New Books Network What is Free Speech with Fara Dabhoiwala
Oct 9, 2025
Fara Dabhoiwala, a historian and senior research scholar at Princeton University, explores the complex history of free speech. He reveals how this once-radical idea evolved into a cornerstone of democracy. Dabhoiwala discusses the cultural contingencies surrounding speech rights, contrasting modern interpretations with 18th-century foundations. He also highlights how marginalized voices were historically excluded from these debates. Delving into the interplay of media, politics, and censorship, he encourages a re-examination of free speech's purposes in today’s society.
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Free Speech Is A Recent Political Ideal
- Free speech became a political ideal only recently, emerging strongly in 18th-century England with a media revolution.
- Historical context explains modern disagreements and contradictions about what free speech means.
Deplatforming And A Visit To China
- Fara describes being de-platformed after her earlier book and then traveling to China to see comprehensive censorship in action.
- That experience shifted her view of free speech as culturally contingent and globally contested.
18th-Century Press Freedoms Shaped Politics
- Early modern free speech centered on political criticism: speaking about rulers, enabled by a freer print environment.
- Cato's Letters offered an absolutist, rhetorically powerful defense that helped shape later Anglo-American rights rhetoric.
