Permitting dishonour: culture,gender and freedom of expression |
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Authors: | Monica Mookherjee |
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Institution: | (1) School of Politics, International Relations and Philosophy, Keele University, Keele, Staffordshire, ST5 5BG, UK |
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Abstract: | While the right to freedom of expression is of great importance in liberal societies, liberal governments should be wary of
speech that disparages minority groups. This issue is particularly problematic when minority women publicly criticise gender
oppression within their communities. By focusing on the controversy over the play Behzti in 2004, this article explores the difficulties involved in protecting individual women’s rights to criticise injustice,
when doing so risks perpetuating negative stereotypes in society at large. If liberal polities wish to preserve an ethos in
society that enables minority women to speak out about their experience of oppression, then there is sometimes a case for
restricting the right to free speech in these cases. By comparing Behzti with two other works, the article proposes a three-part test to indicate when liberals should seriously consider informal
restrictions on free speech when this problem arises.
Versions of this chapter were presented at Keele, Strathclyde and York Universities in 2005. I would like to thank the audiences
for their valuable feedback. Thanks are also due to Paul Bou-Habib for written comments. |
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Keywords: | freedom of expression identity intersectionality multiculturalism rights women |
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