Expanding the scope of religious rhetoric  

Over the past twenty-five years, the intersection of rhetoric and religion has become one of the most dynamic areas of inquiry in rhetoric and writing studies. One of few volumes to include multiple traditions in one conversation, Rhetoric and Religion in the Twenty-First Century engages with religious discourses and issues that continue to shape public life in the United States.  

This collection of essays centralizes the study of religious persuasion and pluralism, considers religion’s place in U.S. society, and expands the study of rhetoric and religion in generative ways. The volume showcases a wide range of religious traditions and challenges the very concepts of rhetoric and religion. The book’s eight essays explore African American, Buddhist, Christian, Indigenous, Islamic, and Jewish rhetoric and discuss the intersection of religion with feminism, race, and queer rhetoric—along with offering reflections on how to approach religious traditions through research and teaching. In addition, the volume includes seven short interludes in which some of the field’s most accomplished scholars recount their experiences exploring religious rhetorics and invite readers to engage these exigent lines of inquiry.  

By featuring these diverse religious perspectives, Rhetoric and Religion in the Twenty-First Century complicates the field’s emphasis on Western, Hellenistic, and Christian ideologies. The collection also offers teachers of writing and rhetoric a range of valuable approaches for preparing today’s students for public citizenship in our religiously diverse global context.  

Shedding light on international and transnational writing studies, this edited collection addresses the complexities of research and writing across global contexts. Based on the observation that knowledge-making transcends national borders and is contingent upon the interplay of local cultures and practices, the contributors to the volume contradict the notion that knowledge circulates freely in a “flat world.” Presenting diverse perspectives on writing research, they showcase the need for mutual understanding across borders and reflect the rich tapestry of writing research traditions worldwide, emphasizing interconnectedness and collective insight rather than hierarchical models of knowledge dissemination. Supporting International Writing Studies Research encourages readers and researchers to engage with and respect scholarship beyond English-language contexts, advocates for collaborative global dialogues in writing education, and underscores the importance of continued efforts to incorporate diverse scholarly voices and methodologies in the evolving landscape of writing studies.