Political rhetoric and democratic discourse

The academic study of rhetoric has grown as a field of scholarly concern as politicians face increasingly diverse and inquisitive audiences. The political and intellectual significance of language is linked to a wide range of fields of scholarly interest, covering leadership studies, ideological analyses and theories of rhetorical realities, as well as its capacity to deconstruct the forms of political language covering rhetoric as entertainment, scrutiny and/or accountability. Thus, this article sets the scene for a selection of analyses that examine political rhetoric and democratic discourse within a range of contexts. It examines democratic discourse in Europe, the Americas and beyond while seeking to position rhetorical studies within their long-standing theoretical and historical contexts. I aim to set the scene for the special edition by discussing rhetoric as a scholarly concern while highlighting its importance within healthy democratic societies. This necessitates concise yet important discussions of rhetoric within their ancient theoretical contexts while seeking to position them more firmly within their modern political environments.