Justice, Rights, Obligations

This paper aims to explore and interrogate conceptions of justice that do not centre rights. Building upon oral histories and narratives of refugees and migrants from the tribal areas of Pakistan, the paper will work through the resources that Islamic thought might provide to address challenges faced by critical theory in moving beyond Eurocentric conceptions of justice. Elaborating the notion of huq, which is often mistakenly translated only as right, and its relationship with hierarchical networks of obligation I will address both the challenges and opportunities for critical theory in engaging with Islamic thought.