Education and Human Rights: between assumptions and demands. Contributions of a critical, intercultural and situated philosophical perspective for teaching

Abstract

How to resolve the teaching of Human Rights in the current contextual coordinates? We are interested in contributing to this debate considering that Human Rights are mandatory content in all educational modalities and levels in Argentina. To do this, we present a story of the place of Human Rights in the contemporary regulatory map. Next, we present a set of assumptions linked to Human Rights that operate in directions that differ from those prescribed by educational policies, guided by the regional and international standards in force on the matter and typical of any social State of law. Recognizing these assumptions implies assuming them as epistemological barriers that must be removed to meet the requirements of a Human Rights Education approach; therefore, they will be stressed from arguments that contribute to reflecting on their scope. Finally, we share why a critical, intercultural and situated philosophical perspective collaborates in rethinking the teaching of Human Rights in the robust regulatory framework that supports it, and contributes to the laborious mission of removing those assumptions that undermine its implementation. As 2023 marks forty years since the return of democracy to Argentina, we understand this exercise as a collaboration in the construction of citizenships required for democratic life in this complex 21st century.