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Freedom of speech and the Danish cartoon controversy
introduction Free speech is a fundamental human right and a central tenet of democracy. Or is it? Reactions to the controversy reveal strong divergences among liberals about what the right to free speech entails. [ more ]
Pictures, provocation, and free expression
to reprint or not to reprint? The decision by some European newspapers to reprint the Mohammed cartoons smacked of arrogance and moral posturing, says the editor of Granta. [ more ]
Politics dressed up as principle
Something rotten in the state of Denmark? When the Danish prime minister defended the Jyllands-Posten cartoons on the grounds of freedom of expression, he failed to acknowledge his political loyalties. [ more ]
Say what you think
The importance of giving offence It is both inevitable and important that people offend the sensibilities of others, says Kenan Malik. Without that, society would be less progressive and alive. [ more ]
Playing the trump card
A human right? The current confusion over freedom of speech is the result of liberalism's persistence in seeing a "right" as something to be claimed rather than accorded. [ more ]
A new map of censorship
A human right! Is freedom of speech a universal human right? Ronald Dworkin defends a principle that should allow no compromise. [ more ]
Freedom of expression and its limits
public sphere The principle of absolute freedom of expression is always qualified by tacit agreements within societies on what can and cannot be said. [ more ]
Culture as battlefield
public sphere A sea change in the public sphere has brought a "language of ethical demands", in which religion becomes the medium of conflict, writes Isolde Charim. [ more ]
Regulation, reponsibility, and the case against censorship
public sphere Is there ever a time and a place for censorship? Not if the media understands its responsibilities, argues the BBC's head of news. [ more ]
Blasphemy
On the structure of mass insult
mocking the weak? Satire, a necessary instrument of rationalist critique, becomes triumphalist when directed at the humiliated. It was the perception of the Mohammed cartoons as the West's victorious mockery that so incensed the Islamic world. [ more ]
Can we say what we want?
protecting the strong? The action brought by Islamic groups against the French satirical paper "Charlie-Hebdo", after it reprinted the notorious Danish cartoons, recently fell through. Is free speech really in danger worldwide? [ more ]
Schmucks and miniskirts
moderate Islam To restrict freedom of expression to mollify Islamic extremists is patronizing and offensive to moderate Muslims, according to Salil Tripathi. [ more ]
Getting used to offence
multiculturalism Should people in a multi-cultural society be protected from offence and insult simply because they demand it in the name of religion? A commentary on the British debate. [ more ]
Pride and prejudice
no laughing matter Religions tend to suffer from humourlessness – but that doesn't disentitle them to respect, says Tahar Ben Jelloun. [ more ]
The new paths of modern Islam
interpreting the koran In an interview about the Mohammed cartoons, Rachid Benzine advocates a new reading of the Koran with the instruments of the social sciences. [ more ]
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More focal points
The city as stage for social upheaval
From the western European city to the Third World megacity, one is able to observe how a single principle asserts itself in the social structure of the urban space. That principle – privatization – is geared towards the concentration of wealth and assets on an increasingly global scale. [ more ]
Shared space, divided society
Migration is part of modern society, meaning more and more people of different ethnic, religious, and cultural backgrounds live together in Europe. The multitude of perspectives and experiences represents an enormous resource, but as cultural conflicts inherent in today's urban societies become visible, doubts are also raised about the value of diversity. [ more ]
Changing Europe
As political Europe turns 50, the questions about its future are as open as ever. A special focus featuring some of Eurozine's most outstanding contributions on the European project: From analyses of the current crisis to a hilarious parody of Brussels' literary ambitions. [ more ]
Post-secular Europe?
Is religion a public or a private matter? Can there be such a thing as a European Islam? If so, what characterizes it? What role can religion – or religions – play when it comes to the emergence of a European solidarity? [ more ]
European histories: Towards a grand narrative?
In order for there to be solidarity within the enlarged EU, it will be necessary to develop a broader historical consciousness that includes both western and eastern experiences. [ more ]
Europe talks to Europe: Towards a European public sphere?
The European integration project has made the discussion about transnational spaces for cultural and political debate acute. Can there at all be a common Europe without a pan-European public sphere? [ more ]
Politics of border making and (cross-)border identities
Have borders become irrelevant with the project of a united Europe? No, just the opposite. On the dilemmas of border building and cross-border cooperation in the EU and its neighbourhood. [ more ]
Politics of translation
Translation today is as much about the translation of cultural, political, and historical contexts and concepts as it is about language. [ more ]
Conferences
Friend and foe. Shared space, divided society
The 19th European Meeting of Cultural Journals
London, 27-30 October 2006
Speakers at the 19th European Meeting of Cultural Journals opened up the discussion on cultural diversity in two directions: first, as it is experienced in the physical urban space, and second, as it is reflected in the mirror of the media. [ more ]
Neighbourhoods
The 18th European Meeting of Cultural Journals
Istanbul, 4-7 November 2005
Contributions on the notion of neighbourhood and the Turkey-Europe question from a range of intellectual and geographic perspectives. [ more ]