Books & ideas

Speech and Sense of Justness in China

Émilie Frenkiel — 2020-11-09T08:00:00Z

According to Isabelle Thireau, there is a political realm in authoritarian regimes, where citizens voice their expectations and evaluate the legitimacy of decisions, public policies and leaders, thus contributing to the assessment of what is acceptable and what is good government.

Chinese Intellectuals Speak to the World

Émilie Frenkiel — 2020-03-09T08:00:00Z

With China's regained power on the world stage, making accessible and studying the way intellectuals reflect on their country and contribute to the global conversation has become indispensable.

To Be or Not to Be Charlie?

2015-09-03T05:30:00Z

Last January, the attack on Charlie Hebdo sparked - among other issues - a renewed interest in the appropriate response to blasphemy, itself symbolized by the concurring social media trends #jesuischarlie and #jenesuispascharlie. Taking a comparative approach, Mathilde Groppo analyses French and English law to address the following questions: is blasphemy the last frontier for freedom of expression?

Politics and Religion in Ancient Rome

John Scheid — 2013-11-28T08:30:00Z

In ancient Rome, the State did not meddle in the private religious lives of its citizens, even though the gods were part of the community and lived among them. The Roman religion accepted diverse forms of worship – provided that they did not seek to impose transcendence. In this essay John Scheid restores to the Roman religion its immanent and physical attributes.

Anastasie and Massouda

Jérôme Bourdon — 2012-01-19T10:40:32Z

How can journalists accept certain forms of censorship in a state which claims to be democratic? The following article looks at the different threats in Israel to freedom of speech, and shows the ways in which the press and the public believe censorship can be justified under certain circumstances.

Egyptian Journalists and Power

Enrique Klaus — 2012-01-12T08:40:00Z

Any analysis of the role of the press in the democratisation of Egypt must take into account the long history between journalists and those in power since the 1952 revolution. The Egyptian press, which has been controlled, marginalised, silenced and fragmented, was late to join the revolution. It has not been easy for them to find a voice under the new regime.

The Media Revolution and Public Debate

Charles Girard — 2012-01-03T19:06:29Z

In a democratic regime, do new media represent a threat or a step forward for the press? Charles Girard examines the renewal of the journalistic profession and its impact on democratic debate. And sees no contradiction between the current emphasis on democratic media and the traditional role of the press as the mediator of public opinions.

Press and Democracy

Émilie Frenkiel & Jeanne Moisand — 2011-12-13T07:29:00Z

The media industry has undergone dramatic changes in its technologies and business models. To help us understand the effects of these changes on democracy, Books and Ideas takes the discussion away from simplistic dichotomies between the Internet and the so-called “traditional” press.

Monitoring Changes in China's Media

Émilie Frenkiel — 2011-09-30T08:12:00Z

David Bandurski explains that, despite the ongoing control of the Party, the Chinese media and their relationship to their audience have greatly changed thanks to the growing commercialization of the media, professionalism of journalists and the rise of the Internet and social media.

A Chinese Chronicle of Everyday Discontent

Jean-Louis Rocca — 2011-01-28T07:55:00Z

What institutional means are available to the Chinese people for expressing their displeasure with officialdom? Isabelle Thireau and Hua Linshan's book is the first Western study of the xinfang, the Administration of Letters and Visits, a government agency that currently processes in excess of 13 million complaints a year.