The two, similar but distinct, discourses of human dignity and human rights as well as relationships between them are at the centre of this book chapter. The work of moral philosopher Harald Ofstad is used to develop a secular minimalist understanding of human dignity. Additionally, the work of Seyla Benhabib gives an entry to the field of human rights where national understandings of citizenship are problematized in favour of a cosmopolitan perspective. This addresses contemporary challenges in a number of countries where migration raises issues of xenophobia and racism, and a conscious values education of equality seems to be essential. Brief examples of the implementation of discourses of human rights and human dignity from the constitution of South Africa and recent curricula from South Africa and Namibia are introduced. The aim of the chapter is to point to the necessity of conscious reflection on human dignity and human rights as crucial elements of education.
The volume, the chapter is published in, brings together international researchers addressing the three areas of values education, religious education and human rights education.