The Oxford Handbook of Rhetoric and Political Theory

The resurgence of interest in rhetoric among political theorists is one of the most remarkable developments in the field over the past few decades. Assembling a multidisciplinary group of prominent scholars, The Oxford Handbook of Rhetoric and Political Theory is the most ambitious effort to date to display the range and vitality of work that constitutes the ＂rhetorical turn＂ in political theory.

Including thirty-six chapters across five sections, the Handbook explores issues that reside at the heart of many of the most pivotal debates and discussions in political theory today: questions about the role of affect and emotion in political life, the work of persuasion in political discourse, the relationship between logic and style in political argument, the character and scope of public deliberation, the performative and constitutive dimensions of language, the play of contingency in political life, and the rhetorical structure of political texts. The volume’s authors assess the changing status of rhetoric in political theory and philosophy, exploring disputes that arose in ancient Athens and have continued to the present day, as well as urgent issues that have only recently emerged. Moreover, the Handbook investigates different understandings of rhetoric that have animated recent scholarship and examines key issues and approaches that have fueled the burgeoning interest in rhetoric and political thought.

The Oxford Handbook of Rhetoric and Political Theory demonstrates that an adequate understanding of political affairs cannot be attained without taking account the impact of rhetoric on political thought and conduct.

Dilip Parameshwar Gaonkar is Professor of Rhetoric, Media, and Publics and Director of the Center for Global Culture and Communication at Northwestern University.

Keith Topper is Associate Professor of Political Science and Director of the PhD Program in Culture and Theory at the University of California, Irvine.