Time: 12:00 - 6:30pm Venue: Room 313, Queen Mary University of London, Mile End Road, London E1 4NS
This event is hosted by the Institute for Humanities and Social Sciences (IHSS) and the Centre for Law, Democracy and Society (CLDS) at Queen Mary University of London.
What is the status of free speech in contemporary democratic institutions? What kind of speech is and should be protected? And who is tasked with ensuring its protection? This seminar gathers scholars from law, geography, philosophy, and politics to consider the origins of free speech in democratic institutions and to discuss and debate its effectiveness in ensuring democratic legitimacy.
Arrival and Lunch Welcome12:00
Introductory Remarks12:45 – 13:00Professor Eric Heinze (QMUL)
Panel I: Democracy, Free Speech, and Human Rights13:00 – 14:30Chair: Dr Robert Simpson (Philosophy – UCL London)
Political Voice in a Changing World
Dr Manjeet Ramgotra (Politics and International Relations – SOAS)
Why US Free Speech Law is Bad for Democracy
Professor Gavin Phillipson (Law – University of Bristol)
Anti-Universal Human Rights: From Ontological to Discursive Foundations
Professor Eric Heinze (QMUL)
Panel II: Free Speech and Historical Legacies14:30 – 15:30Chair: Professor Alison Scott-Bauman (History, Religions, and Philosophies – SOAS London)
Free Speech about Histories of Human Rights Abuse
Professor Emanuela Fronza (Law– University of Bologna)
Symbols and the Politics of Memory
Dr Hrvoje Cvijanović (Politics – University of Zagreb)
Tea / Coffee: 15:30 – 15:50
Panel III - Free Speech in Higher Education –Part One 16:00 – 17:00 Chair: Dr Jacob Rowbottom (Law - Oxford)
The moral policing of words in higher education
Dr Thomas Brudholm and Dr Birgitte S. Johansen (Department of Cross-Cultural and Regional Studies – University of Copenhagen)
Universities and Democratic Legitimacy
Dr Robert Simpson (Philosophy – UCL London)
Panel IV - Free Speech in Higher Education –Part Two 17:00 – 18:00
Students and the Future of Democracy
Professor Alison Scott-Bauman (History, Religions, and Philosophies – SOAS London)
No-platforming and Safe Spaces: Should universities censor more (or less) speech than the law requires?
For directions to the venue, please refer to the map.
For more information on this event, please email lawevents@qmul.ac.uk.
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