Gavan Titley is Professor of Media Studies in Maynooth University, Ireland. He is the author of Racism and Media (Sage, 2019), Is Free Speech Racist? (Polity, 2020), and The Crises of Multiculturalism (Bloomsbury 2011, with Alana Lentin).

‘In an age in which we have so many ways to make our words public, yet so many people are still rendered silent, What is Free Speech For? answers this critical question with rigor and wisdom. It is disingenuous to proclaim a right to free speech without understanding who that right serves and how easily it is abused. Step by step, Gavan Titley expertly guides the reader through this political and philosophical minefield. An excellent book.'Angela Saini, Massachusetts Institute of Technology‘A brilliant book that highlights the unequal distribution of speech rights in contemporary capitalism. Elegantly written and packed with incisive examples, Gavan Titley places the issue of power right at the heart of free speech debates.'Des Freedman, Goldsmiths, University of London‘If you are wondering what all the fuss with free speech is about, and more importantly what free speech actually is, Gavan Titley’s beautifully written and always insightful book is required reading.'Nicholas Mirzoeff, New York University

• 1.Crises2.Free / Speech3.Speakers4.Democracy5.Media6.Publics