“Political correctness”, “identity politics” and “cancel culture” are nowadays predominantly used as weapons by conservatives to defend their privileges against emancipative new regulations. Criticizing such new regulations as restrictions on artistic freedom and freedom of expression is therefore mostly wrong. In fact, “political correctness,” “identity politics,” and “cancel culture” contribute to the inclusive realization of democracy.

In the current issue of the Journal for Human Rights, I argue for these theses and thus open the “Forum Artistic Freedom.” The other positions in the Forum, by Isolde Charim, Hanno Rauterberg, and Daniel Martin Feige, are also well worth reading.

In the article I show that it depends on which level political regulation of art takes place: non-state in the general art world, para-state in public broadcasting, or on the level of the state. Only when the state intervenes in ongoing debates with centralized legal, economic, and symbolic power it might constitute a case of problematic Cancel Culture - but this hardly ever happens.

Shorter is always possible…

If the article with scientific apparatus is too long for you, you can also refer to the two already pre-published short versions, which appeared in the Verfassungsblog and the Sächsischen Zeitung.

Cite and download

Schubert, Karsten (2020): Umkämpfte Kunstfreiheit - ein Differenzierungsvorschlag. In: Zeitschrift für Menschenrechte (2), 195–204.
Final Manuscript Academia.edu


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