Freedom of Speech

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