Debating Race series
David Theo Goldberg, Are we all postracial yet?
Ghassan Hage, Is racism an environmental threat?
Jonathan Marks, Is science racist?
Laurie Cooper Stoll, Should schools be colorblind?
Gavan Titley, Is free speech racist?
Alford A. Young, Jr., Are Black men doomed?
polity
Copyright © Gavan Titley 2020
The right of Gavan Titley to be identified as Author of this Work has been asserted in accordance with the UK Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.
First published in 2020 by Polity Press
Polity Press
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Cambridge CB2 1UR, UK
Polity Press
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Medford, MA 02155, USA
All rights reserved. Except for the quotation of short passages for the purpose of criticism and review, no part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the prior permission of the publisher.
ISBN-13: 978-1-5095-3615-3
ISBN-13: 978-1-5095-3616-0(pb)
A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library.
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Names: Titley, Gavan, author.
Title: Is free speech racist? / Gavan Titley.
Description: Cambridge, UK ; Medford, MA : Polity, 2020. | Series: Debating race series | Includes bibliographical references and index. | Summary: “Freedom of speech should not be used to give dangerous falsehoods a veneer of truth”-- Provided by publisher.
Identifiers: LCCN 2020007622 (print) | LCCN 2020007623 (ebook) | ISBN 9781509536153 (hardback) | ISBN 9781509536160 (paperback) | ISBN 9781509536177 (epub)
Subjects: LCSH: Freedom of speech--Social aspects. | Racism in language. | Hate speech.
Classification: LCC JC591 .T57 2020 (print) | LCC JC591 (ebook) | DDC 323.44/3--dc23
LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2020007622
LC ebook record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2020007623
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Printed and bound in Great Britain by CPI Group (UK) Ltd, Croydon
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Every effort has been made to trace all copyright holders, but if any have been overlooked the publisher will be pleased to include any necessary credits in any subsequent reprint or edition.
For further information on Polity, visit our website: politybooks.com
For Jonas-Liam Titley
At Polity thanks to Jonathan Skerrett for his thoughtful and incisive editing, and to Karina Jákupsdóttir for her patience and advice. Thanks also to the manuscript reviewers for hugely useful feedback. The issues brought together in this short book are expansive and complex, and so the advice of friends on how best to approach them is more than usually appreciated. I’m grateful to Mohammed Abdi, Colm O’Cinneide, Michael Cronin, Léo Custódio, Alana Lentin and Evan Smith for clarifying conversations, and David Hesmondhalgh, Nick Riemer, Lisa Tilley and Sivamohan Valluvan for their insightful commentary on various drafts. This book is dedicated to Jonas-Liam Titley, who helped me think through many of these arguments.