In Defence of Intrinsic Human Rights: Edmund Burke’s Controversial Prosecution of Warren Hastings, Governor-general of Bengal
نویسنده
چکیده
For the first time, this article examines the impeachment trial of Warren Hastings from a human rights perspective. Even now, the seven year impeachment trial retains a degree of controversy, particularly as to its merits, and to the motivation of Edmund Burke, the man responsible for holding Hastings to account. The trial resulted in the clash between the reality of Britain‟s colonial expansion for many contemporaries and a defence of the intrinsic human rights of the Company‟s Indian subjects. If for many, it is debatable as to how successful Burke was in raising awareness of „human rights‟ and whether the impeachment trial brought about any tangible results; this article argues not only that Burke‟s awareness of „human rights‟ as a concept which could be defended by a court of law was for the late eighteenth century revolutionary but also that its legacy has a current resonance. In order to address these issues an exploration is provided of the events which gave rise to the impeachment, namely the role of Edmund Burke, and the political and moral concerns surrounding the East India Company‟s administration of a substantial part of modern India and Bangladesh. The political attempts to hold the Company to account will also be discussed, with particular reference as to why Burke felt the need to impeach Hastings. Finally, consideration will be given to the use of impeachment as a method of accountability and parallels that can be drawn with the modern inquiry and the human rights dimensions thereto.
منابع مشابه
Joseph de Maistre and Retributionist Theology
Joseph de Maistre is usually portrayed as Edmund Burke’s French counterpart, as they both wrote important treatises against the French Revolution. Although Maistre did share many of Burke’s conservative political views, he was much more than a political thinker. He was above all a religious thinker who interpreted political events through the prism of a particular retributionist theology. Accor...
متن کاملThe war crimes perpetrated by human dignity and the atrocious behavior of the prisoners of holy defence at Camp 9 in Iraq
In this article, one of the examples of war crimes is the destruction of human dignity, especially behavior and destruction and degradation. The crimes set forth in paragraph 21 of Part 2 of Article 8 of the Statute of the International Criminal Court are foreseen. Although the war crimes that took place at Camp 9 are not limited to this crime, the crimes of human dignity, especially destructiv...
متن کاملThe King’s Virtual Body: Image, Text, and Sovereignty in Edmund Burke’s Reflections on the Revolution in France
FOLLOWING EDMUND BURKE’S 1790 Reflections on the Revolution in France, counterrevolutionary writing of the late eighteenth century entrenched itself in opposition to the speculative political programs emanating from revolutionary France. For Burke and his inheritors, such as Joseph de Maistre and Novalis, the driving force behind the “the most horrid, atrocious, and afflicting spectacle” was no...
متن کاملAn Inquest into the Efficacy of Edmund Burke’s Political Ideas in Africa: the Case Study of the Arab Region
The paper tested whether Edmund Burke’s philosophy. The aim of the study was to establish his prescriptions’ efficacy in contemporary politics. This was established through documentary reviews, interview most of his ideas as relevant to contemporary politics; they help to explain the negative impacts of revolutions. From studying the ‘Arab Spring’ the paper established that the character of the...
متن کامل"COVID-19" and International Law: Prosecution of China in International Court of Justice
"COVID-19", which was first seen in China in December 2019, outbreak worldwide in a short time and took the lives of many people around the world. In addition to claims concerning Chinachr('39')s fault in creating the disease and failing to prevent its spread, it is seriously claimed that China has delayed and sometimes incorrectly reported information concerning disease to the World Health Org...
متن کاملذخیره در منابع من
با ذخیره ی این منبع در منابع من، دسترسی به آن را برای استفاده های بعدی آسان تر کنید
عنوان ژورنال:
دوره شماره
صفحات -
تاریخ انتشار 2011