Nothing about us without us

Last updated

"Nothing about us without us" (Latin : Nihil de nobis, sine nobis) is a slogan used to communicate the idea that no policy should be decided by any representative without the full and direct participation of members of the group(s) affected by that policy. In its modern form, this often involves national, ethnic, disability-based, or other groups that are often marginalized from political, social, and economic opportunities.

Contents

The saying has its origins in Central European political traditions. It was the political motto that helped establish—and, loosely translated into Latin, provided the name for—Poland's 1505 constitutional legislation, Nihil novi , which first transferred governing authority from the monarch to the parliament. It subsequently became a byword for democratic norms. The slogan also gained popularity during World War II when the Munich Agreement was signed without the presence of Czechoslovakia.

It is also a long-standing principle of Hungarian law and foreign policy, [1] and was a cornerstone of the foreign policy of interwar Poland. [2] [3]

The phrase formed part of the title of Krzysztof Kieślowski's 1972 documentary Workers '71: Nothing About Us Without Us (Polish : Robotnicy '71: Nic o nas bez nas). [4] [5] [6]

The term in its English form came into use in disability activism during the 1990s. James Charlton relates that he first heard the term used in talks by South African [7] disability activists Michael Masutha and William Rowland, who had in turn heard the phrase used by an unnamed East European activist at an earlier international disability rights conference. In 1998, Charlton used the saying as title for a book on disability rights. [8] Disability rights activist David Werner used the same title for another book, also published in 1998. [9] In 2004, the United Nations used the phrase as the theme of International Day of Persons with Disabilities [10] and it is also associated with the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. [11]

Use of this slogan has expanded beyond the disability rights community to other interest groups and movements. [12] [13] In 2021, the World Health Organization published a eponymous guide recommending that children and adolescents be involved in the decision-making process for health-related policies that affect young people. [14]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cinema of Poland</span> Filmmaking in Poland

The history of cinema in Poland is almost as long as the history of cinematography, and it has universally recognized achievements, even though Polish films tend to be less commercially available than films from several other European nations.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Krzysztof Kieślowski</span> Polish film director and screenwriter (1941–1996)

Krzysztof Kieślowski was a Polish film director and screenwriter. He is known internationally for Dekalog (1989), The Double Life of Veronique (1991), and the Three Colours trilogy (1993 –1994). Kieślowski received numerous awards during his career, including the Cannes Film Festival Jury Prize (1988), FIPRESCI Prize, and Prize of the Ecumenical Jury (1991); the Venice Film Festival FIPRESCI Prize (1989), Golden Lion (1993), and OCIC Award (1993); and the Berlin International Film Festival Silver Bear (1994). In 1995, he received Academy Award nominations for Best Director and Best Original Screenplay.

Anti-LGBT rhetoric comprises themes, catchphrases, and slogans that have been used in order to demean lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) people. They range from the demeaning and the pejorative to expressions of hostility towards homosexuality which are based on religious, medical, or moral grounds. It is widely considered a form of hate speech, which is illegal in countries such as the Netherlands, Norway, and Sweden.

The disability rights movement is a global social movement that seeks to secure equal opportunities and equal rights for all people with disabilities.

<i>Dekalog</i> 1988–1989 Film cycle directed by Krzysztof Kieślowski

Dekalog is a 1989 Polish drama television miniseries directed by Krzysztof Kieślowski and co-written by Kieślowski with Krzysztof Piesiewicz, with music by Zbigniew Preisner. It consists of ten one-hour films, inspired by the decalogue of the Ten Commandments. Each short film explores characters facing one or several moral or ethical dilemmas as they live in an austere housing project in 1980s Poland. The entire series was exhibited at the 46th Venice International Film Festival.

