Rhetoric, the Polis, and the Global Village represents current thought on the role of rhetoric in various disciplines, and includes such diverse topics as race, technology, and religion, demonstrating the expanding relevance of rhetoric in today's world. The essays included in this volume address the question of the polis in ancient and modern times, gradually converging with the more recent 30-year span between the decade of the Global Village and today's rhetorical rehearsals for a political global economy. Originating from the 1998 Rhetoric Society of America's biennial conference, and representing the 30-year anniversary of the organization, this volume offers to all readers the keynote lectures and selected papers celebrating the universality of rhetoric across cultures. As a benchmark for the scholarship and growth of the rhetoric discipline in recent history, it will be of great interest to scholars in classical and contemporary rhetoric, writing, and other fields in which rhetoric has attained critical significance and influence.