Since the Second World War, dignity has increasingly been recognized as
an important moral and legal value. Although important examples of
dignity-based arguments can be found in western European and North
American case law and legal theory, the dignity jurisprudence of the
Constitutional Court of South African is widely considered to be the
most sweeping in the world. In part, this is related to the unique
provisions of the South African Constitution in areas such as
socioeconomic rights and allowing dignity to be taken into the sphere of
economic justice as well as that of human rights.
This book brings together the first sixteen years of constitutional
jurisprudence addressing the meaning, role, and reach of dignity in the
law of South Africa as a multiracial democracy. The case law is coupled
with analysis from a range of selected contributors.
The book will therefore be a crucial source for anyone seeking to
evaluate dignity, whether in law or in human life more broadly.