Restraining universalism: Africanist perspectives on cultural relativism in the human rights discourse

Let me begin with an anecdote that underscores the salience of the theme of this chapter. The story is told of a British anthropologist who, in pursuit of his grand career aspirations, decided to travel deep into the most obscure fringes of Africa for his research on a "primitive tribe." This "primitive tribe" of Africa, he had been told, was so remote and distant that it had made no prior contact with civilization. So, armed with his safari …