity's religious and cultural significance across the region, this book is ambitious in scope and exceptionally well executed. By setting legal decisions and political reforms against the backdrop of cultural, economic, religious, and social traditions and shifts, Hsu and his contributors demonstrate that human dignity has been and continues to be a central tenet of legal culture throughout Asia. This is essential reading for anyone interested in how the law reflects and protects human dignity.' Erin Daly, author of Dignity Rights: Courts, Constitutions, and the Worth of the Human Person (2020); Professor of Law, Delaware Law School, Widener University