Recalibrating Rights: Addressing Europe’s Review of ‘Others’ – Video Link
On January 30, 2026, the HRUG regular seminar on “Recalibrating Rights: Addressing Europe’s Review of ‘Others’” was successfully held. The seminar was lectured by Professor Gerard McCann, a full-time lecturer in International Studies at St. Mary’s University College, affiliated to Queen’s University Belfast, and chaired by Joe Finnerty, a social policy analyst, School of Applied Social Studies, University College Cork, Republic of Ireland. Professor Peter Herrmann (a researcher of CSU Human Rights Center), Professor Mehmet Okyayuz (a professor from the Department of Political Science at Middle East Technical University in Türkiye), Associate Professor Li Juan (a researcher of CSU Human Rights Center) participated in the discussion, and they shared, reported and supplemented some corresponding views. This seminar focused on shifts in Europe’s rights framework, examining the continent’s cultural turn from openness to exclusion, thereby calling for critical reflection on power challenges in the European context and exploring pathways for renewal.
Gerard McCann emphasised that over the past 15 years, Europe’s rights architecture has continued to contract. European countries and institutions have deviated from rights-oriented policies, and the values of the right to free movement and citizenship have been questioned. From a historical perspective, the European culture, once renowned for its openness, humanitarianism and empathy for the “others”, is now being replaced by populism, xenophobia and misinformation, and the vision of “unity in diversity” is fading. McCann cited the theories of several scholars and pointed out that this shift stems from gaining political capital by creating opposition between “us” and “them” and stigmatizing vulnerable groups such as immigrants, a dynamic amplified by social media and normalizing the victimization of marginalized groups. For this reason, he called for confronting the issue of othering and reconstructing a sovereign European community with rights at its core.
McCann further stated that the construction of the “other” essentially arises from the inherent fears and fragility of the existing order, where the system sacrifices specific groups to consolidate its power. Citing Ruth Wodak’s views in The Politics of Fear, he pointed out that the power hierarchy that creates group divisions and shapes the “other” assumes a triangular structure, and cyberspace has emerged as a new battleground for othering. Malicious smears on social media are covert and destructive. Regarding Europe’s current trend of othering, McCann argued that this departs from the pluralist ideals on which the European Community was founded, with the rise of a “Fortress Europe” and the Copenhagen Declaration serving as a typical example. At present, Europe is trapped in a moral dilemma, torn between defining its post-war developmental positioning and being mired in drastic value changes, a situation further exacerbated by social media. Citing relevant viewpoints, he stressed that only by facing the practical problems of othering can Europe break the predicament and reshape the perception of an ideal society.
In conclusion, Gerard McCann summarized that the post-war consensus on human rights protection in Europe has shifted significantly. Some countries have reneged on their commitments to relevant human rights conventions, resulting in a cultural rupture in the philosophy of rights-oriented policies, and othering has become the mainstream. He reiterated the need to prioritize a culture of rights, adhere to a rights-oriented approach in policy and legislation, and curb the trend of othering. Other participants also engaged in a lively discussion, voicing their opinions and exchanging insights on core issues such as the pathways for reconstructing Europe’s rights system and the solutions to tackle othering.
重新校准权利：审视欧洲对“他者”的认知
2026年1月30日，HRUG定期研讨会之“重新校准权利：审视欧洲对‘他者’的认知”主题会议顺利召开。本次会议由贝尔法斯特女王大学下属的圣玛丽大学国际研究学专职讲师Gerard McCann教授主讲，爱尔兰国立科克大学应用社会研究学院政策分析家Joe Finnerty主持，中南大学人权研究中心研究员Peter Herrmann教授、土耳其中东科技大学政治学Mehmet Okyayuz教授、中南大学人权研究中心研究员黎娟副教授等学者一同参与了讨论。会议针对欧洲权利架构的变迁，探讨了从开放到排斥的欧洲文化转向，由此引导呼吁对欧洲语境下的权力挑战进行批判性反思并探索新生之路。
Gerard McCann指出，过去15年间欧洲权利架构持续“退缩”，各国及欧洲机构偏离权利导向政策，自由流动权与公民权价值受到质疑。从历史发展的眼光来看，曾以开放、人道主义和对“他者”的共情著称的欧洲文化，正被民粹主义、仇外情绪和错误信息取代，“多元一体”愿景正在褪色。Gerard McCann援引多位学者的理论，指出这一转变源于通过制造“我们”与“他们”的对立、标签化移民等弱势群体获取政治资本，这种对立也被社交媒体放大，使边缘群体“受害者化”成为常态。为此，Gerard McCann呼吁直面“他者化”问题，以权利为核心重构欧洲主权共同体，
随后，Gerard McCann表示，“他者”塑造本质源于既有秩序的内在恐惧与脆弱性，体制为巩固权力会牺牲特定群体。他引用Ruth Wodak在《恐惧政治学》中的观点，指出制造群体分化、塑造“他者”的权力层级呈三角形态，网络空间则成为“他者化”新阵地，社交媒体的恶意诋毁具有隐蔽性和破坏性。针对当下欧洲的“他者化”趋势，Gerard McCann认为，这背离了欧共体创立的多元主义理念，“壁垒化欧洲”兴起，《哥本哈根宣言》便是典型例证。当前欧洲陷入道德困境，既想厘清战后发展定位，又深陷价值观剧变，社交媒体也加剧了这一态势。他引用相关观点强调，唯有直面“他者化”问题的现实问题，才能破解困局、重塑理想社会认知。
最后，Gerard McCann总结道，战后欧洲人权保护共识已显著转向，部分国家背弃人权相关公约承诺，权利导向的政策理念出现文化断裂，“他者化”成为主流。他再次强调，需以权利文化为优先，在政策与立法中坚守权利导向，遏制“他者化”趋势。其他与会人员也参与了热烈讨论，围绕欧洲权利重构路径、“他者化”破解方案等核心议题各抒己见、交换观点。
(Transcription: Ying Li, Zhiwei Liang; Translation: Dan Liu)