Regulation of speech in multicultural societies: introduction

What to do about speech which vilifies or defames members of minorities on the grounds of their ethnic or religious identity or their sexuality? How to respond to such speech, which may directly or indirectly cause harm, while taking into account the principle of free speech, has been much debated in contemporary Europe, not least with respect to speech about, or by, Muslims. This introduction to the Special Issue on the ‘Regulation of Speech in Multicultural Societies’ argues that a sociopolitical approach, and sensitivity to power configurations, is necessary to complement the legal-normative perspective which predominates the ‘hate speech’ literature. Such an approach takes into account the national and international sociopolitical contexts which interactively shape and are shaped by debates about hate speech and its regulation. The politics and politicisation of speech and its regulation (both within and aside from state law) may thus offer a way of understanding specific forms of contestation and provide a framework for comparative analysis.