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Lecture

Daniel Snowman
The History (and Meaning) of Censorship: Part 2, Censorship and the Arts

Thursday 22.10.2026

How to watch

This lecture starts on 22 October at 7:00pm (UK).

Summary

In this 5-part series of illustrated lectures, Daniel examines what we mean by “censorship”—its history, meaning, and impact from ancient times to the present (and possibly beyond).

In the second lecture of this series, Daniel focuses on censorship and the arts with vivid illustrations from earliest times, via the Renaissance and on to the present and possible future. Should supposedly “dangerous” (or “offensive”) artworks be made publicly available? Banned? Or edited? Can a novel or painting once considered great now seem racist or sexist? Is a work by an artist of whom we morally disapprove thereby a “bad” work of art? And what controls can (or should) today’s authorities impose upon crudely racial or sexist messages nowadays circulating on social media?

Arts and Culture 827 lectures
History 836 lectures

Daniel Snowman

 an image of Daniel Snowman
Daniel Snowman is a social and cultural historian. Born in London to a Jewish family in 1938 and educated at Cambridge and Cornell, Daniel became a lecturer at the University of Sussex and went on to work for many years at the BBC as senior producer of radio features and documentaries. A senior research fellow at the Institute of Historical Research (University of London), his many books include a social history of opera and a study of the cultural impact of the “Hitler Emigrés” and, most recently, his memoir Just Passing Through: Interactions with the World 1938-2021.
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