"Faramerz Dabhoiwala argues that free speech, though a central democratic value, owes its origin and evolution less to high-minded ideals than to venal interests. Shaped by greed, technological change, and the insoluble challenges of slander and falsehood, free speech is inherently contradictory--both a basis of liberty and a weapon of the powerful"--

The power of speech -- Tolerating words -- Inventing free speech -- The shapes of freedom -- Enlightened experiments -- The accidental exceptionalism of the First Amendment -- Legitimate and illegitimate expressions -- Imperial entanglements -- Colonial and postcolonial unfreedoms -- The marketplace of ideas