Encyclopedia Of Censorship

Articles examine the history and evolution of censorship, presented in A to Z format.

First published in 2002. Routledge is an imprint of Taylor & Francis, an informa company.

First published in 2002. Routledge is an imprint of Taylor & Francis, an informa company.

One in a series of books on some of today's most controversial issues, this book examines all kinds of controls that have been imposed on communications, from the first emperor of China who had his critics buried alive, to new laws in Europe and North America relating to the Internet. It raises questions about secrecy and privacy, commercial and political power, moral and religious judgements, and artistic freedom. This series aims to encourage the reader to reach informed and considered opinions.

Despite the end of the Cold War, America's national security apparatus for controlling information has remained in place. However, sex and secularism are emerging as the major targets of censorship. Federal decency standards have been imposed on art, the broadcast media, and the Internet. Virtually every major political issue of the 1990s (abortion, campaign finance, violence on TV, homosexuality, indecency on the Internet) has First Amendment implications, and all are included in this comprehensive encyclopedia. This work covers the full history of America's struggle for free expression, as well as the contemporary dynamics represented by pop figures like Frank Zappa, Howard Stern, and Danny Goldberg and politicians like Jesse Helms and Don Edwards. It goes beyond other academic works of its kind by recognizing the primacy of the mass media and the Internet in defining the modern contours of the First Amendment.

A collection of essays confronting the censorship issue, including six authors' views and defenses of individual books.