Unspeakable: A Feminist Ethic of Speech

by Betty McLellan

This is a book about speech and the silencing of speech; about who gets to speak and who does not; about who is listened to and who is ignored. In this down-to-earth analysis of the democratic principle of freedom of speech, Betty McLellan insists that, if this prized democratic principle is to have any continuing credibility, free speech must be free for all.

Genres: Feminism, Nonfiction, Politics

263 pages, Kindle Edition

First published June 1, 2010

Reviews

[Jennifer Rolfe · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book takes the reader down the path of considering ethical practice. I found it really thought provoking. The opening sentence of the introduction states - This is a book about speech, and the silencing of speech. It is an analysis of who gets to speak and who does not, who is listened to and who is ignored. She examines the question of 'freedom of speech' in the context of 'fair speech' which I think showed a distinction between the two. Wonderful read.

[Nikki · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very well written and informative. I didn't actually realize that she was Australian when I requested the book from the library, so I skimmed some of the Australia specific political information. (also for some reason Australians never quite understand American butch/femme relationships and that sort of thing and put it down entirely to a thing of the past and outdated playing at heterosexual relationships, but eh well?). Very thorough and in depth. Worth reading. She had a few things that I hadn't considered before (relating to the marginalized being so far removed from the overall issues that our voices are lost and it explained a lot of political dynamics that I hadn't considered in spite of feeling well educated/well read).

Some of this did feel a little dated, which makes sense given the publication date. She largely discounted marxist feminists in terms of her analysis (and had a dated understanding of how contemporary marxist feminists work since they don't necessarily focus on the means of production anymore given how wealth works in our global economy), but again I understand that choice given the scope of the book. She also doesn't touch on some of the more major pressing issues for lesbian feminists today which are vital to discussions on this topic.

She's quite brave!