Freedom of Speech
The History of an Idea
Published on 10. November 2011
Book
Hardback
256 pages
978-1-61148-366-6 (ISBN)
Description
The essays in this volume portray the debates concerning freedom of speech in eighteenth-century France and Britain as
well as in Austria, Denmark, Russia, and Spain and its American territories. Representing the views of both moderate and radical
eighteenth-century thinkers, these essays by eminent scholars discover that twenty-fi rst-century controversies regarding the extent of permissible speech have their origins in the eighteenth century. The economic integration of Europe and its offshoots over the past three centuries into a distinctive cultural product, "the West," has given rise to a triumphant Enlightenment narrative of universalism and tolerance that masks these divisions and the disparate national contributions to freedom of speech and other liberal rights.
well as in Austria, Denmark, Russia, and Spain and its American territories. Representing the views of both moderate and radical
eighteenth-century thinkers, these essays by eminent scholars discover that twenty-fi rst-century controversies regarding the extent of permissible speech have their origins in the eighteenth century. The economic integration of Europe and its offshoots over the past three centuries into a distinctive cultural product, "the West," has given rise to a triumphant Enlightenment narrative of universalism and tolerance that masks these divisions and the disparate national contributions to freedom of speech and other liberal rights.
Reviews / Votes
This intriguing history, a compilation of essays, traces freedom of speech via a number of thinkers, movements, and radical events. Elizabeth Powers offers both an introduction and conclusion that serve to question what the freedom of speech is doing in modern society and, furthermore, how the history of the idea itself, with its different incarnations, influences how we perceive this freedom worldwide ,but specifically in the West.... Freedom of Speech: The History of an Idea succeeds in providing a way to renew our understanding of the ideas that preceded the institutionalization of freedom of speech and dealing with those in a modern West. * The Eighteenth-Century Intelligencer *More details
Series
Language
English
Place of publication
Cranbury
United States
Publishing group
Associated University Presses
Target group
Professional and scholarly
Dimensions
Height: 222 mm
Width: 145 mm
Thickness: 19 mm
Weight
497 gr
ISBN-13
978-1-61148-366-6 (9781611483666)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Other editions
Additional editions
E-Book
09/2011
1st Edition
Bucknell University Press,U.S.
€48.49
Available for download
Persons
Elizabeth Powers was chair of the Columbia University Seminar on Eighteenth-Century European Culture from 2003 to 2010. She is a scholar of German literature and is currently writing a study of Goethe's concept of world literature.
Content
1 Introduction: Freedom of Speech: Contemporary Issues and a History 2 Libertas Philosphandi in the Eighteenth Century: Radical Enlightenment versus Moderate Enlightenment (1750-1776) 3 In Praise of Moderate Enlightenment: A Taxonomy of Arguments in Favor of Freedom of Expression 4 Cynicism as an Ideology Behind Freedom of Expression in Denmark-Norway 5 Alexander Radishchev's Journey from St. Petersburg to Moscow and the Limits of Freedom of Speech in the Reign of Catherine the Great 6 Print versus Speech: Censoring the Stage in Eighteenth-Century Vienna 7 The Crisis of the Hispanic World: Tolerance and the Limits of Freedom of Expression in a Catholic Society 8 Rousseau, Constant, and the Emergence of the Modern Notion of Free Speech 9 Toward an Archaeology of the First Amendment's Free Speech Protections 10 Conclusion: A Way Forward?