Regulation of Speech in Multicultural Societies

This book focuses on the way in which public debate and legal practice intersect when it comes to the value of free speech and the need to regulate "offensive", "blasphemous" or "hate" speech, especially, though not exclusively where such speech is thought to be offensive to members of ethnic and religious minorities.

The themes addressed are of great significance for contemporary societies in many parts of the world, including Europe and North America, and although the volume focuses principally on the European context, it also addresses the theme on an international level. Contributions look at the transnational intertextuality of the debate, as well as comparing approaches to regulation in different countries (notably between the European Court of Human Rights and the United States Supreme Court). This book was originally published as a special issue of the Journal of Ethnic and Migration Studies.

Marcel Maussen is Assistant Professor in Political Science at the University of Amsterdam, The Netherlands. His research interests include governance of religious and ethnic diversity, democratic theory, social inequality and normative theory. He recently co-edited a book on Colonial and post-colonial governance of Islam (2011) and a special issue in Comparative Education on religious schools in Europe.

Ralph Grillo is Emeritus Professor of Social Anthropology at the University of Sussex, UK. He has written on migration, ethnicity and the governance of diversity, based on research in East Africa and Europe over many years. His current interests concern cultural diversity and legal processes in Europe, especially with respect to Muslims. He is co-editor of Legal Practice and Cultural Diversity (2009).