Rebels with a Cause

Democratic societies take pride in offering citizens freedom of expression. Indeed, the right to dissent and tolerance of diverse viewpoints are said to distinguish a democratic society from a dictatorship. In his new book, Prof Ram Mohan profiles famous dissenters like Arundhati Roy, Oliver Stone, Kancha Ilaiah, David Irving, Yanis Varoufakis, UG Krishnamurti, and John Pilger to illustrate how, in practice, freedom of expression and dissent tend to be severely circumscribed. One may not agree with the dissenters positions on various issues. through the lives and ideas of these dissenters, the author argues that one may not agree with the dissenters positions on certain issues, but their views merit discussion and debate. Engaging with the dissenters and responding to their analyses holds out the prospect for substantive reform within the system. Yet, the dominant elites prefer not to do so. Their instinct everywhere is to marginalise and even ostracise the dissenters precisely because they find change of any sort threatening. Rebels with a Cause is book that challenges the way we view, and live in, the world and asks hard questions an important book for anyone who refuses to follow the status quo.