Overview

Despite recognition of the importance of free speech in liberal democracies, the last decades have seen a growing perception that our speech is being silenced more than ever before. From populists concerned that the 'left behind' are unrepresented by the media, and climate activists complaining that their calls to action are ignored, to celebrities and politicians cancelled for a careless tweet, the experience of having one's voice stifled, ignored, or misrepresented seems to be ubiquitous. But why, when rights to free speech are so well-entrenched, does such a feeling persist? Far from a fringe talking-point in the tabloid press, the pervasive feeling that our voice carries less weight than it is entitled to reflects the fact that the surrounding free speech infrastructure is gradually being chipped-away. Recent controversies about free speech - including the university free speech 'crisis', rising media polarisation, and the emergence of 'uncivil' disobedience - reveal a fractured public sphere in which the silenced have attempted to challenge existing barriers by demanding that their voices are heard. De-Platformed explores what our experiences of feeling silenced mean for free speech. While such sentiments reveal a 'gap' between how much free speech one currently enjoys and how much one feels entitled to, we must resist the notion that experiences of silencing alone demonstrate the existence of an actual entitlement to speak. Even where such an entitlement does not exist, however, such experiences reveal valuable information about the quality of our political systems, signalling the need for radical change. A provocative defence of free speech - one the most misunderstood and contested issues of our age - which contends that a sense of freedom has been lost and urgently needs to be restored.

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9781350527232

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Suzanne Whitten is Lecturer in Politics and Philosophy at Queen's University Belfast, UK/Ireland. Her first book A Republican Theory of Free Speech published in 2022.

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