Emancipation

(From L. emancipare,, to deliver from guardianship or slavery). Process and goal of liberation from a condition of subjugation. Recovery of liberty, sovereignty, autonomy and independence. In social relations this is a question of achieving the e. of oppressed groups or social strata (servants, slaves, women, homosexuals, ethnic or religious minorities, etc.). In international relations, e. is a question of liberation of colonies and oppressed nations, of proclaiming and making real their independence and equality of rights with respect to other states. Different forms of e. can be distinguished: spiritual, cultural, political, economic, etc. There are violent and non-violent forms of e. Humanists opt for non-violent forms. The principal objective of the activities of N.H. is the search for the full range of possibilities for eliminating all factors of oppression so that human beings can develop their freedom, their creative qualities and strengths.