Primacy of Care and Human Dignity: Decolonial Turn Versus Anti-Social Neoliberal Capitalism and Positivist and Postmodern Epistemologies
Summary: Introduction. – 2. Primacy of Concern and Care, and the Importance of Empathy. – 3. Universalistic Understanding of Dignity and Social Rights. – 4. Decolonial Turn, Empathy and Universality of Human Dignity. – 5. Neoliberal Capitalism: Violation of Dignity and Its Coloniality. – 6. Neoliberal Capitalism and the Rise of Illiberal Democracies and Authoritarianism: Why Do We Need to Talk about Neoliberal Capitalism’s Adverse Effects in the Wake of War in Ukraine? – 7. Coloniality of Positivist and Postmodern Social Sciences. – 8. Persistence of Poverty, Neoliberal Mindset and Minimalism Principle in Legal Systems. – 9. Cultural Change through Reviving Empathy and Dignity: Promises of Decolonial Turn. – 10. Conclusions.
Background: This article discusses the primacy of care, empathy, and dignity in human life and social relations. There is a connection among care, connection, and human dignity that forms the value-based foundation of human rights. Conversely, there is a nexus between the rise of neoliberalism and the relativisation of fundamental human rights values, including respect for equal moral human dignity, which can be recognised through empathy. Non-positivist approaches such as critical realism and decolonial perspectives critique neoliberal capitalism, as well as positivist and postmodern epistemologies, for dismissing the importance of values and separating reason and emotions. The violation of human dignity due to the denial of social rights is a global problem inherent in contemporary neoliberal capitalism, which tends to reject a universalistic understanding of human dignity. Legal minimalism in legal systems illustrates how the adverse effects of neoliberalism can undermine the development of health rights. The neoliberal mindset has led not only to the instrumentalisation of human rights but also to the relativisation of gross violations of international law, for example, by “normalising” full-scale aggression against Ukraine, reducing everything to a “capitalistic deal” and disregarding war crimes.
Methods: This research is interdisciplinary and conceptual-normative. Epistemologically, it is based on the assumptions of meta-theoretical critical realism, the ethics of care, and the decolonial approach, as conceptualised in recent years by authors from post-socialist countries. The prioritisation of empathy, which is key to perceiving equal moral human dignity, is central to this understanding of the decolonial turn. Therefore, this article adopts conceptual, normative, and hermeneutical methods, including critical analysis of neoliberal capitalism, positivist, and postmodern epistemologies. As an example from judicial practice, the influence of the neoliberal mindset on the implementation of health rights is addressed conceptually.
Results and conclusions: This paper proposes a solution to the multiple problems generated by neoliberalism and positivist and postmodern epistemologies: a cultural change and mental revival that can be achieved through a decolonial approach, which precedes the transformation of hierarchical neoliberal economic, judicial, and political systems. Overall, it is important to frame discussions about the nature of the state, law, democracy, and security by focusing on the concepts of human dignity, care, and empathy, which go beyond conventional positivist and postmodern approaches in the social sciences and legal studies, as well as the “conventional normal” in academia.
Abstract
Background: This article discusses the primacy of care, empathy, and dignity in human life and social relations. There is a connection among care, connection, and human dignity that forms the value-based foundation of human rights. Conversely, there is a nexus between the rise of neoliberalism and the relativisation of fundamental human rights values, including respect for equal moral human dignity, which can be recognised through empathy. Non-positivist approaches such as critical realism and decolonial perspectives critique neoliberal capitalism, as well as positivist and postmodern epistemologies, for dismissing the importance of values and separating reason and emotions. The violation of human dignity due to the denial of social rights is a global problem inherent in contemporary neoliberal capitalism, which tends to reject a universalistic understanding of human dignity. Legal minimalism in legal systems illustrates how the adverse effects of neoliberalism can undermine the development of health rights. The neoliberal mindset has led not only to the instrumentalisation of human rights but also to the relativisation of gross violations of international law, for example, by “normalising” full-scale aggression against Ukraine, reducing everything to a “capitalistic deal” and disregarding war crimes.
Methods: This research is interdisciplinary and conceptual-normative. Epistemologically, it is based on the assumptions of meta-theoretical critical realism, the ethics of care, and the decolonial approach, as conceptualised in recent years by authors from post-socialist countries. The prioritisation of empathy, which is key to perceiving equal moral human dignity, is central to this understanding of the decolonial turn. Therefore, this article adopts conceptual, normative, and hermeneutical methods, including critical analysis of neoliberal capitalism, positivist, and postmodern epistemologies. As an example from judicial practice, the influence of the neoliberal mindset on the implementation of health rights is addressed conceptually.
Results and conclusions: This paper proposes a solution to the multiple problems generated by neoliberalism and positivist and postmodern epistemologies: a cultural change and mental revival that can be achieved through a decolonial approach, which precedes the transformation of hierarchical neoliberal economic, judicial, and political systems. Overall, it is important to frame discussions about the nature of the state, law, democracy, and security by focusing on the concepts of human dignity, care, and empathy, which go beyond conventional positivist and postmodern approaches in the social sciences and legal studies, as well as the “conventional normal” in academia.
