Freedom of speech

Candea, M., Wright, F., Fedirko, T. and Heywood, P. (2021) Freedom of speech. Cambridge Encyclopedia of Anthropology, (doi: 10.29164/21speech)

Abstract

Free speech is a familiar concept. It is an established ideal of liberalism and democratic politics, and the subject of political debate and conflict across diverse historical and cultural contexts. Free speech has not primarily been considered, however, as a set of lived, valued, and contested practices, mediated by various linguistic, ethical, and material forms. While anthropology has not traditionally occupied itself with free speech, it has extensive tools for bringing free speech into view beyond its quality as an abstract ideal or legal category. This entry borrows theoretical perspectives, as well as ethnographic examples produced by anthropologists, to shed light on free speech within a broader comparative frame. It begins by focusing on free speech as a dynamic value or virtue, asking: what is it about ‘free’ or ‘direct’ speech that people value when they value it? Secondly, the entry casts critical light on the idea of an individual as the universal ‘free speaker’, demonstrating how collective or disaggregated subjects can also practice free speech. Thirdly, it explores the material settings, contexts, or technologies through which free speech is curtailed or realised. Finally, the entry considers the idea of ‘voice’ as signalling modes of embodiment, and auditory phenomena such as noise, sound, and silence, which are not spoken language but can inform and expand our understanding of free speech.

• Item Type: Articles
• Additional Information: The writing of this article was supported by the European Research Council (ERC) under the European Union's Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme (grant agreement 683033).
• Status: Published
• Refereed: Yes
• Glasgow Author(s) Enlighten ID: Fedirko, Dr Taras
• Authors: Candea, M., Wright, F., Fedirko, T., and Heywood, P.
• College/School: College of Social Sciences > School of Social and Political Sciences > Central and East European Studies
• Journal Name: Cambridge Encyclopedia of Anthropology
• Publisher: Cambridge Encyclopedia of Anthropology
• ISSN: 2398-516X
• ISSN (Online): 2398-516X
• Copyright Holders: Copyright © 2021 The Authors
• First Published: First published in Cambridge Encyclopedia of Anthropology 2021
• Publisher Policy: Reproduced under a Creative Commons License