The Freedom to Be Racist? How the United States and Europe Struggle to Preserve Freedom and Combat Racism

by Bleich, Erik

• ISBN13: 9780199739691
• ISBN10: 0199739692
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2011-09-05
• Publisher: Oxford University Press

Summary

Since the end of World War II, the balance between freedom of expression and the desire to deter racist speech has gradually tipped toward the latter throughout much of the Western world.The Freedom to Be Racist?focuses on the tension between combating racism and protecting freedom of speech in the US, France, Britain, and Germany from 1945 to the present, and offers ways forward for the future. In the recent histories of each of these countries, Erik Bleich identifies a general trend toward curbing racism that has restricted freedom in Western democracies. Yet, the way this trend plays out in all these nations is not necessarily uniform, and the implications of this on the way nations handle racism is immense. Using the comparative differences between the level of tolerance for racist expression and the extent to which racist practice is restricted in each of these four countries, he analyzes how the discrepancies lead to questions about the 'best' way to approach this thorny issue. Ultimately, Bleich's study leads him to take a prescriptive stance. While he favors restricting speech freedoms in certain countries because of their unique historical legacies, he recommends it only to safeguard public goods such as civil order and national cohesion rather than protect against private evils such as personal offense or psychological harm. In any event, he concludes, arriving at the most appropriate individual solutions will require an increase in civic engagement across all countries. With its vivid detail and integrative, transnational approach,The Freedom to Be Racist?provides a unique look at a puzzling dilemma that Western societies have only begun to think about resolving.

Author Biography

Erik Bleich is Professor of Political Science at Middlebury College, and author of Race Politics in Britain and France.

Table of Contents

Preface and Acknowledgments	p. ix
Introduction
Balancing Public ValuesùThe Big Picture	p. 3
Freedom, Of Expression
European Restrictionism and Its Variations	p. 7
Holocaust Denial and Its Extremes	p. 44
American Exceptionalism and Its Limits	p. 62
Freedom of Association and Opinion as Motive
Banning Racist Groups and Parties	p. 85
Punishing Racial Discrimination and Hate Crimes	p. 106
Conclusions
How Much Freedom for Racists?	p. 133
Notes	p. 157
References	p. 185
Case Index	p. 197
Index	p. 199
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