DILEMMAS OF MODERN JUSTICE: BETWEEN THE UNIVERSALISM OF HUMAN RIGHTS AND THE PARTICULARISM OF CULTURAL VALUES

Adilet  ABU; Zhakipbek  ALTAYEV; Ahmet  TAŞĞIN; Zhanibek  KANIYATOV

doi:10.32523/3080-1281-2026-156-3-31-46

Authors

Adilet ABU Al-Farabi Kazakh National University Author https://orcid.org/0009-0000-5216-6430
Zhakipbek ALTAYEV Al-Farabi Kazakh National University Author https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3925-0045
Ahmet TAŞĞIN Haji Bayram Veli University Author https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2751-9924
Zhanibek KANIYATOV Al-Farabi Kazakh National University Author https://orcid.org/0009-0000-7490-481X

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.32523/3080-1281-2026-156-3-31-46

Keywords:

contemporary justice; universalism of human rights; cultural peculiarity; ethical dilemma; multiculturalism; policy making; cultural norms; global ethics; social justice; intercultural management

Abstract

This article examines contemporary dilemmas of justice related to the tension between the universalism of human rights and the particularism of cultural values. Universal principles of human rights presuppose the same moral and legal standards for all societies, while cultural particularism emphasizes the norms, traditions, and social practices specific to each culture. The paper looks at how these two methods overlap, clash, and affect the policymaking and moral standards of multicultural societies. The paper uses philosophical, legal, and sociological literature to trace practical examples that can help to consider the challenges of international human rights principles and local cultural peculiarities. The discussion illustrates the danger of ethical relativism and the fact that universal methods might overlook the particularities of specific societies. The results of the study imply that a more balanced and context-aware model of justice may be built by a dialogic approach that considers the universal principles and cultural particularities. The work will enter into the discourse on globalization, multiculturalism, and the practical implementation of human rights by highlighting the necessity to come up with principled but pragmatic policy responses.

Downloads

Download data is not yet available.

References

Altwicker, A. (2020). Non-universal arguments under the European Convention on Human Rights // European Journal of International Law, 2020. - 31(1), pp. 101–126. URL: https://doi.org/10.1093/ejil/chaa015

An-Na’im, A. A. (1987). Religious minorities under Islamic law and the limits of cultural relativism // Human Rights Quarterly, 1987. - 9(1), pp. 1–18. URL: https://doi.org/10.2307/761944

Assembly of the People of Kazakhstan. Official materials on interethnic harmony, cultural diversity and intercultural dialogue. URL: https://assembly.kz/

Başkan, B. (2024). Defending the pluralistic minimum universality of human rights // Culture and Civilization, 2024. - 7, pp. 8–16. URL: https://doi.org/10.62425/culture.1536092

Bowsher, J. (2024). After truth, after sham after information politics? Rethinking the epistemologies of human rights in the digital-authoritarian conjuncture // The International Journal of Human Rights, 2024. - pp. 1–25. URL: https://doi.org/10.1080/13642987.2024.2315277

Díaz, J. F. (2024). Can cultural relativism affect the international protection of human rights? // Revista Jurídica Portucalense, 2024. - 36. URL: https://doi.org/10.34625/issn.2183-2705(36)2024.ic-14

Donnelly, J. (2013). Universal human rights in theory and practice. Ithaca: Cornell University Press, 2013. URL: https://www.jstor.org/stable/10.7591/j.ctt1xx5q2

Escobar, G. G. (2023). Norms versus interpretations: Human rights universality revisited // Global Jurist, 2023. URL: https://doi.org/10.1515/gj-2023-0001

Government of the Republic of Kazakhstan. (2023). On approval of the Concept for the Development of Language Policy in the Republic of Kazakhstan for 2023–2029: Resolution of the Government of the Republic of Kazakhstan, October 16, 2023, No. 914. URL: https://adilet.zan.kz/

Hogemann, E. R. (2020). Human rights beyond dichotomy between cultural universalism and relativism // The Age of Human Rights Journal, 2020. - 14. URL: https://doi.org/10.17561/tahrj.v14.5476

Káčer, M. (2021). The universality of human rights against cultural relativism: Between fiction and reality // The Lawyer Quarterly, 2021. - 11(3), pp. 506–517. URL: https://tlq.ilaw.cas.cz/index.php/tlq/article/view/476

Khan, M. I., Qasim, M. (2025). Universality reconsidered: Cultural relativism, treaty reservations, and international human rights // Pakistan Research Journal of Social Sciences, 2025. - 4(1). URL: https://prjss.com/index.php/prjss/article/view/304

Makeieva, O., Rybikova, H. (2022). Universality of human rights: A cross-cultural analysis // Air and Space Law, 2022. - 70. URL: https://doi.org/10.18372/2307-9061.70.18480

Marchenko, A. (2022). Religion and human rights in discourse and practice of cultural relativism and universalism // SOPHIA. Human and Religious Studies Bulletin, 2022. - 20(2), pp. 36–40. URL: https://doi.org/10.17721/sophia.2022.20.8

Pratiwi, C. S. (2020). Bridging the gap between cultural relativism and universality of human rights: Indonesian attitudes // Journal of Indonesian Legal Studies, 2020. - 5(2), pp. 449–478. URL: https://doi.org/10.15294/jils.v5i2.39271

Rawls, J. (1999). A theory of justice. Cambridge: Harvard University Press, 1999. URL: https://www.jstor.org/stable/j.ctvjf9z6v

Republic of Kazakhstan. (2011). On religious activities and religious associations: Law of the Republic of Kazakhstan dated October 11, 2011, No. 483-IV. URL: https://adilet.zan.kz/eng/docs/Z1100000483

Sandel, M. J. (2009). Justice: What’s the right thing to do? New York: Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 2009. URL: https://iasbaba.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/Michael_Sandel-_Justice-_What_s_the_Right_Thing_to_Do.pdf

Singh, A. K. (2018). The paradox between universalism of human rights and relativism of culture: A case study of honour killings in India // Journal of Southeast Asian Human Rights, 2018. - 4(1). URL: https://doi.org/10.19184/jseahr.v4i1.8597