Freedom of Speech Seminar Series
Through the Vera List Center for Art and Politics seminar series “Freedom of Speech: A Curriculum for Studies into Darkness,” participants turn from considerations of freedom of speech in a U.S. context to how freedom of expression is exercised—and curtailed—in our complex online sphere. By observing the ability of women to safely and securely speak out online, the series brings to the fore the contradictions of the Internet, a seemingly borderless space that is used by people living within borders, a tool that has equalizing potential but is constructed through the hegemony that is Silicon Valley.
Photo courtesy the artist and Vice magazine.
In an era where technology is quickly becoming everything, the consequences for women being unable to access the Internet safely and securely, without facing misogynist abuse, cannot be overstated. Technology, and the Internet specifically, is not neutral, and how technology is built and managed has a direct impact on women’s right to freedom of expression as well as equality in society as a whole.
Women, civil society, and activists have responded to the challenges in ingenious and alternative ways of community building and solidarity.
Watch their testimonies below.
The seminar series is organized by the Vera List Center for Art and Politics as part of the center’s 2018–2020 curatorial focus If Art Is Politics. It is directed by Carin Kuoni, Director/Chief Curator, Vera List Center, and Laura Raicovich, with assistance by Gabriela López Dena. Partner organizations for the seminars are ARTICLE 19; the National Coalition Against Censorship; New York Peace Institute; and Weeksville Heritage Center.