The Rhetoric of Political Leadership

Logic and Emotion in Public Discourse

Edited by Ofer Feldman, Professor of Political Psychology and Behavior, Doshisha University, Kyoto, Japan

This timely book details the theoretical and practical elements of political rhetoric and their effects on the interactions between politicians and the public. Expert contributors explore the issues associated with political rhetoric from a range of disciplinary perspectives, including political science, linguistics, social psychology and communication studies. Chapters examine what makes a speech effective, politicians’ use of moral appeals in political advertising, political attacks on social media, and gender and emotion in political discourse.

'This volume is a must-read collection for scholars working in and across the fields of political science, social psychology, media communication and discourse studies. It does not only offer cutting-edge perspectives on rational and emotional attributes of political rhetoric, but also on their effects across a wide variety of societies and venues.'
– Anita Fetzer, University of Augsburg, Germany

‘Cutting-edge analyses reveal how politicians use public self-presentations to recruit the loyalists who empower them, whether by voting or by oppressing. Both linguistic and paralinguistic behaviors are examined across a broad variety of cultures and languages, in both traditional and new media, and under both democratic and dictatorial institutions. Innovative methodologies and novel techniques uncover general patterns as well as peculiarities specific to particular national settings. Together the authors push the study of political communication to new frontiers.’
– Richard Anderson, University of California, Los Angeles, US

‘Ofer Feldman offers a comprehensive study of contemporary political communication that centers in key countries such as the United States, United Kingdom, the Netherlands, Israel, China, Japan and others. The focus on politicians’ evocative communication promotes a fresh look at how leaders resort to persuasive techniques that allow content and style to secure adherents. The book’s international focus adds great insights to those interested in world political communication and expands readers’ understanding of the rise of populism as a rhetorical objective.’
– Amos Kiewe, Syracuse University, US

‘This volume contributes usefully to our growing understanding of political language as a form of strategic communication. The global range of the examples is admirable, reminding us that, while media platforms are increasingly international, meaning is still culturally specific.’
– Stephen Coleman, University of Leeds, UK

‘This book brings together a fascinating collection of special essays that illuminate the multiple roles of language in framing political issues, and in persuading others to support the proposals and decisions of political leaders. Case studies from selected countries, some rarely examined, explore how top political leaders use rhetoric strategies to mobilize the electorate, lead government, and to affect policy discourse and interventions. Anyone interested in the complex relationships between political rhetoric, leadership, and governance will find this book essential reading.’
– Ken Kinoshita, Fukuoka Institute of Technology, Japan