ABSTRACT
In my experience as a student of Africa, there appear to be two disparate and sometimes competing approaches to the study of conflict and human rights on the continent, which derive from broader debates over cultural relativity and “modernity.” While a Western political-science-based approach tends to be framed in terms of universality, particularly with regard to human rights, a contemporary anthropological approach emphasizes diversity and cultural equality. 1 Yet both areas have evolved, in a general sense, toward a more relativist perspective that recognizes nuance and the importance of questioning assumptions. This transformation is relatively nascent with regard to the human rights movement in comparison to anthropology.
