“Finally! Propaganda studies, so grounded in persuasion, has been missing the voice of rhetoricians for a long time now while social psychologists, political scientists, and philosophers debated propaganda's mechanics, effects, and ethics. The editors have gathered an impressive collection of thinkers whose expertise as rhetoricians complicates and extends our understanding of propaganda generally, and also allows for a sharp focus on the dangers that propaganda presents to functioning democracies. Much of the material in these chapters is terrifying. Fortunately the writing is brave and smart throughout.”—Seth Kahn, coeditor of Activism and Rhetoric: Theories and Contexts for Political Engagement
“This superb collection consists of original articles by current scholars, most within Rhetoricians for Peace, a caucus of the Conference on College Composition and Communication, whose members for over a decade have been dedicated to the critique of propaganda in war and other realms of political discourse. Timely essays include ‘A Taxonomy of Bullshit,’ ‘Popular Economics: Neoliberal Propaganda and Its Affectivity,’ ‘Privatized Propaganda and Broadcast News,’ and ‘Writing Dissent in the Propaganda Flood.’ The book marks an admirable step toward the vital goal of placing critical analysis of propaganda in the forefront of humanistic education, especially in writing courses.”—Donald Lazere, author of Political Literacy in Composition and Rhetoric
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