Political Debasement

Incivility, Contempt, and Humiliation in Parliamentary and Public Discourse

Ofer Feldman editor

Format:Hardback

Publisher:Springer Verlag, Singapore

Published:27th Apr '23

Should be back in stock very soon

Political Debasement cover

This edited book is an innovative collection of studies—pioneering scholarship systematically exploring the various features of debasement language used by political leaders in their speeches, statements, and remarks during parliamentary and other official as well as unofficial, private activities. The book examines in particular the forms, functions, and effects of political debasement in Western and non-Western countries, including Spain, Malaysia, the UK, Japan, China, India, Montenegro, Greece, Poland, and Israel. It addresses the growing interest in recent years in issues related to the increase of debasement in the public sphere. These include high-echelon politicians’ invective and vulgarity toward their colleagues in houses of parliament; their abusive and cynical language toward sections of the public, including women and minorities; and their crude sarcasm and irony expressed toward media representatives. The book focuses on those instances where political leaders at the very highest-level employ debasement discourse; it identifies the specific language they use in different political cultures and under different situations; the reasons for using this type of languageand its consequences. The book brings together a team of distinguished political scientists, communication and linguistics researchers, and social and political psychologists, with expert backgrounds and experience in understanding the reciprocal interaction between language and politics, in this case: debasement. They discuss and provide a number of novel insights of theoretical and practical importance regarding debasing discourse, as well as potential avenues for future research on the nature and effect of this type of language.

“This dual publication’s undeniable forte is that its contributors not only finish each of their articles with a tangible recommendation for the potential scientific area worth researching in the future, but that the scholars put into practice the variety of concepts from academic disciplines such as linguistics, political science, social and political psychology as well as communication. Additionally, the collections offer a rich methodological source of inspirations … . provide insights into a wide arrayof countries … .” (Artur Cedzich, Res Rhetorica, Vol. 10 (3), 2023)

ISBN: 9789819904662

Dimensions: unknown

Weight: unknown

250 pages

2023 ed.