This edited book is an innovative collection of studies exploring the various features of modern day political oratory in a number of Western and non-Western countries. It brings together a team of distinguished group of communication researchers, linguistics, and social & political psychologists to address issues related to the evolution of modern oratory in politics with a special attention paid to the way politicians’ arguments and rhetorical appeals have changed over time i.e., their shifting speaking style and frames when communicating with the masses. Each chapter in this volume examines the specific historical, social, and cultural forces that shaped and determined present-day oratory in a particular country over the past several decades. The chapters offer a global analysis of modern political rhetoric in societies from West to East, developing a framework to assess the role and effect of communication in contemporary politics. Scholars of communication, rhetoric, modern history, and political behavior will find this book of particular interest.

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.