<i>The Double Life of Veronique</i> 1991 film

The Double Life of Veronique is a 1991 drama film directed by Krzysztof Kieślowski and starring Irène Jacob. Written by Kieślowski and Krzysztof Piesiewicz, the film explores the themes of identity, love, and human intuition through the characters of Weronika, a Polish choir soprano, and her double, Véronique, a French music teacher. Despite not knowing each other, the two women share a mysterious and emotional bond that transcends language and geography.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Greens (Poland)</span> Polish political party

The Greens is a political party in Poland.

Nihil novi nisi commune consensu is the original Latin title of a 1505 act or constitution adopted by the Polish Sejm (parliament), meeting in the royal castle at Radom.

<i>A Short Film About Love</i> 1988 Polish film

A Short Film About Love is a 1988 Polish romantic drama film directed by Krzysztof Kieślowski, starring Grażyna Szapołowska and Olaf Lubaszenko. Written by Kieślowski and Krzysztof Piesiewicz, the film is about a young post office worker deeply in love with a promiscuous older woman who lives in an adjacent apartment building. The film is set in the capital of Poland - Warsaw.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Social model of disability</span> Societal failure to adapt to disabilities

The social model of disability identifies systemic barriers, derogatory attitudes, and social exclusion, which make it difficult or impossible for disabled people to attain their valued functionings. The social model of disability diverges from the dominant medical model of disability, which is a functional analysis of the body as a machine to be fixed in order to conform with normative values. As the medical model of disability carries with it a negative connotation, with negative labels associated with disabled people. The social model of disability seeks to challenge power imbalances within society between differently-abled people and seeks to redefine what disability means as an diverse expression of human life. While physical, sensory, intellectual, or psychological variations may result in individual functional differences, these do not necessarily have to lead to disability unless society fails to take account of and include people intentionally with respect to their individual needs. The origin of the approach can be traced to the 1960s, and the specific term emerged from the United Kingdom in the 1980s.

Poland has no official motto of the State, namely the one which is recognized as such by the Polish national law.

James I. Charlton is an American author, disability rights activist, and Executive Vice President of Access Living in Chicago.

<i>A Short Film About Killing</i> 1988 Polish film

A Short Film About Killing is a 1988 drama film directed by Krzysztof Kieślowski and starring Mirosław Baka, Krzysztof Globisz, and Jan Tesarz. Written by Krzysztof Kieślowski and Krzysztof Piesiewicz, the film was expanded from Dekalog: Five of the Polish television series Dekalog. Set in Warsaw, Poland, the film compares the senseless, violent murder of an individual to the cold, calculated execution by the state. A Short Film About Killing won both the Jury Prize and the FIPRESCI Prize at the 1988 Cannes Film Festival, as well as the European Film Award for Best Film.

<i>No End</i> (film) 1985 Polish film

No End is a 1985 film directed by Krzysztof Kieślowski and starring Grażyna Szapołowska, Maria Pakulnis, and Aleksander Bardini. The film is about the state of martial law in Poland after the banning of the trade union Solidarity in 1981. Kieślowski worked with several regular collaborators for the first time on No End.

<i>The Calm</i> (film) 1980 Polish film

The Calm is a film by Polish director Krzysztof Kieślowski made in 1976 but not exhibited until broadcast on Polish television in 1980. It starred Jerzy Stuhr, Izabella Olszewska, and Jerzy Trela. Based on a story by Lech Borski and a screenplay by Kieślowski and Jerzy Stuhr, the film is about a young man who leaves prison after a three-year sentence seeking to start a new life. His dreams of a better life are broken, however, when he is forced into a conflict between a corrupt construction company boss and his fellow workers who go on strike. The Calm was filmed on location in Kraków and completed in 1976, but was banned by the state because of its subject matter—strikes were illegal in Poland during that time. The film was finally shown on Polish television for the first time on 19 September 1980. In 1981, The Calm received the Polish Film Festival Special Jury Prize.

