This book defines ‘blasphemy’ as a concept and delineates historically, primarily in sociological and anthropological terms, the political and social functions of accusing a culprit of it. The author explores the laws pertaining to freedom of speech and freedom of religion in EU member states, illustrated by examples of incidents and how they were legally resolved. The book includes a detailed discourse analysis of twelve ‘blasphemy’ incidents in the history of modern Serbia, contextualized politically and culturally, concluding with recommendations on how to approach ‘blasphemy’ in the postsecular world.

This book defines ‘blasphemy’ as a concept and delineates historically, primarily in sociological and anthropological terms, the political and social functions of accusing a culprit of it. The author explores the laws pertaining to freedom of speech and freedom of religion in EU member states, illustrated by examples of incidents and how they were legally resolved. The book includes a detailed discourse analysis of twelve ‘blasphemy’ incidents in the history of modern Serbia, contextualized politically and culturally, concluding with recommendations on how to approach ‘blasphemy’ in the postsecular world.