CANCELLED: "Cancel Culture!" - "Discrimination!". A history of criticism and censorship

History

For years, a controversy has raged in Europe and America about the limits of freedom of expression. Only it is rarely conducted in that name. One side fights against "cancel culture", the other against "discrimination", and both accuse each other of the worst intentions. In China and Russia, on the other hand, there is rigorous censorship that stifles any dispute about freedom of expression in advance.

Against the background of this confused situation, a history of criticism and censorship can provide orientation. We trace the origins of criticism in the early modern period, examine the ideas and media with which it broke through, and trace the harsh and subtle measures of censorship with which it was subsequently repeatedly restricted and domesticated. The aim is to understand modern democracy as a community of dispute that must constantly negotiate anew what may be spoken about and what must remain silent.