ABSTRACT
Since World War II and the passage of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR), a debate has ensued regarding whether or not human rights can, indeed, be declared universal. To many people, this question might seem moot, but to others, attempting to answer it proves deeply conflictual and political, not to mention rife with epistemological and ontological concerns. Perhaps understanding the history of the inception of the Declaration might help to explain the fundamental disagreement. The Commission on Human Rights, which was formed to draft the Declaration in 1947, was headed by Eleanor Roosevelt, widow of Franklin Delano Roosevelt; she was a woman known for her commitment to social justice. The commission consisted of eighteen members, and they had been chosen “from various political, cultural and religious backgrounds” (UDHR, “History”). Of the fifty U.N. representatives voting on December 10, 1948, eight members abstained, none voted against it, and the rest were for it. Mrs. Roosevelt characterized the debate on the commission as one robustly reflecting members’ differing cultural perspectives.
