Censoring A Nation: from free speech to sedition and obscenity

A panel featuring Yawen Li, Fatima Naveed and Deepshikha Behera, chaired by Katherine Inglis. Using case studies from China, India and Pakistan, the event addresses contemporary censorship by the state: how can art be used to oppose oppression and disenfranchisement? How do religious ideology and the vestiges of colonial governance continue to shape cultural-civic discourse? In an era of increasing geopolitical tension and rising authoritarianism, what means are being used to forge collective resistance?

This event is part of the Making A Nation series for 2025-26: https://www.iash.ed.ac.uk/news/making-nation-series-2026

This is a free event, which means we overbook to allow for no-shows and to avoid empty seats. While we generally do not have to turn people away, this does mean we cannot guarantee everyone a place. Admission is on a first come, first served basis.

Accessibility:

This event will take place at IASH, 2 Hope Park Square, Edinburgh, EH8 9NW. Please see a map here: https://www.iash.ed.ac.uk/location

The Seminar Room is on the first floor, and unfortunately IASH does not have a lift. If you have mobility issues and would like to discuss access, please contact [email protected] as soon as possible.

The event will also be streamed online via Teams Webinar. To attend virtually, please click here.

Image in the public domain: 'Alexander Woollcott Rescuing the Playwright From the Awful Shears of the Censor' by Ralph Barton,1922, from Nonsenseorship.

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Host or Publisher Institute for Advanced Studies in the Humanities