The world's poor are significantly more likely to have or incur a disability within their lifetime compared to more financially privileged populations. The rate of disability within impoverished nations is notably higher than that found in more developed countries. Since the early 2010s there has been growing research in support of an association between disability and poverty and of a cycle by which poverty and disability are mutually reinforcing. Physical, cognitive, mental, emotional, sensory, or developmental impairments independently or in tandem with one another may increase one's likelihood of becoming impoverished, while living in poverty may increase one's potential of having or acquiring disability in some capacity.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">No justice, no peace</span> Human rights slogan

"No justice, no peace" is a political slogan which originated during protests against acts of ethnic violence against African Americans. Its precise meaning is contested. The slogan was used as early as 1986, following the killing of Michael Griffith by a mob of youths.

Marek Haltof is a professor (dr.hab.) of film studies. specializing in the cultural histories of Polish and Australian film.

Workers '71: Nothing About Us Without Us is a 1972 TV documentary co-directed by Krzysztof Kieślowski, Tomasz Zygadło, Wojciech Wiszniewski, Paweł Kędzierski, and Tadeusz Walendowski. It was an attempt to portray the state of mind of the working class after the 1970 mass strikes in Poland by showing Gdansk Shipyard workers on the factory floor and their relationship with management. Kieślowski considered it his most political film.

References

  1. ↑ Szemere, Bertalan (1860). Hungary, from 1848 to 1860. London: Richard Bentley. p. 173.
  2. ↑ Smogorzewski, Kazimierz (1938). "Poland's Foreign Relations". The Slavonic and East European Review. 16 (48): 558–571. JSTOR   4203420.
  3. ↑ Kornat, Marek; Micgiel, J. (2007). "The Policy of Equilibrium and Polish Bilateralism". In Wandycz, P. (ed.). Reflections on Polish Foreign Policy (PDF). pp. 47–88. ISBN   978-0-9654520-7-6. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2011-08-24. Retrieved 2010-06-22.
  4. ↑ Haltof, Marek (2004). The cinema of Krzysztof Kieślowski: variations on destiny and chance. Directors' cuts (1. publ ed.). London: Wallflower Press. pp. 11–12, 22, 28, 36, 48. ISBN   978-1-903364-91-8.
  5. ↑ Kieślowski, Krzysztof (1995). Stok, Danusia (ed.). Kieślowski on Kieślowski (paperback edit. first publ ed.). London: Faber and Faber. pp. 54–57, 81, 126, 136, 242. ISBN   978-0-571-17328-0.
  6. ↑ Cummings, Doug (2007-08-27). "Kieslowski, Krzysztof – Senses of Cinema" . Retrieved 2024-01-25.
  7. ↑ "The Nth Degree Catalog: Advocacy Shirts". web.archive.org. 2002-08-06. Retrieved 2024-03-16.
  8. ↑ Charlton, James I. (1998). Nothing About Us Without Us. University of California Press. ISBN   0-520-22481-7 . Retrieved 2010-06-22.
  9. ↑ Healthwrights (1998). Nothing About Us Without Us: Developing Innovative Technologies For, By and With Disabled Persons. Palo Alto CA. ISBN   9780965558532.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
  10. ↑ "International Day of Disabled Persons 2004 | United Nations Enable". www.un.org. Archived from the original on 2017-03-10.
  11. ↑ Harpur, Paul (2017). Nothing About Us Without Us: The UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. doi:10.1093/acrefore/9780190228637.013.245. ISBN   978-0-19-022863-7.
  12. ↑ "Nothing about us without us: Greater, meaningful involvement of people who use illegal drugs". Archived from the original on 2010-07-06. Retrieved 2010-08-02.
  13. ↑ "Nothing About Us Without Us: The Shared Goals of the Harm Reduction and Sex Worker Rights Movements". August 2, 2010. Archived from the original on September 20, 2010. Retrieved August 3, 2010.
  14. ↑ ""Nothing about us, without us"". www.who.int. Retrieved 2023-11-25.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.