Sensational human rights curriculum and the discourse on saving the other

ABSTRACTThis article advocates for the need to develop a more critical approach to theorizing human rights curriculum and critiques dominant/western liberal interpretation of human rights discourse that claims to be humanitarian and benevolent. Liberal approach to (global) human rights discussion places emphasis on individual rights and views concepts such as freedom and independence as being easily transferable across cultures and geographical borders. By examining an award-winning text on gender oppression, the article explores why stories about the oppression faced by Third World girls are often sensationalized and are appealing to mainstream U.S./western audience. The article advocates for the need to rethink how human rights discussions are included in school curriculum and how well-meaning projects on social change reproduce deficit understanding of Third World gender experiences. Furthermore, the article explores how attempts to promote global gender advocacy often silence agency, reinscribe cultur...