About Authors
Authors information
Galym Zhussipbek
PhD., SDU University, Department of Social Sciences, Kaskelen/ Almaty, Kazakhstan
galym.zhussipbek@sdu.edu.kz
https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6924-6039
Corresponding author, solely responsible for the manuscript preparing.
Competing interests: No competing interests were disclosed.
Disclaimer: The author declares that his opinion and views expressed in this manuscript are free of any impact of any organizations.
Rights and Permissions
Copyright: © 2025 Galym Zhussipbek. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, (CC BY 4.0), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.
Editors
Assistant Editor – Mag. Viktoriia Ivanova. English Editor – Julie Bold. Ukrainian language Editor – Mag. Liliia Hartman.
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АНОТАЦІЯ УКРАЇНСЬКОЮ МОВОЮ
Аналітична стаття
ПРІОРИТЕТ ТУРБОТИ ТА ЛЮДСЬКОЇ ГІДНОСТІ: ДЕКОЛОНІАЛЬНИЙ ПОВОРОТ ПРОТИ АНТИСОЦІАЛЬНОГО НЕОЛІБЕРАЛЬНОГО КАПІТАЛІЗМУ ТА ПОЗИТИВІСТСЬКИХ І ПОСТМОДЕРНІСТСЬКИХ ЕПІСТЕМОЛОГІЙ
Ґалим Жусіпбек
АНОТАЦІЯ
Вступ. У цій статті розглядається пріорит турботи, емпатії та гідності в людському житті та соціальних відносинах. Існує звʼязок між турботою, взаєминами та людською гідністю, який формує ціннісну основу прав людини. І навпаки, існує зв'язок між піднесенням неолібералізму та релятивізацією фундаментальних цінностей прав людини, що стосується і рівності права на повагу до людської гідності, яку можна розпізнати через емпатію. Непозитивістські підходи, такі як критичний реалізм та деколоніальні перспективи, критикують неоліберальний капіталізм, а також позитивістські та постмодерністські епістемології за ігнорування важливості цінностей, а також за розмежування розуму та емоцій. Порушення людської гідності через заперечення соціальних прав є глобальною проблемою, властивою сучасному неоліберальному капіталізму, який схильний відкидати універсалістське розуміння людської гідності. Правовий мінімалізм у правових системах ілюструє, як негативні наслідки неолібералізму можуть підірвати розвиток права на охорону здоров'я. Неоліберальний спосіб мислення призвів не лише до інструменталізації прав людини, але й до релятивізації грубих порушень міжнародного права, наприклад, через «нормалізації» повномасштабної агресії проти України, зведення всього до «капіталістичної угоди» та ігнорування воєнних злочинів.
Методи. Це дослідження є міждисциплінарним та концептуально-нормативним. Епістемологічно воно базується на припущеннях метатеоретичного критичного реалізму, етики турботи та деколоніального підходу, що останнім часом концептуалізували автори з постсоціалістичних країн. Пріоритет емпатії, яка є ключем до сприйняття рівності права на повагу до людської гідності, є центральним для розуміння деколоніального повороту. Отже, у цій статті використовуються концептуальні, нормативні та герменевтичні методи, зокрема критичний аналіз неоліберального капіталізму, позитивістської та постмодерністської епістемології. Як приклад із судової практики, концептуально розглядається вплив неоліберального мислення на реалізацію прав на охорону здоров'я.
Результати та висновки. У цій статті пропонується вирішення численних проблем, породжених неолібералізмом, позитивістською та постмодерністською епістемологіями: культурні зміни та ментальне відродження, яких можна досягти за допомогою деколоніального підходу, що передує трансформації ієрархічних неоліберальних економічних, судових та політичних систем. Загалом, важливо формувати дискусії про природу держави, права, демократії та безпеки, зосереджуючись на концепціях людської гідності, турботи та емпатії, які виходять за межі традиційних позитивістських та постмодерністських підходів у соціальних науках та юридичних дослідженнях, а також «традиційної норми» в академічних колах.
Ключові слова. Гідність; емпатія; соціальні права; неоліберальний капіталізм; структурна несправедливість; деколоніальний підхід.
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Date of submission: 02 Jul 2025
Date of acceptance: 23 Oct 2025
Publication: 18 Nov 2025
Whether the manuscript was fast tracked? – No
Number of reviewer report submitted in first round: 5 reports
Number of revision rounds: 2 rounds with major revisionsTechnical tools were used in the editorial process:
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AcknowledgmentThis research was supported by the Committee of Science of the Ministry of Higher Education and Science of the Republic of Kazakhstan (Grant No. AP19679071), titled 'Search for ways of building a just, human rights-centric, and strong Kazakhstan (social justice, inclusive identity, decoloniality).' The APC was funded by this grant.
How to cite it?
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Zhussipbek G, ‘Primacy of Care and Human Dignity: Decolonial Turn Versus Anti-Social Neoliberal Capitalism and Positivist and Postmodern Epistemologies’ (2025) 8(4) Access to Justice in Eastern Europe 407-35 <https://doi.org/10.33327/AJEE-18-8.4-o000141>
