The Transformation of Political Oratory: Argumentation and Style in the Modern Era

Ofer Feldman is Professor Emeritus of Political Psychology and Behavior, and Adjunct Researcher at Doshisha University; and Affiliated Professor at the Center for Southeast Asian Studies, Kyoto University, Kyoto, Japan. His research centers on the psychological underpinnings of mass and elite political behavior in Japan, and he has extensively published journal articles and book chapters on issues related to political communication and persuasion, political leadership, and political culture. His books include Talking Politics in Japan Today (2004), When Politicians Talk: The Cultural Dynamics of Public Speaking (2021, edited), Politicians’ Rhetoric: The Psychology of Words and Facial Expressions (2022, in Japanese, with Ken Kinoshita), Adversarial Political Interviewing: Worldwide Perspectives During Polarized Times (2022, edited), Politische Psychologie: Handbuch für Studium und Wissenschaft (2022, edited, 2nd updated & extended edition, in German, with Sonja Zmerli), Political Debasement: Incivility, Contempt, and Humiliation in Parliamentary and Public Discourse (2023, edited), Political Humor Worldwide: The Cultural Context of Political Comedy, Satire, and Parody (2024, edited), and Not My Words: How and Why Elected Officials Quote, Requote, and Misquote Others (2025, edited). In 2021, he was elected Honorary Chair of the Research Committee on Political Psychology, International Political Science Association.