Current Issues in Anthropology: Liberalism, Racism & Free Speech

In the U.S. and Europe, far right activists use "free speech" to justify hate speech. But haven't understandings of free speech changed over time as countries authorize speech differently? How have Western histories of racism and colonialism shaped what counts as acceptable speech, particularly if violence ensues? We use comparative studies of racist and Islamophobic hate speech to examine different cultural approaches to managing speech and how these rules are contested/challenged by popular countermobilizations. We theorize intersections of racism, liberalism, speech from scholars of post-colonialism, anti-black racism, and feminist theory.