The essays in this collection aim to waken contemporary discussions of ethos
(and of rhetoric generally) from their Western, classical-Aristotelian slumbers.
Western rhetoric was never univocal in its theory or practice of ethos: the essays
in this collection provide proof of this. The contributors aimed to shake rhetoric
out of its Eurocentrism: the traditions of Africa, the Middle East, and Asia sustain
their own models of ethos and lead us to reconsider rhetoric in its rich
variety-what ethos was, is, and will become. This collection is groundbreaking
in its attempt to outline the diversity of argument, trust, and authority beyond
a singular, dominant perspective.
This collection offers readers a choice of itineraries: thematic, geographic, and
historical. Essays may be read individually or cumulatively, as exercises in
comparative rhetoric. In taking a world perspective, Histories of Ethos will
prove a seminal discussion. Its comparative approach will help readers appreciate
the commonalities and the distinctions in competing cultural-discursive
practices-in what brings us together and what drives us apart as communities.
Additionally, it is the editors' hope that, out of this historical, multicultural
dialogue, some new perspectives on ethos may come forward to broaden our
discussion and reach of understanding.
