Acting Up : Free Speech, Pragmatism, and American Performance in the Late 20th Century

Nunns examines how free speech became a centerpiece of American identity during the 20th century and how ideas of freedom of expression came to a head during the "Culture Wars" in the 1980s and '90s. He explores four case histories: performance artist Karen Finley and her court case revolving around public funding for the arts; the lawsuits involving the film I am Curious (Yellow); the controversy surrounding a community's performance of Angels in America; and the racist songwriting of David Allen Coe. Re-thinking the roots : origins of the culture wars A problem with theory : the paradox of free speech Pragmatisms To work is to function : Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr., legal pragmatism, and free speech The constitutionalization of the American avant-garde : Karen Finley and the NEA Curiouser and curiouser : I am curious (yellow) and the American courts Is Charlotte burning? : pragmatism and politics in a southern city If that ain't country : race and the music of David Allan Coe.