Mapping Free Speech Scholarship in the Communication Discipline: 1969–2006

Locating freedom of speech in an era of global white nationalism

“…In their analysis of First Amendment Studies (formerly Free Speech Yearbook) from 1969 to 2006, Pat Arneson and David R. Dewberry note that there have been three major entry points to studying the history of the First Amendment: 1) case law, 2) judicial history, and 3) individual jurists. 18 While we acknowledge the importance of all three of these in understanding and theorizing law, we also caution against the types of fetishization of whiteness that Richard Delgado contends erase people of color and their experiences from American jurisprudence. 19 We view this special issue as counterpoint to scholarly racial and colonial imperialism, as it manifests in the legal academy as well as in communication and related disciplines.…”

A Famine of Words: Changing the Rules of Expression in the Food Debates

“…4 Richard Parker has noted that, while academicians tend to view this metaphor as overly simplistic, the arbiters of First Amendment law frequently deploy it to negotiate the relationship between corporations and individuals through the supposed common ground of personal sovereignty. 5 In Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission, a well publicized Supreme Court decision with deep ramifications for political culture and public debate, a majority of justices held that corporations could use unlimited funds to affect the outcomes of political campaigns.…”