About the Network for Oratory and Politics

The aim of the Network for Oratory and Politics is to facilitate research into and discussion of political oratory across historical periods and regions in order to broaden up the study of political speech and reach out to non-academic communities. The network aims to connect academics with political practitioners of public speech such as politicians, speechwriters and the general public in an exchange of knowledge and ideas.

The network’s activities focuses on gathering academics to analyse and discuss oratory and politics across historical periods and regions; engaging practitioners of political oratory in discussions of the relationship between oratory and politics, and cultural receptions of oratory; communicating these discussions through a range of media to the scholarly community and to the public; engaging the public through public lectures in a fruitful discussion of political oratory; training postgraduate students in the study of oratory and politics; fostering links for future projects and collaborations in the field; acting as a communication hub for externally-organised events whose content falls within the interests of this network.

The Network for Oratory and Politics is the first of its kind in the UK through its broad historical and geographical scope, its commitment to knowledge exchange with non-academic groups, and its use of modern communication technologies to reach out to both academic and non-academic communities.

• 7 and 26 September 2022: interviewed for The Bunker Daily Podcast on the state of public speech today (published 30 September 2022)
• 30 March 2022: interviewed for NOS Nieuwsuur (the Netherlands) on President Zelensky’s rhetoric
• 23 March 2022: interviewed for TVNet Group (Latvia) on President Zelensky’s rhetoric
• 21 March 2022: interviewed for New York Times on President Zelensky’s rhetoric
• 8 October 2018: BBC World Service series ‘The Why Factor’, episode on ‘Rhetoric’
• June 2019, Betterknown podcast
• May 2019, Hay Festival

• British Political Speech - an online archive of British political speech and a place for the discussion, analysis, and critical appreciation of political rhetoric.
• Centre for Oratory and Rhetoric - based at Royal Holloway and established in 2010 in order to foster research in the art of persuasion from the Graeco-Roman antiquity until the twenty-first century.
• Ancient and Modern Rhetoric - a blog by Dr Jon Hesk (School of Classics, St Andrews) exploring the similarities and differences between ancient and modern uses and abuses of rhetorical communication.
• Silva Rhetoricae (The Forest of Rhetoric) - a guide to the terms of classical and renaissance rhetoric, provided by Dr. Gideon Burton of Brigham Young University.
• Iris Online - the online resource of The Iris Project. Updated every week with new features, articles by leading academics, interviews, travelogues and 'Lite' features, it is aimed at everyone who has an interest in Classics and the ancient world. In the run up to the 2015 General Election they have published a series of articles on the theme of 'Politics and Democracy'.

Please contact us at networkfororatoryandpolitics@gmail.com if you would like to add a resource to this list.

The Rhetoric Society of Europe (RSE) is an organization for European researchers and teachers working on the art of rhetoric.

The purpose of RSE is to promote and advance the research, study and teaching of rhetoric in Europe, and to facilitate professional cooperation between its members. The society provides a forum where researchers and others involved in rhetorical research and teaching can meet and exchange ideas, information and documentation about their work.

Even though it is an important aim of the RSE to stimulate European research and teaching in rhetoric, we welcome members from all parts of the world. The RSE not only wishes to improve and enhance European research, but also to facilitate international cooperation in the research, study and teaching of rhetoric.

• Visit RSE website

If you’re a UK-based speechwriter, membership of the UK Speechwriters’ Guild will give you access to a community of professionals seeking to improve their skills. We advertise jobs, publish newsletters, run training workshops and organise an annual conference.

• Visit UK Speechwriters’ Guild website

If you write speeches in more than one language, or you have to deal with the problems of simultaneous interpretation or communicating with multi-lingual audiences, membership of The European Speechwriter Network will put you in touch with people working with the same problems. We share knowledge and exchange ideas between speechwriters working in international organisations. We organise an annual conference in a European city.

• Visit ESN website