Overview
- Considers the complex use of language by public leaders to defend leadership legitimacy
- Compares and contrasts the public rhetoric of six Australian political leaders
- Uses Australian leaders as example to address international trends
- Includes supplementary material: sn.pub/extras
Part of the book series: Palgrave Studies in Political Leadership (PSPL)
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About this book
This book examines both the rhetorical content of contemporary public leadership and the leadership methods pioneered by early English statesman Sir Francis Bacon. In particular, it considers the use of public rhetoric to defend leadership legitimacy in six case studies, drawing on leadership contests in recent Australian political history. The authors map out the complex language of leadership in contemporary politics through chapter-length portraits of the inter-related political rhetoric of prime ministers Rudd, Gillard, Abbott and Turnbull, plus former foreign minister Bob Carr and indigenous leader Noel Pearson. The process is a novel application of leadership analysis derived from the political philosophy of Francis Bacon, who emerges as a founder of the study, and indeed practice, of political and public leadership. The book will appeal to students and scholars across the fields of political science, communication and rhetorical studies, and political history.
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Keywords
- Sir Francis Bacon leadership methods
- contemporary public leadership
- leadership legitimacy
- rhetoric used by political leaders
- contemporary Australian political history
- rhetoric of Tony Abbott
- rhetoric of Malcolm Turnbull
- rhetoric of Julia Gillard
- rhetoric of Bob Carr
- rhetoric of Kevin Rudd
- rhetoric of Noel Pearson
- Australian politics
- Australian prime ministers
- language of political leaders
- James Bryce's Modern Democracies
- gender politics
- political leadership
- leadership performance and rhetoric
Table of contents (9 chapters)
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Front Matter
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Back Matter
Reviews
“Words are actions, and leaders know it. This thought-provoking study sheds light on the rhetorical battles that have shaped Australia’s recent political history – and it’s a cracking good read to boot.” (Dr Dennis Grube, University of Cambridge, UK)
“An original diagnosis of political rhetoric, in theory and practice. The important thesis: leadership studies can renew itself by returning to its “neglected founder,” the enlightenment philosopher Francis Bacon. For Bacon provides a comprehensive art of persuasion that can defend scientific and social innovation and thus “new levels of human welfare.” The authors analyze accordingly six Australian instances, including a prime minister, Julia Gillard, combatting misogyny and a public intellectual, Noel Pearson, defending indigenous people. Here is a seriously provocative book on Bacon-style political communication with a freebie: snapshots of Australian democracy in action.” (Professor Robert Faulkner, Boston College,USA)
Authors and Affiliations
About the authors
Adam B. Masters is Post-Doctoral Fellow at the Transnational Research Institute on Corruption at the Australian National University.
John Uhr is Director of the Centre for the Study of Australian Politics at the Australian National University.
Bibliographic Information
Book Title: Leadership Performance and Rhetoric
Authors: Adam B. Masters, John Uhr
Series Title: Palgrave Studies in Political Leadership
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-58774-5
Publisher: Palgrave Macmillan Cham
eBook Packages: Political Science and International Studies, Political Science and International Studies (R0)
Copyright Information: The Editor(s) (if applicable) and The Author(s) 2017
Hardcover ISBN: 978-3-319-58773-8Published: 04 September 2017
Softcover ISBN: 978-3-319-86472-3Published: 04 August 2018
eBook ISBN: 978-3-319-58774-5Published: 16 August 2017
Series ISSN: 2947-5821
Series E-ISSN: 2947-583X
Edition Number: 1
Number of Pages: XIII, 153
Number of Illustrations: 4 b/w illustrations
Topics: Political Leadership, Political Communication, Political History