Cosmopolitanism,law,and narrative: An interpretation of the right to narrate

Abstract

This article offers an interpretation of the right to narrate, a concept developed by Homi Bhabha but not extensively explored. Bhabha discusses this right within the framework of his ‘vernacular cosmopolitanism’, a cosmopolitan perspective that challenges the hierarchical geography of globalisation and instead focuses on the uneven composition of contemporary national communities shaped by the history of imperialism and cultural displacement. Although widely discussed, Bhabha’s work has rarely been explored in relation to cosmopolitan political theory, making this article an attempt to bridge postcolonial thought and political theory. My aim is to interpret the right to narrate by analysing the concept of narrative through the work of Walter Benjamin and Hannah Arendt, and by examining the relationship between law and narrative as discussed by Robert Cover and Seyla Benhabib. I argue that the political invocation of the right to narrate arises from the gap between national belonging and the enjoyment of rights. Addressing individuals or groups marginalised from political participation or social inclusion, the right to narrate promotes their political mobilisation defending their ability to reinterpret and wield human rights in original and unpredictable ways.