Free Speech, an Origin Story

What is freedom of speech, and who is allowed to make use of it? In his book What Is Free Speech? The History of a Dangerous Idea, historian Fara Dabhoiwala traces the origins of free speech, examining for whom it was invented and the cultural implications it holds today. Is free speech under attack in our present day society – and what then is exactly under attack?

Free speech has become a key issue in the culture wars. Elon Musk bought X, in part to protect free speech on the platform. In practice, this has meant scaling back moderation, allowing disinformation, and “shadow-banning” minorities.

Freedom of speech has never been a neutral concept, Dabhoiwala argues. Emerging from the ideals of the Enlightenment, free speech became an individual right, but in practice it was largely restricted to white European men. If free speech never was an absolute right, what does that mean for how it has developed over the following centuries into what it has become today?

In this programme Fara Dabhoiwala and Pieter Omtzigt will explore why Europeans and Americans differ so much in their approach to free speech and explain the current transatlantic fight over free expression, media platforms, and government regulation.

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