The hegemony of free speech

Sari Hanafi has written a scolding piece against a so-called crisis of free speech in society and, specifically, in universities. In this response, I comment critically on how Hanafi employs Symbolic Liberalism, cancel culture and identity politics to explore this ostensible free speech tragedy. I conclude by suggesting that free speech is always part of broader battles around hegemony in society, but not in ways often argued for by Hanafi.