Kuypers, King, and their contributors explore the conception of rhetoric of eleven key American rhetoricians through analyses of their life's work. Each chapter provides a sense of that scholar's conception of rhetoric, be it through criticism, theory, or teaching. The communication discipline often highlights the work of others outside the discipline; however, it rarely acclaims the work of its own critics, teachers, and theorists. In this collection, the essays explore the innate mode of perception that guided the rhetorical understanding of the early critics. In so doing, this work...

Analyses of political dialogue have traditionally concentrated on structures of government or social movements, drawing clear boundaries between the individual and the state. In its examination of the marginal fringe groups struggling to secure power, "Postmodern Political Communication" broadens our conception of political behavior and places new emphasis on the generation and invention of politics. This volume's contributors examine the discourse of deviant, oppressed, and powerless groups from the point of view of empowerment; that is, how do such outsider groups engage the center and...