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Dangerous ideas a brief history of censorship in the West, from the ancients to fake news

A fascinating examination of how restricting speech has continuously shaped our culture, and and how - regardless of political leanings - every individual can act as both the suppressors and the suppressed. Through compelling narrative, historian Eric Berkowitz uses stories of the past to reveal the...

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Main Author: Berkowitz, Eric (Author)
Format: Books Print Book
Language:English
Published: Boston : Beacon Press, [2021]
Subjects:
Censorship > Western countries > History.
Freedom of the press > Western countries > History.
Freedom of speech > Western countries > History.
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Summary:A fascinating examination of how restricting speech has continuously shaped our culture, and and how - regardless of political leanings - every individual can act as both the suppressors and the suppressed. Through compelling narrative, historian Eric Berkowitz uses stories of the past to reveal the dangers of erasing history and how censorship has shaped our modern society. More than just a history of censorship, Dangerous Ideas illuminates the power of censorship, how it has shaped states, ideas, and culture, and it's something we all participate in. This engaging cultural history of censorship and thought suppression throughout the ages takes readers from the first Chinese emperor's wholesale elimination of books to the Vatican's suppression of pornography from its own collection, to Henry VIII's decree of death for anyone who "imagined" his demise, and on to the attack on Charlie Hebdo and the troll armies that swarm critics of the Trump administration. Highlighting the base impulses from many famous acts of suppression, scholar Eric Berkowitz demonstrates the fragility of power and how censorship is used as a tool to maintain the class and gender disparities of the status quo. -- Provided by publisher.
Physical Description:308 pages ; illustration ; 24 cm
Bibliography:Includes bibliographical references (pages 258-291) and index.
ISBN:9780807036242
0807036242
9780807055397
0807055395
Author Notes:Eric Berkowitz is a writer, lawyer, and journalist. For more than twenty years, he practiced intellectual property and business litigation law in Los Angeles. Berkowitz has published widely throughout his career, and his writing has appeared in periodicals such as the New York Times , the Washington Post , The Economist , the Los Angeles Times , and LA Weekly . His previous books include Sex and Punishment and The Boundaries of Desire . He lives in San Francisco.

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