A Pelican Book — an anthropologist's eye on the most contested idea of our time: free speech.
Everyone is arguing about free speech. Almost no one stops to ask what kind of thing “speaking freely” actually is — and how differently it has been practised across human societies.
In Reason, Carnival and Honour, Cambridge anthropologist Matei Candea steps back from the shouting to examine free speech as humans actually live it. The title names three great traditions the book explores: speech as reasoned debate among equals; speech as carnival — licensed mockery, satire and the permission to offend; and speech as a matter of honour, courage and standing. Ranging across cultures and history, Candea shows that our current battles look different — and more navigable — once we see how many ways there are to speak freely, and what each tradition protects and risks.
In the classic Pelican tradition: a serious idea, made genuinely accessible, in a beautifully produced hardback.
Perfect for readers of
Pelican Books, Timothy Garton Ash's Free Speech, David Graeber, and anyone who has ever left an argument about “cancel culture” wanting light instead of heat.
About the author
Matei Candea is Professor of Social Anthropology at the University of Cambridge.
