Hachette India

Free Speech: A Global History From Socrates To Social Media

Jacob Mchangama

A global history of free speech from the ancient world to today.

Hailed as the "first freedom" free speech is the bedrock of democracy. But it is a challenging principle subject to erosion in times of upheaval. Today in democracies and authoritarian states around the world it is on the retreat.
In Free Speech Jacob Mchangama traces the riveting legal political and cultural history of this idea. Through captivating stories of free speech's many defenders - from the ancient Athenian orator Demosthenes and the ninth-century freethinker al-Razi to Mary Wollstonecraft Mahatma Gandhi Nelson Mandela and modern-day digital activists - Mchangama demonstrates how the free exchange of ideas underlies all intellectual achievement and has enabled the advancement of both freedom and equality worldwide. Yet the desire to restrict speech is also a constant and he explores how even its champions can be led down this path when the rise of new and contrarian voices challenge power and privilege of all kinds.

Meticulously researched deeply humane and provocative Free Speech challenges us all to recognise how much we have gained from this principle - and how much we stand to lose without it.

Jacob Mchangama

Jacob Mchangama is a lawyer human rights advocate and former external lecturer of Human Rights at the University of Copenhagen. He is the founder and director of Justitia a Copenhagen-based think tank focusing on human rights freedom of speech and the rule of law. His writings have appeared in a wide range of international outlets including The Economist The Washington Post Foreign Policy Foreign Affairs Politico The Wall Street Journal Europe El Pais France24 Deutsche Welle and Al Jazeera. This book builds on his podcast Clear and Present Danger: A History of Free Speech which has reached an audience of over 220000 unique listeners in more than 120 countries across the world.